Taylor Swift finally released her anticipated twelfth studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” and it was a bit underwhelming.
Before listening to this album, I was excited to hear the sound of the album, especially because Max Martin and Karl Johan Schuster (Shellback) were coming back as producers, previously working on projects like “Red,” “1989” and “reputation.”. I also wanted to see how this album was going to sound different from her previous ones, as the visuals felt very glamorous, sexy and glitzy.
Every time Swift releases a new album, I claim it is my favorite one of hers, falling to recency bias. However, after listening to “The Life of a Showgirl,” I knew right away that it was not one of my favorites.
I thought most of the songs sounded the same, and the lyricism felt a bit too silly at times. Maybe it’s because I don’t brace enough, “cringe” as Swift herself would say, but at times, I felt that the words being said in the songs sounded juvenile.
There were songs that I felt like dancing to, which I appreciated and missed out on from her last album, “The Tortured Poets Department.”
I will be diving into the album song-by-song and evaluating an overall ranking of the album in general.
On first listen, I thought the song sounded very Lana Del Rey-esque. I thought it also felt like a “1989” vault track and had a great beat.
However, it didn’t feel like a traditional Swift opening track like you’d usually hear in other albums like “Lavender Haze” in “Midnights,” “Welcome to New York” in “1989” and “. . . Ready For It?” from “reputation.”
Instead, it felt like it could pass as any normal track on the album, which I did not necessarily appreciate. She begins with thanking her lover for saving her from the fate of Ophelia, which could maybe stand itself, but this exact message is brought up in other songs in the album, making it feel watered down.
I give this song a 6/10.
I always appreciate when Swift relates herself to a famous figure from the golden era of Hollywood, like she did with “Clara Bow” and “the last great american dynasty.” She touches on imagery in the beginning of the song, which I always love to dissect.
The music felt reminiscent of “reputation,” which is one of my favorite albums of hers. I got down with the song, but the message felt bland, unoriginal and only something that famous people can really relate to.
Overall, this song gets a 6.5/10.
“Opalite”
This song felt very romantic and sparkly, like if “1989” had a baby with “Midnights.”
There were many beautiful layered harmonies in this song, which is not a regular occurrence in Swift’s songs.
The message of this song was simple: two people fell in love with who they were. Although a simple message, the symbolism of opalite, a manufactured version of the natural opal, as a way to create love on your own terms, is quite beautiful.
I would definitely listen to this song with all the windows down, driving on the Pacific Coast Highway and pretend I was in “The Summer I Turned Pretty.”
8/10.
Before listening to this song, I was very interested in seeing how she was going to sample George Michael’s original song “Father Figure.”
This song failed to impress me like I thought it would. I thought she did Michael’s sample quite well, but the lyricism felt confusing to me.
Usually, I can interpret and understand songs very well, but “Father Figure” felt very all over the place. I think this song will grow on me, but as of now, I am not too fond of the chorus.
I give this song a 6/10.
This song was definitely the one I was anticipating the most, as I am an eldest daughter, and this was a track five song, which Swifties know is Swift’s deep cut on an album.
I related to some aspects of the song, such as feeling pressure to be “cool” and be guarded from love.
Out of most of Swift’s track fives, this one felt the least track five-y. It had the instrumentals of a track five, but the lyricism felt tacky at times.
I give this song a 7/10.
This song is reminiscent of past Swift songs, such as “Forever Winter” and “It’s Nice to Have a Friend.” It felt nostalgic.
Although this song had a steady beat that felt happy, the song itself was a bit more personal and melancholy. “Should’ve kissed you anyway,” isn’t Swift so much condoning cheating as it is wishing she could show affection to someone she once loved who has passed.
I would say this is her most nuanced and personal song on the album.
7/10.
“Actually Romantic” was one of my unexpected favorites of this album.
She is obviously writing this as a diss track to Charli XCX. But she turned someone’s consistent petty remarks and “hating,” if you will, into a stronger message about feeling flattered.
