As you may or may not have heard, Taylor Swift is releasing four new songs today, on Friday, September 25th, as part of the “encore” from her latest studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. As the #1 Swiftie and a big defender of this album, I found it only fitting to rank the songs from my favorite to least favorite.
This also kind of doubles as a one-year celebration of the album being out, even though it’s a little early. With that being said, here’s my ranking! Feel free to find me in person or DM me, and we can talk (or debate) about this album.
1. “Ruin the Friendship”
To be honest, this one and the next one on my list might be tied, but I can’t quite decide. “Ruin the Friendship” has a fun, nostalgic instrumental with a heart-aching story within the lyrics, one which I don’t want to deprive you of experiencing without spoilers. So, if you haven’t listened to it yet, please go listen to this song. There’s a reason it’s my number one.
2. “Wi$h Li$t”
To be candid, I’m not the biggest fan of the tacky dollar signs in the title, but don’t let them fool you, this song is beautiful. I promise that if you’ve ever been around me on a Friday or Saturday night, you’ve witnessed me burst into song, singing this specifically. The chorus is just so good; it gets me every time.
3. “The Fate of Ophelia”
When the album first came out, I probably said, “Alexa, play ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ by Taylor Swift” hundreds of times. No joke. Two words: pop perfection.
4. “Father Figure”
The bridge and ending verse of this song have me going crazy every time I listen to it. Sue me if I think the d*ck line is tea instead of cringe. I love my millennial queen.
5. “Actually Romantic”
I don’t want to hate on Charli XCX, but her fans trying to make it seem like this song came out of nowhere and Taylor was just tearing down smaller artists made me so mad last year. Obviously, we don’t know the whole history. And I don’t think having a line about drugs is that crazy when you’ve literally made them part of your brand.
Regardless, this is another bridge I scream in my room, probably a little too loud.
6. “Opalite”
Again, it’s simply pop perfection. I completely understand why she chose this as a single. It’s so catchy, and I listen to it every time it comes on shuffle. It’s a perfect radio hit, and honestly, I think it should’ve done even better than it did.
7. “Honey”
Why do people insist on hating fun? Guys, I promise it’s okay to like songs that don’t have some ultra-deep meaning. Let yourself like a song written about a girl who likes the pet names her boyfriend calls her.
8. “Wood”
Again, everything you do doesn’t have to be niche or deep. I think this is a cute little song and very catchy, similar to “Opalite.” The chorus is so addictive, even if the lyrics are sometimes kind of sus.
9. “Elizabeth Taylor”
I don’t think I’ve ever specifically searched this one up to listen to it, but if I’m listening to a playlist or the album on shuffle and it comes on, I’m definitely not skipping it. I love the instrumental, and I can totally understand why this one is some people’s favorite, even if it’s not mine.
10. “The Life of a Showgirl (ft. Sabrina Carpenter)”
I’m so sorry to pay the title track absolute dust, but this song is just so mid to me. I unfortunately do skip it most of the time, but when I let it play, sometimes it does hit. I really like the idea behind it and Sabrina’s feature, but it’s just not my favorite.
11. “Eldest Daughter”
This one disappointed me the most on release day. This was the track I claimed when the track list was released, before we knew what any of them sounded like. As an eldest daughter, I thought it’d be a beautiful ballad about the societal pressures of being the oldest daughter or whatnot, especially with it being track five.
I vividly remember sitting on my bed listening to the full album, being so excited for this song, and the lyrics throwing me off so badly. I do like the bridge, but unfortunately, some of the lyrics in this one are too much for me to listen to it often.
12. “CANCELLED!”
I feel like I have so much to say about this one but also nothing at all. I like the instrumental and some of the lyrics. And I know I just said previously that I love my Millennial queen, but she might have Millennial’d a little too close to the sun with this one.
Overall, songs one through nine on my ranking are yeses for me, and unfortunately, the title track, “Eldest Daughter,” and “CANCELLED!” are nos.
My take on this album, and other music in general, that I tell my friends all the time is that if an artist I like puts out an album with one good song but ten bad songs, that’s still a win for me! No one is forcing me to listen to the ten songs I don’t like, but I have one new song I can listen to on repeat! Maybe it’s disappointing if you thought you would have more songs to add to your playlist, but at the end of the day, it’s night.
So put the one song you like on repeat and enjoy life. Don’t take music, or anything else, for that matter, too seriously.
Happy one-year Showgirl-iversary! I can’t wait for four new tracks at midnight!