Streaming numbers on spotify:
- The Fate of Ophelia- 260,785,926
- Opalite- 178,370,626
- Elizabeth Taylor- 143,518,190
- Father Figure- 129,243,262
- Wi$h Li$t- 109,399,938
- Wood- 109,095,858
- The Life of a Showgirl (ft. Sabrina Carpenter)- 108,656,665
- Actually Romantic- 106,037,401
- CANCELLED!- 105,730,865
- Eldest Daughter- 101,854,922
- Ruin the Friendship- 98,078,797
- Honey- 86,443,011
Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated 12th album has received extremely mixed reviews since its Oct. 3 release. The expectations for this release were incredibly high once everyone found out Swift was back to working with the same producers that helped create her biggest hits like “Shake It Off” and “Look What You Made Me Do.”
Many fans theorized about the sound and vibe of the new music and were disappointed when the album wasn’t the jazzy pop creation they wanted. However, the music video for the opening track entitled “The Fate of Ophelia” garnered the song, and consequently the album, more positive attention with its dance that went viral.
This has caused opinions on Swift’s new Showgirl Era to be split more than ever.
“The Fate of Ophelia” opens the show with storytelling lyricism that Taylor Swift is known for, backed by a chill yet catchy groove. As a reference to Ophelia from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet and her tragic fate, Swift’s song tells a story of being pulled from heartbreak by an unnamed “You.”
Overall, the song is definitely a bop and it’s clear the whole creative team knew it would be since the album’s cover is a direct reference to it. In The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, a film that discusses meaning of each track, Swift states that the final shot of the music video, which shows her lying in a bathtub, refers to The Life of a Showgirl’s cover which refers to the famous John Everett Millais painting depicting Ophelia’s last moments.
“Elizabeth Taylor” and “Opalite” follow up the opening track by adding some of the jazzy elements fans expected but with a modern production style. The acoustic version of “Elizabeth Taylor” has been received extremely well as it highlights the emotions and vocals that some felt were missing from the original.
“Opalite” is about as fun and happy as a song can get, and it being one of the four non-explicit songs on the album makes it enjoyable to listeners of all ages. There truly isn’t much to critique in the first three songs on The Life of a Showgirl and the streaming numbers seem to agree since each of them have over 100 million streams on Spotify, proving them to be absolute bops.
“Father Figure” first intrigued listeners because of its shared title with the beloved song by George Michael. The connection was confirmed the day before the album’s release by official social media accounts for Michael’s estate. Swift interpolated the original song’s instrumentals and chorus lyrics to create a nonchalant, yet powerful feeling in The Life of a Showgirl’s fourth track. One line in the chorus shocked many because of its explicitness, but the song quickly became a fan favorite for its passive-aggressive energy and chill groove. This makes the album 4/4 for bops but this is where things start to change.
“Eldest Daughter” is one of, if not the most, hated songs from this release and has definitely become a total flop. It is known among Swifties that the fifth track on each Taylor Swift album is always the saddest. Actual eldest daughters across the world were freaking out when the tracklist dropped, expecting a song they would deeply resonate with and be able to cry to. They ended up receiving the let down of the century. The problem isn’t the piano melody, which is truly beautiful and moving, but the lyrics.
Lines such as “every joke’s just trolling and memes”, “I’m not the baddest and this isn’t savage”, and “we all dressed up as wolves and we looked fire” caused a lot of fans to deem the track a “hard listen”.
“Ruin the Friendship” is an easily forgettable track that has gained more attention for its main subject than the song itself, causing it to flop. It is highly speculated to be about the same person as “Forever Winter”, a vault track from Swift’s Red album, but simply isn’t as good. Additionally, the track doesn’t quite blend with the rest of the album as it leans more towards country with the acoustic guitar.
“Actually Romantic” has stirred up a lot of drama on the internet and caused Swift to receive backlash for multiple reasons including using substance abuse issues as an insult in the opening line “I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave”.
Many believe the title is a reference to Charli xcx’s song titled “Everything is Romantic” and that it’s actually a diss track in response to “Sympathy is a Knife”, another Charli xcx song. If you consider Swift’s track by itself, its melodic rhythm is pretty good, and it definitely has similarities to some songs off of the Reputation and Lover albums but not enough to prevent it from being a flop.
“Wi$h Li$t” has a lot in common with “Elizabeth Taylor” in the sense that it’s good in its original form but has an acoustic version that is way better. The production on the original version is very reminiscent of Swift’s 2022 album, Midnights while its acoustic form sounds a lot like acoustic renditions of Reputation which tend to be fan favorites. The lyrics are cute and the chorus is catchy but the verses are pretty repetitive and boring so it’s not as memorable. Overall, the original is a flop but the acoustic is certainly a bop.
“Wood” has been named Swift’s “raunchiest song yet” by People Magazine and pretty much everyone else who has heard it. The lyrics include multiple suggestive double entendres that fans are conflicted about. The song’s production however, is undeniably catchy and fun. The actual knocking on wood sound effect gives the track something different and unique without separating it from the vibe of the album and earning Swift another bop.
“CANCELLED!” has gotten a lot of the same feedback as “Eldest Daughter” as many consider the lyrics to be cringey and not the deep, metaphorical poems they’re used to. The production gives huge Reputation energy but Gen Z just can’t get behind the message and delivery of the lyrics. It is very obvious that the track was written by a Millennial which turns younger listeners away while older Swifties don’t see a problem with it at all. Unfortunately for Swift, most of her listeners are younger which has caused the song to completely flop.
“Honey” is undeniably the most forgettable track on The Life of a Showgirl and possibly even the most forgettable within Taylor Swift’s discography over the last couple of years. It doesn’t live up to the album’s title as it is boring from start to finish. There just seems to be a disconnect between its lyrics and instrumentals. The song could do extremely well as a soft piano melody but the slow pop style just doesn’t work. The concept is great and very endearing but the music is as hard to get through as actual honey, earning it a flop status.
“The Life of a Showgirl (featuring Sabrina Carpenter)” is not only the title track but the final track on the album and closes the show with a very special guest. This song truly gives what everyone was expecting: a jazzy, musical theatre banger.
Swift’s storytelling talents are really showcased as the track follows a fictional showgirl named Kitty and how she inspired the narrator to pursue her dreams while still giving a warning. Some have even theorized that the lyricism represents Swift passing the showgirl torch to Sabrina Carpenter and metaphorically crowning her as the new pop icon.
Whether you’re driving in your car, brushing your teeth, or on an actual stage, this song is so fun to sing and dance to. The performance energy is contagious and even though it may not be for everyone, it’s definitely for the showgirls and is undeniably a bop.
The Life of a Showgirl was far from what most expected but has still managed to break records and top charts proving that even what many consider to be Taylor Swift’s “worst” is still some of the industry’s best. The actual album is right in the middle of flop and bop but it falls so short of specific standards set for Swift’s music that it has leaned more towards the flop side.
It didn’t give the hauntingly heartbreaking ballads or classically cheerful pop tunes; but instead, it gave fans Swift trying something new. She isn’t in her teens or twenties anymore, and she is living a very happy life so her music will reflect that.
However, Swifties around the globe are still eagerly awaiting what’s coming next and will be constantly searching for clues until the next music drops.
