By Leah Falcon
Swifties rejoice – Taylor Swift’s new album The Life of a Showgirl dropped on Friday 3 October. But, what was heralded by Swift in her announcement of the album’s release as “keeping the bar really high” and an album with “melodies that were so infectious that you’re almost angry at it, and lyrics that are just as vivid” seems to be a fairly mellow compilation.
This underwhelming album could be attributed to its release being only 10 months after the two-year run of Swift’s Eras Tour. It seems to have been composed in a state of fatigue that students would associate with the weeks that follow the three-month exam period between September and November. The album’s upbeat tracks and sunshine vibes show that extensive experience that Swift has in the industry and, overall, the album is a polished and packaged 12 songs in 41 minutes. What it lacks is the iconic melodies and ear-worm phrases that has kept Swift at the heart of pop music for decades.
The album starts well with the boppy beat and catchy riffs of “The Fate of Ophelia” which has the necessary sound-bite-potential for songs to succeed in the current era of TikTok and Instagram Reels. The lyrics draw on the tragic Shakespearean character of Ophelia but conflate it with a series of mixed football metaphors – a clear reference to her fiancé Travis Kelce. “Elizabeth Taylor” and “Opalite” continue the mid-tempo beat and sunshiny lyrics. “Elizabeth Taylor” seems to draw on Born To Die Lana Del Rey’s flat drum beat and misty vocals while “Opalite” has a tight Sabrina-Carpenter-inspired beat and bouncy chorus.
The album’s intention to explore the theme of the performance lifestyle and the public eye comes out in “Father Figure” and “CANCELLED!” These songs continue the subtle instrumentals and laid back vibes, drawing on Reputation-style subjects, critiquing the music industry’s exploitation of artists and its double standards of women. This subject matter continues in “Eldest Daughter” which is a missed opportunity in a nutshell and all three songs seem more focused on symphonising catchy phrases than vocalising any raw truths.
The abruptly venomous lyrics of “Actually Romantic” hold the teenage spite known from Swift’s “Mean” from her album Speak Now. The gritty guitar and mouthy style of singing are reminiscent of Olivia Rodrigo’s “good 4 u”. The lyrics are clearly directed toward Charli xcx. Swift seems to have taken offence from Charli xcx’s 2024 song, “Sympathy Is a Knife”, which has been accepted as an account of Charli xcx’s experience of opening for Swift on the Eras Tour. But compared to “Actually Romantic”, “Sympathy Is a Knife” shows introspection into Charli xcx’s own insecurities with the refrain, “I couldn’t even be her if I tried” and does not seem to warrant Swift’s responding jibe calling Charli xcx “a toy Chihuahua barking at me from a tiny purse”.
The true decline of the album begins with the cringey lyrics of “Wi$h Li$t” which romanticise the millennial dream of a stable relationship, suburban life and home ownership over a “yacht life under chopper blades”. The chord progressions call back to her previous song “Glitch”. The sentiment feels superficial next to Swift’s well-known excessive use of her own private jet. The cringe continues with “Wood”, drenched in painful innuendos (yes, the ones you are thinking of), has a motown-inspired bead but can largely be ignored.
“Ruin the Friendship” has a neat driving bass line and early-Swift ballad style. “Honey” is sweet and sparkly, bound to be a classic at millennials’ weddings, but largely forgettable.
The final song, for which the album was named, features Sabrina Carpenter in both voice and sound production. The song has the feel of a finale in a musical: rousing and with a stomp-clap beat worthy of The Greatest Showman. In a ballad about a showgirl named Kitty, the two pop stars return the album to its upbeat beginning.
The album as a whole seems unremarkable and takes on a pastel yellow shade, rather than the glitter of show business. The current pop culture scene is made up of fleeting trends (as songs run through the washing machine of TikTok soundbites) or remakes of familiar favourites (Gladiator 2, Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine all being some of the highest grossing films of 2024). The music industry is not exempt from this with the four “Taylor’s Version” albums each hitting the charts, and 2025’s lack of a “song of the summer”. Artists with established fan bases have a significant advantage in attracting the public’s attention. Swift’s position in pop culture has long been tested and her rabid following of Swifties are bound to ensure that this album hits the charts.
A day after the album dropped, Swift also announced four CD editions of the album, each with two new acoustic songs. Fans have lashed back, calling the move a money grab with each CD costing eight US Dollars.
The Life of a Showgirl seems to be reflecting current pop music sensations, from Rodrigo to Del Rey, and her own past hits. Is Swift beating the algorithm by playing to the echo chamber of social media? Or is she showing creative burnout, falling back on her past songs and pop contemporaries?
Whether or not the showgirl is burnt out, Taylor Swift will forever be a showgirl. As she says in the final track of the album: “All the headshots on the walls of the dance hall are of the bitches who wish I’d hurry up and die. But I’m immortal now, baby dolls, I couldn’t if I tried.”
