If you didn’t stay up until midnight on the night of the TS12 album release, covered in glittery friendship bracelets from the Eras tour and a friend’s small business clinging to both wrists, slightly tipsy after just having lost Taylor Swift trivia night at Trident Books, freshly listening to The Manuscript-and for some reason, ‘I Look in People’s Windows’ (because a girl’s just gotta cry sometimes I guess) and were COMPLETELY thrown off guard in the BEST way by the dancy vibes of “The Fate of Ophelia” — then did you even celebrate The Life of a Showgirl release at all??
But it wasn’t over that night, oh no. Not only did I enjoy chocolate lava cake in theatres while watching the Documentary of The Fate of Ophelia and chuckled slightly at the (‘skies’) replacement in the infamous Wood, I managed to snag a vinyl (my first on time vinyl of a Taylor release!) AND a cd for “work reviews.”
No really, I promise that’s true.
But I digress. You don’t need any of these activities or things to enjoy a new Taylor Swift album. Sometimes it just involves a pack of tissues to cry to a ‘Track 5’ song. Swifties know what I mean. Let’s get into the review before you turn away from my screaming about how perfect and needed this album was in my life right now. It seriously could not have come at a better time. A friend said ‘if you’re happy, it’s more likely you’ll enjoy this album.’ But then, if you’re sad, I think, the first three songs may not hit you as much as they did for me. But don’t worry, there’s still track 5: “Eldest Daughter” and Track 6: “Ruin the Friendship” to cry to.
Review time! Is it a surprise that I loved it so much? From the intro of a light drumroll in “Ophelia,” I knew we were in for something special. A Showgirl always makes a stellar entrance, after all. As Swift tells the story of Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, she not only relates it to different showgirls throughout the Eras in the music video, she makes Ophelia’s fate of drowning herself (there will be frequent literary spoilers in this article, although since Hamlet was published a VERY long time ago, you should
probably know that one by now) about her own story. Drowning in a river of almost a deathbed from a very dark place in Tortured Poet’s Department to the life of a modern – freer and happier than I’ve ever seen her — showgirl from the 21st century. All the while surrounded by her family from Eras — all of her dancers from the tour. At the end of the music video, Swift is seen presumably after a sparkling night of diamonds and music, probably the Eras Tour itself, and resting in a bath — still wearing said diamonds, and echoing Ophelia’s “drowning” fate. But the lyrics change, talking of course, about her fiancee (I KNOW) Travis Kelcie, “You saved my heart from the Fate of Ophelia.”
Maybe the reason this hit so hard for me was the message isn’t necessarily about another person saving you from the darkness life throws at you; you can also save yourself and be the hero of your own story. And that’s when the album hit for me. Catch me crying and dancing to this one at once 24/7.
If you thought that was the peak of Swift’s lyrical genius, we’ve barely started. Let’s talk next about another “banger” as Kelcie calls it, Elizabeth Taylor. Boy am I happy I CLAIMED this song before it came out. When a friend described it as a “mix of ‘Reputation’ and ‘Midnights,’” I’d say they nailed it. And yes, I still turn the volume up at the “ELIZABETH TAYLOR, do you think it’s forever” beat drop. Again, very unexpected but very welcome to make an otherwise non-dancy song into said “banger.” Swift paints a haunting image of fame in the industry (and I love when she does this), shopping at “all the best booths,” and when people say “she’s bad news, I just say thanks.” But underneath this image she presents as a small-town girl only as “hot as her next hit,” hoping that she can just share the spotlight with someone at her level. Which is hard to find, but it seems Kelcie doesn’t shy away from it. Being a football player helps there, I suppose.
