TAYLOR SWIFT - THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL
Album review by Lindsay Carson
I was skeptical going into this new album as I wasn’t the biggest fan of THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT. Was it because the double album was overwhelmingly long? Was it because two of the muses for the album, Travis Kelce and Matty Healy, are men I’d rather hear less about? Or because the on the nose and clunky lyrics were trite and tiring? Perhaps I just prefer when not all of the songs are autobiographical like in evermore or folklore. Regardless, I wasn’t sure what to expect with this new album. First of all, whoever did the graphic design for the album covers has different taste than me because I don’t want to look at them. However, it being produced by Max Martin and Shellback who produced 1989 and Reputation, albums that I prefer to the last which was produced by Jack Antonoff, made me hopeful that I and other previously disappointed fans alike would be won over by this album.
The Fate of Ophelia
Okay, this song is fun. I like the beat and the 80’s-esq production. The lyrics were often verbose, and it seemed like she was rushing to get them in at times. They weren’t her most poetic lyrics, but they were cute. I do want to say, her songs about Travis Kelce tend to be less flowery and instead use modern slang like “vibes” and “keep it 100” which could be an ode to how he talks. It’s not the type of lyrics that are going to deeply resonate with me, but I didn’t mind them in this song. I do have to give Swift, who isn’t known for having the most impressive vocals, some praise for how her voice sounded during a small riff she does at the end of the bridge. I can’t quite put my finger on why I liked it, other than it was pleasing to my ear. All in all, it's possible the production really saved this song, but I do think this was a solid start to the album.
Actually Romantic
It’s hard for me to say something nice about this song. I am not a fan of the mean girl attitude, writing a sarcastic song very bluntly dissing another woman in the industry who didn’t really have her day until recently, when Taylor Swift is one of the biggest names in the industry. It’s highly speculated that it’s a response to “Sympathy is a knife” by Charli XCX, a nuanced song where the singer goes on about her insecurities and at one point hints at the way in which Taylor Swift makes her insecure. I understand Taylor is probably salty given Charli’s connection to the “loss of her life,” Matty Healy, but I’m just tired of the cattiness. In my perfect world, this woman in her thirties would leave other pop stars alone. I can understand how some might relate to the story of the song. A very high school situation could be having beef with someone who is perhaps obsessed with hating you when you’re unbothered because you barely even know the person, but again, these women are in their thirties. The lyrics are continually condescending, which just puts a bad taste in my mouth when coming from a billionaire. To put it simply, it lacks the humility many say Swift has. The irony of saying “I mind my business” when writing and publishing a whole song about the situation was laughable. Moreover, the lyrics are clunky and didn’t run as smoothly or hit as hard as those of older albums. The production was fun, but a bit boring. The bridge did remind me of her 1989 sound, which was cool, but lyrically, it made me want to cut my listening experience short.
The Life of a Showgirl
Am I unfairly bothered because legitly isn’t a word? And it’s not even a clever use of making up a word? Perhaps. I’m gonna use the word trite again and say the “it’s so hard being famous” song by Taylor Swift is trite. Fame cannot be fun, I don’t desire it, but when you do everything to keep yourself relevant and maintain your platform, put out album after album, make so many variants of the album, produce a film about the album, and not give yourself time away from the limelight, it makes me wonder what the point of writing a song about the woes of fame are. Perhaps it’s a matter of how women are treated in the industry. Other artists like Chappell Roan have been big advocates for the way women are treated like dolls, used and abused, expected to be quiet and look pretty. I must reiterate though, Taylor Swift has the resources to be able to live out of the limelight for a bit and still live lavishly. She does say she “wouldn’t have it any other way”, so I do appreciate her owning up to wanting this life. However, it still feels a bit silly. That out of the way, I think the production was very similar to that of Sabrina Carpenter's sound, so her feature on the song really stood out. Her smooth vocals felt rightly placed, though a contrast to Swift’s voice. The song felt more suited for Carpenter than Swift, but I understand wanting to sing a song you worked on. The bridge had a musical theatre sound and pacing to it that I didn’t mind, but it was a tonal shift from the verses and chorus. Musically, it was cute, but it won’t be going on any playlist of mine.
