Taylor Swift has just released her 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl, this October, and it’s had some mixed reviews among fans. I thought that I would take this opportunity to share my opinions on the album as someone who has been a fan of Taylor Swift since 2008.

The Fate of Ophelia

I believe that this is a great first track. In this song, Taylor plays into the character Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In the play, Ophelia drowns as a result of Hamlet’s madness. Taylor references this by saying, “And if you’d never come for me, I might’ve drowned in the melancholy.” Swift spins this into a different narrative by twisting the story, claiming that whoever the song is about saved her from the “fate of Ophelia.” Another great aspect of this song is the music video. Taylor makes sure to showcase the many ways a woman could be a showgirl throughout time. The many looks include a Victorian portrait model, a Shakespearean actress, a Vegas showgirl, a 1940s television dancer, a 1960s dancer, and finally, a modern popstar. Overall, it’s a great video and a pretty good song.

Elizabeth Taylor 

In this song, Taylor pays tribute to Elizabeth Taylor, a glamorous 50’s actress. Elizabeth Taylor is known for having naturally violet colored eyes. In the song, Swift sings, “ And if your letters ever said, “Goodbye”, I’d cry my eyes violet, Elizabeth Taylor”. I think that this song is very on-brand for Taylor and almost matches the vibe that she curated in her album Reputation. Overall, I like it.

Opalite

I think that “Opalite” is a good song, but it didn’t really stick out to me. I love that it is written with lots of optimism, especially in the chorus: “It’s alright, You were dancing through the lightning strikes.” Overall, I like it and have to note that this is my mom’s favorite song from the album, so it meets important approval. 

Father Figure

“Father Figure” might just be my favorite from The Life of a Showgirl. What I like the most about the song is the bridge. I just think that it is a bit different from her typical sound and it is refreshing to hear her change it up a bit. 

Eldest Daughter 

I have some complicated feelings about this song. I want to like it because it sounds pretty, but the lyrics are keeping me from loving it. I feel like there are so many out-of-place words in here, like “memes” and “savage,” for example. A lyric that stands out to me is “Every eldest daughter, Was the first lamb to the slaughter, So we all dressed up as wolves and we looked fire.” It starts great, but then “we all dressed up as wolves and we looked fire” just makes no sense to me and seems so out of place. If the lyrics did not make me cringe, this song may have just been a favorite for me. 

Ruin the Friendship

In “Ruin the Friendship”, Taylor reminisces back to high school. The song is about an old friend of hers. With the song, she is basically stating that “ruining the friendship” by revealing your feelings for them is better than regretting that you had never said anything at all. The song takes a huge plot twist in the last verse by revealing that the guy that Taylor is singing about had died, and that she never got to tell him how she felt. The song serves as a lesson, and it is one of my favorites from the entire album.

Actually Romantic 

“Actually Romantic” claps back at criticism by saying that it’s “actually romantic” that someone spends this much time critiquing her every move. To me, this song was just okay. I neither like nor dislike it. 

Wish List 

My initial thought of “Wish List” is that it’s a very sweet love song. With this song, Taylor is basically stating that all of the materialistic things in the world don’t interest her because the only thing on her wishlist is her man and for the world to leave them alone. It’s refreshing to hear Taylor have this hopeful tone in her songs after the subject material in her last album, The Tortured Poets Department.

Wood 

I don’t really have much to say about this song. To be completely honest, I did not really enjoy it. I think that the production of the song saves it.

Cancelled

This is another song that sounds like it belongs on Taylor’s album Reputation. I also did not really like this song, but it’s definitely not the worst on the album.

Honey

Unfortunately, “Honey” is my least favorite song on this album. I don’t even have a good reason for this; there just wasn’t anything I really liked about this song. I think it’s cute that Taylor has found a love that makes her write songs like this, though. 

The Life of a Showgirl

I thought that this song was a great way to end this album. The song also features Sabrina Carpenter, who is a lovely addition to this song. In the lyrics, Taylor paints a picture of an admired showgirl named Kitty, who says, “You don’t know the life of a showgirl, and you’re never gonna wanna.” This then transitions into Taylor singing as the showgirl, saying the same thing. I think that this is possibly a reflection of her feelings on the Eras Tour and how she could be seen as a “showgirl.”  Overall, a great album closer and one of the best songs on the album.

While this album is not my favorite, it definitely broadened Taylor’s horizons and also seems like an album that was created with the influence of love and happiness, which is refreshing to see after many heartbreaking songs in the past.