Let’s move on to “Opalite!” ANOTHER dancy song! And one of the best quotes from the album, which I’m seriously considering getting a tattoo of: “It’s alright, you were dancing through the lightning strikes. Sleepless in an Onyx night. But now the sky is Opalite.” This upbeat song describes an unhappy relationship, someone committing 100% to the other person, but finally leaving “the table” (Hey, “Right Where You Left Me” stans) and moving on to better relationships with yourself and others — or simply ditching everything you know for a better life. This echoes back to “Ophelia” with the song’s catchy lyric, “You had to make your own sunshine” to Ophelia’s, “All the time I was stuck in my tower, you were just honing your powers, now I can see it all.” All in all, another bop. Next!
Next we have “Father Figure,” which was definitely different than I expected, and was the first one that didn’t hit for me on first listen. Actually, half the album didn’t hit on first listen, but I am SO GLAD I listened to these songs a second time. Especially this one. “You’ll be sleeping with the fishes before you know you’re drowning.” “You pulled the wrong trigger.” “I protect the family, leave it with me.” SO GOOD. We all know relationships in our lives and/or in different media with this type of power dynamic. The mentor losing their spot to the protegee, the protegee showing that they’re actually the one with the dominating power the whole time. But some pairings for this dynamic may be unexpected: Missy and the Master from “Doctor Who” (that one’s mine by the way, don’t touch it.), Haymitch Abernathy and Katniss Everdeen (Hunger Games, obv), and the best one I’ve seen so far: Miranda Priestly and Andrea Sachs, from The Devil Wears Prada. This piece just shows that a father figure can be any gender, and any relationship… including an evil record company and a rising popstar. But we won’t go there, lol. Just saying there’s a reason she says, “I protect the family” six times. Six repeats, six saved records… You get the picture.
Next we get to “Eldest Daughter.” Oh boy, a “track five.” Swifties know track fives are usually her most devastating songs, followed up, usually, with a pop song to cheer us up. Think “Dear John” followed by “Mean,” (Speak Now) “Tolerate It” and “No Body No Crime,” (Evermore) and “So Long London,” with “But Daddy, I Love Him.” (TTPD) But not this time, as the follow up track to “Eldest Daughter” is even more devastating: “Ruin the Friendship.” We’ll get to that soon. (And there is a LOT to unpack.)
My first thought with “Eldest Daughter” was Katniss Everdeen from the Hunger Games series. She sacrifices everything for her younger sister, Prim, and enters the games where contestants are selected for a bloodbath for the “Glory of the capitol.” Katniss volunteers knowing that Prim wouldn’t last long if she joined. “Every eldest daughter was the first lamb to the slaughter, so we all dressed up as wolves and we looked fire,” as the song says. This song wasn’t my favorite upon first listen, and still isn’t, as I’ve never had a younger sibling to relate this piece to, but I’ve grown a fondness of it, as I have a lot of younger friends that I would do what Katniss did to protect. And it also could refer to Swift protecting the fandom from harmful outside forces with her music. That’s the interpretation I like the best.
“Ruin the Friendship.” Ooh boy. What starts out as a simple “dancy” song about high school crushes over best friends turns devastating at a single line, with Swift’s masterful writing. With references to cheap disco and the band 50 Cent playing at prom while this potential romance forms, Swift drops the horrible twist at the end of the song, “When we left school, I lost track of you. Abigail called me with the bad news. Goodbye. And we’ll never know why.” She then shows how she flew back home to perform at her friend Jeff Lang’s far too early funeral. This is rumored to be who the song “Forever Winter” is about as well, whom she is pleading with to stay alive every night. With a final twist of the song, Swift sings: “My advice is to always ruin the friendship, better that than regret it all your life. Should’ve kissed you anyway.’
The next song, “Actually Romantic,” isn’t about falling in love at all, as the title suggests. It’s about those high school bullies, or in fact, any bully throughout your life, spending so much time trying to destroy you and knock you down that it might as well be “actually romantic.””No man has ever loved me like you do,” Swift sings in a comedic twist. While this song is rumored to be about Charlie XCX and her ex-boyfriend, ‘How many times has your boyfriend said, “Why are we always talking about her?” I think it could be applied to anyone’s bullies in life, and twisted to make new meaning of the hurt they try to cause you. Which was not something I picked up on the first listen.