Honey
Sometimes less is more…. Sometimes we don’t need to say everything. Implications are nice too… we don’t always have to be so verbose and on the nose. I didn’t want to finish this song. While it’s cute, romantic, and I understand how a healthy relationship can change your perspective on things you once disliked like the word “honey”… I didn’t like this song. I’m happy Taylor found the one, I’m not pleased with how her songs about him are written. I liked the sentiment, I did, just not the execution. Also, the vocal slide she does throughout the song wasn’t smooth and pleasing to the ear.
CANCELLED!
Taylor… Taylor… why are we using TikTok phrases like “girl bossed too close to the sun”? Though, TikTok is gonna eat that one up, so I suppose it’s good marketing. Sound wise, this was more reminiscent of reputation, which I liked. It has what Swift would probably call a “girl boss” beat, and an “I don’t care” attitude. I understand the sentiment of “did you make a joke only a man could” but I must be critical of it for a moment. The sentiment of cancelled is “I’m overly criticized and so are my friends, we found each other because we understand what it’s like to be hated unjustly.” Taylor even calls herself tone deaf, so she’s self-aware, but continues to be tone deaf with this song. Criticism of a woman isn’t inherently misogynistic and the implication of that from the aforementioned lyric is tone deaf. Not only do we have to listen to a billionaire sing about liking her friends cloaked in “Gucci” during a global recession, she seems to be missing the point of the criticism she’s received. Swift is often facing backlash for her lack of feminist views and for being photographed with people of overtly controversial and even harmful opinions. To write a song saying “I like my friends cancelled” is missing the point of the criticism of who she surrounds herself with. They aren’t just cancelled; they’re people with large platforms spewing harmful rhetoric. That being said, the production of this song slaps. I have to give Max Martin and Shellback their flowers because they made a song whose lyrics make my eyes roll, one I did enjoy listening to because of the production. Moreover, I’ll give Taylor her flowers for being an astute businesswoman because now when someone searches “Taylor Swift cancelled” her song will show up before any scandals. That being said, I cannot listen to this song without getting a bad taste in my mouth, so I will not be doing so again.
Wood
Seemingly sampling “I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5, though that’s not been confirmed by Swift, may have made this song a hit. It’s ironic given the whole Olivia Rodrigo debacle, but putting that aside, this is one of the few songs I liked on the album. With the late 60s sound, and the cute lyrics about feeling so secure in your relationship, knowing it’s right and they’re the one, charmed me. It also has some playful PG13 lyrics for her older fans to enjoy, and fans of previous feature Sabrina Carpenter since the lyrics reminded me of her “I’m not afraid to be racy” style. Perhaps she’s trying to emulate that since Carpenter is getting a lot of attention right now.
Eldest Daughter
Ugh, I love a piano heavy song. The lyrics are cheesier than a Pizza Hut pizza, as are most of the lyrics Swift has written the past couple of years, but the melody is beautiful. It was just hard to get over the juxtaposition of a hauntingly stunning melody and the lyrics of “I’m not a bad bitch, and this isn’t savage.” My personal taste is wanting a piano heavy melody that stings my heart paired with deeply poetic lyrics and I only got half of that. The bridge was once again verbose, though I think the declarations she made about eldest daughters will be greatly related to by eldest daughters everywhere. Wish she didn’t follow up “we all dressed up as wolves” with “and we looked fire” cause she almost had me with that one. The bridge is better written than the rest and very much exudes the tone of finally finding love. I won’t be listening to this again unless it’s just an instrumental version though.
Opalite
Okay, 50s melodic inspiration in the chorus!!! I actually really liked this song. It has a catchy tune you can dance to, a sweet message about how things get better in love. How, even if it seems like you keep having bad luck in love, you can still find the one. This is the only song I don’t have anything to criticize. It’s cute, it’s fun, I did a little dance to it. 8/10.
