A year after the release of The Life of a Showgirl, Taylor Swift announced four new songs to be added to the era in a collection titled The Encore. After the original album’s high anticipation and overall disappointing reception, many Swifties were ready to put this era behind them and focus on her next project. The fact that these new songs were promoted as a continuation of her previous work worried fans, but it is Taylor Swift, so we all waited eagerly to hear them.
The immediate reactions on social media were strongly negative. Critics brutally attacked her lyrics and production, while lifelong fans publicly mourned the “Old Taylor.” In the weeks since its release, people have softened their stance as the songs have started to grow on them (a very common phenomenon). Nevertheless, many wish to close the curtain on the showgirl and skip to the next era. But first, let’s dive into each of the four songs.
Patient Zero. The “single” out of these four songs, “Patient Zero,” had many Swifties expecting a return to the pre-The Life of a Showgirl Taylor, as the intro’s instrumentals were blasted out on social media prior to its release. However, the “vibes” of the song seemed to quickly shift after the lyrics came in. Public discourse over this one was pretty unfavorable until the premiere of its music video at the 2026 MTV Video Music Awards. This brilliant piece of work was able to save the song from complete disappointment from fans.
Cleveland! Arguably the worst of the four, “Cleveland!” aligns itself with the defensive and “clap back-y” songs “Actually Romantic” and “CANCELLED!” It is wonderful that Taylor Swift is happy in her marriage, but the lyrics and production in this song are far below the bar Taylor Swift has continued to raise for herself and others in the music industry. While it’s hard to admit that the song is catchy, it is a more “painful” listen for fans.
Pink Clouding. If “Pink Clouding” doesn’t make you want to get up and dance, then I don’t know what to say. A song about a well-overdue apology sounds like it would be sad, but the production makes it easy to tune out the meaning and have fun. However, due to the targeted nature of the song, most online commentary seems to be less about the quality and more focused on who it is about. We do get to see a return to the lyrics and sounds we loved in her first “pop era” during the 2010s.
Babylon. In my opinion, “Babylon” is the most classic Taylor Swift song out of the four and my personal favorite. It successfully captures Swift’s memorable and poetic storytelling that fans feel was lost in The Life of a Showgirl. As this is the last song of The Encore, I, and I assume many other Swifties, would not be disappointed if this is what awaits us in TS13.