Out of every song on this album, this is the one I find myself relating to the most; it even felt like she wrote it specifically for me.
These are the types of songs from Swift that remind me why I love her in the first place. Her ability to take situations and turn them into a different perspective has not only added more perspective to my life but has also healed me.
This song gets a strong 9/10.
I thought this song was very cute, and it ties in with the whole theme of being a “showgirl” battling with fame and love.
It’s apparent that her fiancé, Travis Kelce, is the muse of this song and the whole album. She talks about wanting to settle down, have kids and want people to keep out of their lives.
The chord change mid-song is something that I liked as well. I don’t understand why the dollar sign was in the title, however.
7.5/10.
“Wood”
This song was an unexpected banger. It is probably Swift’s raunchiest song to date.
The beginning of the song was all about superstitions, which drew back to Swift’s previous wishes for love. It then fell into her current relationship with Kelce, and even referenced his podcast, “New Heights.”
It even parallels her song “The Prophecy,” referencing that the “curse” she dealt with in that song was broken by Kelce’s “magic wand.”
I wanted to get up and dance when I listened to this song, and it is definitely the most upbeat and catchy song on the album.
I give it a 9/10.
I believe this song had to be a “reputation” vault track of some sort, because it definitely sounds like the daughter of “I Did Something Bad.”
Swift sings about rising from the criticisms she faces, and even though this song is extremely catchy, I wonder if she was referencing her private jet usage at all.
The sound of this song was probably the most sense-making song of the album, considering the aesthetics of the album.
I also love when Swift showcases her higher range, which she does in this song. Her belting sounded reminiscent of the “Don’t Blame Me” bridge.
And speaking of bridges, this song had the best bridge by far in the entire album, which makes it my favorite song on the album.
I give it a 9/10.
“Honey”
This song felt personal to me and was probably another one I strongly related to. Swift takes the condescending tone of the word “honey” and explains how her current lover has turned it into something sweeter.
I think this was the most wholesome song on the album by far. The only critique I have is that the sound of the song felt similar to other songs.
I give it a 7.5/10.
“The Life of a Showgirl (feat. Sabrina Carpenter)”
On first listen, this song sounded like “Cool” by the Jonas Brothers. It was good and was similar to many of Swift’s songs about fame.
Swift and Carpenter’s voices melt seamlessly together, creating a symbolism between an older, more mature voice and a younger, more feisty voice.
The song also feels like the sister to “The Lucky One” in the sense of being glamorous on the outside, but broken on the inside.
This song was good, but I have the same grievances I did with “The Fate of Ophelia.” It did not feel like a closer. When I think of a strong final track of a Swift album, I think of “New Year’s Day” or “evermore.”
The song itself didn’t give me any indication that it was the closer until the audio from Swift and Carpenter’s performance from The Eras Tour played at the end of the song. While I understand that this could be seen as a concrete close, the song as a whole did not feel like it was the ending.
I give this song a 7/10.
Final thoughts
While I thought this album was dynamic and fun, it definitely was not in my favorite Swift albums. My favorites are still “evermore,” “reputation” and “Speak Now.”
What I love from a Swift album is deep lyrics that make me want to dissect what they are about and how that applies to my life. I don’t think Swift did that so much here, but that makes me wonder if that is because of the muse of this album.
Another grievance that I had with this album was that there was no bridge that stood out to me. Swift is known for her amazing bridges, but this album had one, if any, memorable bridge.
Most songs on the album were about Kelce. I am very happy that they found each other, but I think that because he isn’t toxic or plays with her feelings, it makes for a very boring muse (sorry).
Overall, I would give this album a 7/10.
YouSuck • Oct 5, 2025 at 7:39 pm
Or you’re just a boring person who hates fun and thinks everything she puts out needs to have some profound intellectual message- not everything she does needs to be a social commentary, sometimes it OK to be silly and have fun.