Father Figure
This is very on brand with Taylor Swift’s style of feminism, saying she’ll be the man, she’ll be the father figure. While it may seem like it contradicts my earlier statement of her not being the most feminist, it’s not exactly poignant and rich in feminist theory. And, as an Italian American, I feel personally victimized by her use of “sleeping with the fishes.” Please don’t appropriate mobster culture, Taylor. You just said, “I’m not a bad bitch” in “Eldest Daughter”. It doesn’t match the tone of your album. Be consistent. Jokes aside, I just didn’t care for this song. I was bored, and I assume the intended effect of the “my dicks bigger” lyric was shock, but the repetitiveness of it undermines that. If she dropped that lyric in the bridge, it would’ve been more of a startling moment. Instead, it fell flat, as did the whole song for me. Once again, I truly do not want to hear about a billionaire singing about her empire in this economy. Not a song I’ll be listening to on repeat.
Ruin the Friendship
I can only imagine the Abigail mention made diehard swifties go wild, so that was a nice ode to classic Taylor. This song is hard to critique, though it isn’t my favorite, it’s deeply sad. I don’t love the way she focuses on the “what could’ve been” between her and a high school friend she had a crush on when the reveal of the story is that he’s since passed away. That being said, grief is weird, and everyone grieves differently. Taylor is 35, so it’s safe to assume this man wasn’t much older. I’m younger than Taylor and have heard news of people I knew in childhood passing. It’s surreal and hard to grasp at this age. I feel for her with this song and I’m sure others will too.
Wi$h Li$t
It’s giving “let them eat cake” and I feel the need to stress that, that is not a compliment. Singing about people wanting riches and awards when all she wants is a quiet life with her lover is so tone deaf coming from a highly decorated billionaire. Yeah, I want to get married and have kids too, Taylor, but in this economy, the majority of people cannot afford one kid let alone a lavish wedding, many kids, and the private jet life Taylor and Travis are set to live. Also, there’s a lyric early on about “fat asses” that many speculate is a dig at Swift’s long time enemy, Kim Kardashian who is known to go under the knife. In my opinion, it’s in bad taste. There’s a way to criticize plastic surgery without body shaming. What about people with naturally larger behinds? They’re not gonna want to hear a global pop star making fun of their body type. Moreover, it contradicts a song on Midnights called “Lavender Haze” It’s alright for a pop star to change her mind about what she wants, but it’s interesting to see her do a 180 from “stop trying to force me into the traditional, heteronormative relationship” to “all I want is to be a tradwife.” It furthers the narrative of Taylor’s shifting social views. “They want three dogs that they call their kids” oh, so now we’re hating on dogs and people who love them???? For real though, the lyrics of this song are beyond cringey and out of touch. I will not be listening to it ever again. Sorry.
Elizabeth Taylor
I’m sorry, but once again, a lyric like “it doesn’t feel so glamorous to be me” feels so out of touch when she’s so well off. Money may not buy happiness itself, but it can fix a lot of issues that cause stress and unhappiness. “I would trade the Cartier for someone to trust.” I get it. As I previously stated, fame doesn’t seem fun, but we all have issues. Being poor won’t get rid of fake people, it won’t make you luckier in love, it’ll just make you unsure of where your next meal is coming from. We all have struggles, even the rich, I truly understand that. But there’s a large difference in rich people problems and poor people problems and Taylor’s incessant complaints are becoming more and more difficult to listen to. It’s a personal victimization that never ends. It’s disappointing, because I liked the production of this song in the chorus especially. If I can get past the lyrics, I could listen just for that. However, I’m not sure that I can.
For a glam, flashy, showgirl aesthetic, the sound of the album fell flat. Many expected it to be a similar style to reputation, but the songs didn’t hit nearly as hard as they did.
Some were cute, fun, and catchy. Others I didn’t want to listen to the entire song. Some songs reminded me that Swift is sadly an out of touch billionaire and not a feminist icon. Am I going to be listening to this album on repeat like I have with Swift’s past albums? It’s highly unlikely. That being said, is it so bad if not every song is a hit? In my opinion, it’s okay not to like every song an artist puts out. It’s okay to even dislike an entire album by an artist when you really enjoyed another. Given this is Taylor Swift’s 12th album, it’s completely understandable not to like every song or album of hers. That being said, I urge people to form their own opinions, regardless of what I or others say online.
