“I have been afflicted by a terminal uniqueness/ I’ve been dying just from trying to seem cool”
These lines from ‘Eldest Daughter’, track five on pop juggernaut Taylor Swift’s latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, might be her most unintentionally revealing ones yet. Her twelfth album reflects uniqueness only in its author’s position as one of the biggest musicians in history, and not in its sound or approach.
Showgirl was branded as Swift’s foray into “life behind the curtains”, coming off a huge career-high, the Eras Tour, the highest-grossing tour of all time, and a three-and-a-half-hour-long celebration of Swift’s catalogue. The concert was a reminder of why Swift is as beloved as she is; the songs may have been penned by a recently-crowned billionaire, but they latch onto the laywoman’s soul with a grip only lived-in lyrics can.
In recent interviews, Swift has stated that Showgirl highlights the facets of her personality that are “funny, feisty, flirty, tongue-in-cheek, and a little scandalous,” as opposed to her sprawling 2024 collection, The Tortured Poets Department, which details the deeper, more sincere aspects of her inner life. Except, every single song on Showgirl harkens back to two things: better-done previously released Taylor Swift songs, and gleaming new Sabrina Carpenter songs (she also features on the closing titular track of Showgirl).
This is evident from the get-go on the tightly packed 41-minute track list, with album-opener ‘The Fate of Ophelia’. The reference to Hamlet, a work of Shakespeare, is also a reference to an earlier, bona fide Taylor Swift pop culture moment, “Romeo, take me somewhere we can be alone,” from ‘Love Story’(2008), that will bring even the most stoic of dudebros to the dance floor. ‘Ophelia’ falters both in originality and content, as its clunky verses meander from megaphones to towers to football teams and vibes to dug-out graves.
Swift’s embrace of the role of the jilted fading star, documented on the polarising reputation (2017), is reawakened on track two, ‘Elizabeth Taylor’.The lush but dynamic instrumentation does not register as a highlight from Showgirl, as it very clearly belongs on a previous album of hers. Further, this love song, along with many on the record, does not afford Swift or her muse any room for personhood. And if your letters ever said, ‘goodbye,’ I’d cry my eyes violet,” lends a good idea of how much Swift needs her muse, but why? What about this person has her so hypnotised? The lyrics leave much to the imagination.
Taylor Swift performs during her Eras Tour at Sofi stadium in Inglewood, California, August 7, 2023
| Photo Credit:
MICHAEL TRAN
Another love song later down the tracklist, ‘Wi$h Li$t’, is perhaps the worst instance of such. The song rambles on about the various accolades and materialistic desires that “they” want, juxtaposing with the domestic bliss she has resigned to in its chorus (“I just want you/have a couple kids, got the whole block looking like you”). Beyond having found a “best friend” whom she finds “hot”, none of the lyrics ever detail her dynamic with this individual in the way that she has in previous outings (“There’s a dazzling haze, a mysterious way about you, dear” on 2019’s Lover). In fact, this choice of love over materialism is also conveyed better on reputation’s deep-cut, ‘King of my Heart’: “Say you fancy me, not fancy stuff/ baby, all at once, this is enough.”
‘Wi$h Li$t’also reveals the confused thematic inclinations of this record. The promotion cycle for Showgirl reveals her attitude towards the first week CD sales (as of its first week, she has released not one, but 29 varying CD versions of the same album). It is evident that she intends on remaining at the top of her game. And yet, ‘Wi$h Li$t’snarks at people who want Oscars and contracts with Real Madrid.
The lyrics of the song also indicate that Swift wants the world to leave her and her muse alone. However, the track swoops in right after ‘Actually Romantic’, a diss track aimed at a fellow celebrity, which has sparked the intended chatter all across the Internet.
The following tracks, ‘Wood’ and ‘CANCELLED!’ cement Swift’s attempts at emanating coolness. The former is her go at Sabrina Carpenter’s innuendo-laden dance numbers, while the latter sees Swift farce a bold stance in a cluster of phrases that were considered “in” four years ago (“Did you girlboss too close to the sun?”).
A recurring positive is Swift’s return to an undeniable earworm; the sickly-sweet ‘Opalite’ excels in never leaving your head and never letting you sit still when it is on. Swedish pop producers and legends Max Martin and Shellback bring in thick bass loops that add a pop texture to otherwise typical country songs.
A billboard advertises ‘The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,’ a movie celebrating Taylor Swift’s new album ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’ in Times Square in New York City
| Photo Credit:
REUTERS
Showgirl shines when it lets itself breathe; the most human moments on the record remind you of Swift’s legendary songwriting talent. ‘Ruin The Friendship’is Swift on her home ground, a high school crush with a twist ending, revealing that Swift could never confront her romantic feelings for the subject of the song, as he unexpectedly passed away after she left to pursue her dreams in music. The Wurlitzers and horns on the sentimental ‘Honey’, where Swift lets go of a past of passive-aggression and confusion for peace and real love, are the kind to invoke sweet and bitter memories alike.
‘Father Figure’ , while written from the perspective of a patriarchal mogul preying on an ingenue, shows Swift’s prowess in dealing with the very human need for power and affinity for weakness.
Swift’s most basic instincts, which are to detail moments grounded in real experience and twirl the phrase around to match these moments, are the ones that work best for her, regardless of genre or production. Showgirl strays away from the power of her words and instead relies on the power of her stature.
The Life of a Showgirl is streaming on major music platforms
Published – October 08, 2025 05:03 pm IST