Next we come to “W$sh L$st.” This is about Swift wanting to settle down with Kelcie, which many fans were worried about on first listen, because what if she stopped making music when she did find “a driveway with a basket ball hoop and the whole block looking like you (Kelcie?)” This is a little joke about Kelcie’s brother, Travis, as all his kids look like him, and nothing like his wife — as was said in his podcast. But have no fear, Swifties, Swift has said in several interviews about this song that she is happiest while she is creating (me too), and wouldn’t stop just because she’s found the man of her dreams, “a best friend who she thinks is hot.” Main thing, I think, is that she’s finally happy. “We tell the world to leave us the fuck alone and they do. Wow.”
Oh boy, here comes “Wood,” the reason I avoided this article. (Just kidding.) It is a good song, with a strong beat, despite the whole double entendres of it all. “Knock on wood,” “New Heights” (Travis Kelcie’s podcast, among other things) “magic wand.” I’m sure you get the picture. Still, I’m happy for her? I guess? The inspired Jackson 5 medly at the start of the song is catchy, at any rate. Thank god, I can stop talking about this song now. Moving Swift-ly on!
Next is “CANCELLED!” And yes, it is in all caps. About her close group of friends, which includes Selena Gomez, but also when her reputation went down the drain after the ‘Kanye comment,’ and Kim Kardashian drama, “They stood by me before my exoneration, so I’m not here to judge them. Everyone’s got bodies in the attic, or took somebody’s man. We’ll take you by the hand, and soon you’ll know the art of never getting caught.” But this piece has a dark undertone possibly about mental health impacts from the industry and fame; “Welcome to my underworld, where it gets quite dark. Have they broken you like they’ve broken me?” But it ends with a unique twist that reminds me a lot of “Reputation,” “And now you know exactly who your friends are, we’re the ones with matching scars.”
Next, “Honey!” I love this song. I didn’t on first listen, again, but after a few repeats, I started to love the catchy beat of the drums and guitar, and started to relate. Swift sings, “When anyone called me honey, it was passive aggressive at the bar, and the bitch was telling me to f* off, cuz her man had looked at me wrong. But you touch my face, redefine all of those blues when you say, ‘Honey.’” She goes into other situations when people besides Kelcie call her things like “lovely,” “honey,” “sweetheart,” and Kelcie redefines the meaning for her. Also, there’s some really lovely clarinet and flute choices, which I haven’t seen much of with Swift! I’m just so happy for her.
And finally, we come to the title track and collab with Sabrina Carpenter: The Life of a Showgirl. Starting out with a slow drumbeat and “clap along” sound, Swift starts out with a younger version of herself attending a showgirls performance. It’s hard to tell whether she actually gives her flowers or not, but the showgirl says, “Hey, thank you for the lovely bouquet, You’re softer than a kitten so you don’t know the life of a showgirl, babe, so you don’t know the life of a showgirl, and you’re never gonna wanna.” Sabrina echoes a familiar refrain, and then it’s a fast-paced back-and-forth between Sabrina and Swift, which I LOVE. “I took her pearls of wisdom, hung them from my neck. I paid my dues, took every bruise, I knew what to expect.” Finally, Swift and Carpenter “make it” as showgirls themselves, “Hey kitty, now I make my money being pretty and witty. Thank you for the lovely bouquet.”
The album ends with Sabrina’s appearance on the Eras tour – a lot of Swifites’ first introduction to the “Short and Sweet” singer, and wraps up the whole lyrical journey with both singers reaching “immortal” status, Swift seeing herself in Sabrina, and perhaps, Sabrina seeing herself in Swift.
It’s no secret, I love this album. If it didn’t hit right away for you, I hope this article inspired you to give it a second listen, and if it was too long, I’m sure the editors will cut it slightly down [we didn’t – ed]. Go enjoy Life of A Showgirl! That’s our show, folks!