By Bren Belmonte, October 21, 2025
While a promising concept, Taylor Swift’s anticipated album “The Life of a Showgirl” is a forgettable era showcasing out-of-place tracks and baffling lyricism.
Swift explained to late-night television host Jimmy Fallon how she shifted her storytelling from the last album “The Tortured Poets Department,” which showcased raw and “painfully” detailed lyrics. According to Swift, the showgirl persona is the opposite: a personality that is funny, feisty, flirty and scandalous.
Released Oct. 3, the album begins with the title track “The Fate of Ophelia,” an ode to Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet.” As someone familiar with the work, I appreciated hearing the references she made through lyricism. Being controlled by the men in her life and having an unsuccessful romance with Hamlet, Ophelia was driven to suicide, as referenced in the lyric, “I might’ve drowned in the melancholy.”
I would have appreciated hearing more of a cabaret-inspired concept, better fitting of a jazzy and sexy showgirl. I was confused to hear a patriotic lyric in the post-chorus, “pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes.” Nonetheless, it was constructed to be a signature pop track with a consistent beat, glimmering synthesizers and a catchy chorus.
“Elizabeth Taylor,” track two, is named after an iconic movie star and is fitting for the flashy and glamour aspect of the album’s title. The lyrics reveal what’s behind the flashing lights, mentioning the cutthroat music industry, “you’re only as hot as your last hit, baby.”
Her vulnerability in this song was not executed correctly, as her tone of voice expressed mockery and the medium tempo left my ears uninterested.
“Opalite” is a personal favorite, full of youthful, bright vocals that felt dreamy from the first listen. The buildup and layering of vocals toward the end of the song, “and I can bring you love, love, love, love,” was a pleasant surprise.
The combination of the synthesizer and drums evokes the joy Swift feels with fiance Travis Kelce. I was head-bopping through the song, overall, the beginning of the album a semi-promising start.
Unfortunately, as a listener, it goes downhill from here. “Father Figure” contains depth in its storytelling but is personally forgettable. Swift received permission from George Michael’s estate to give the song the same name, but no similarities besides the lyric “I will be your father figure.”
Swift presents the dark side of show business through these lyrics. The “father figure” is a boss for a music company taking advantage of a young artist. The common use of unnecessary profanity begins with this song. Personally, the cleaner version is preferred, with the recurring lyric, “I can make deals with the devil because my check is bigger.”
The emotional and personal song, “Eldest Daughter” is the worst one yet. This piano and guitar “sad girl” ballad is on brand for her, but the lyrics are another story, alluding to “eldest daughter syndrome,” having a high sense of responsibility in a family as the oldest daughter. She attempts to be relatable to women, but the buzz words take away any emotion intended for the listeners to feel.
A flaw in this album is how trendy many of the lyrics are compared to her past eras. Many of her albums contain songs individuals from different generations can enjoy. Having the words “memes” and “trolling” in a sensitive song left me speechless, unable to tell whether she was being fully serious.
In track six, “Ruin The Friendship,” the listener is brought back to Swift’s high school potential romance, reminiscing about a boy she was friends with. The unethical narrative of the boy having a girlfriend is unsettling, sending the wrong message to listeners, especially her younger audience.
This song belongs in an earlier album. It’s unrelated to the showgirl concept, although the lyrics’ imagery is purely nostalgic, for example, “Wilted corsage dangles from my wrist, over his shoulder I catch a glimpse,” is satisfying. I enjoyed hearing her effectively convey a deeply personal moment in her life.
The controversial track, “Actually Romantic,” left me wondering where her public relations team is, as the tone is spiteful and targeted. For example, the lyric “feels like you’re flirting with me” goes against Swift’s feminist side, as this song is directed toward singer Charli XCX.
Although it matches a showgirl’s life of being surrounded by toxicity and obsessive individuals, The electric guitar and percussion were promising, but the song left a sour taste in my mouth.
“Wi$h Li$t” is the most out-of-touch song from the album. Even though Swift is glamorous, she wants to live that charming American life, “dreaming about a driveaway with a basketball hoop.” The beat feels recycled from the Lofi genre, a continuity of a forgettable track list. Her billionaire status causes skepticism amongst listeners about wondering why she cannot achieve that lifestyle already.
From the first lyric of “Wood,” “Daisy’s bare naked,” Swift utilizes uncomfortable undertones alluding to Kelce, embracing her cheeky persona. She ditches being child-friendly, hiding the lyrics under a ‘70s beat, similar to the song “I Want You Back” from The Jackson 5. Even if a radio station uses the clean version of this song the sexual undertones are overpowering, which is jarring compared to older eras.
In the villain-like song, “CANCELLED!” Swift continues to endorse the wrong message to her younger audience, stating she likes her friends to be problematic. The dark tone of this song is more fitting for discussing the truths of the music industry compared to the earlier songs on the album. Overall, it was a tough listen due to her poor execution, but it had potential to be a killer song with its subtle intensity in the chorus.
Swift closes the curtain of the album with “The Life of a Showgirl” featuring trending pop star Sabrina Carpenter. Constructing a narrative of a successful showgirl named “Kitty,” presenting lyrics of how fame comes with a price. Their vocal blend complements each other and is sweet to the ear.
The lyrics form a cohesive storyline but left me wanting more from the album. If more songs were constructed this way, it would be a more pleasing listening experience.
Growing up listening to Swift, I understand her sound evolves as she gets older, but this is not in my top eras. I don’t feel the same excitement while listening to her new album compared to older songs like “Blank Space,” “22,” or “Love Story.”
“The Life of a Showgirl” redirects listeners to a brand-new chapter of Swift’s life, introducing questionable lyricism and recycled sound that is subjective for an audience to fall in love with. It is tough to be a fan on the first listen, but I’m hopeful she will come back with a more well-thought-out album for the next era.