On the weekend of Oct. 3, you couldn’t get away from the flashing signs advertising The Life of A Showgirl (TLOASG) in movie theaters, radio shows, and Instagram notes; it seemed like there was no reprieve. The album is finally out, and boy, do we have some thoughts.
TLOASG marks megastar Taylor Swift’s 12th album release, and it comprises 12 tracks all written by Swift. The producers of the album are Max Martin, Shellback, and Swift herself, marking this her debut as a producer. A notable exit from the album was that of long-time collaborator, Jack Antonoff, who was responsible for hits like “Cruel Summer” and “Anti-Hero.”
Regarding production, many songs featured more unique sounds compared to what we’ve heard before, which was a welcome surprise. I’d say that in her production debut, Swift succeeded in that sense.
Songs like “The Fate of Ophelia” and “Opalite” feature catchy chord progressions in their choruses, and I love the ’70s-inspired sound in the song “Wood.” “CANCELLED!” and “Elizabeth Taylor” channel some reputation-inspired beats, which I love as a forever reputation truther.
Martin and Shellback brought much-needed diversity to Swift’s discography. I was expecting another mega hit like “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” or “Style,” yet, in my opinion, TLOASG lacks the qualities of Swift’s previous hit songs. Nevertheless, I was glad to receive a break from Antonoff’s trademark production style of buildup with no payoff (which was used frequently in Sabrina Carpenter’s most recent album, Man’s Best Friend).
My first thought after listening to TLOASG was that it’s unlike anything Swift has ever put out, but is that necessarily a good thing? If Swift put out another reputation, she would undoubtedly face backlash, but if she’d recreated some of the magic she and Martin had bottled in 1989, would that be a bad thing?
Swift is known for her unique songwriting and how it connects to her audience, which was noticeably lacking in this album. The four aspects of a great Swift song include vocals, production, lyricism, and relatability. Almost all the songs in this album lacked one or more of these aspects, making it a miss for most listeners.
One of the main issues with this album is that Swift has set such high expectations for herself with masterpieces like folklore and 1989, so when she releases a mediocre album, it receives an insane amount of critical reviews. Additionally, Swift had hyped the album as a pop banger, similar to 1989 or Midnights, which was a huge mistake on her part.
Another issue is that Swift internalizes the hate she receives from her previous albums and tries to apply it to her latest work. Following her eleventh album release, The Tortured Poets Department, critics kept rehashing that Swift’s lyricism had become more rambling and her work was oversaturated. She then created a 42-minute album with only 12 tracks and short, snappy choruses.
The problem here is that Swift has now sacrificed her lyrical work and can’t seem to find that happy medium between her four main strengths. With 1989, one of her top albums of all time, the lyrics weren’t terribly outstanding, but they also didn’t try to be cheeky and “cool”: she knew her place as one of the world’s top artists and not as a KIDZ BOP knock-off.
Swift grows with her age group and is overall very millennial. In one of the songs on the album, “Wood,” Swift makes a plethora of references to her fiancé’s… wood, to say the least. While to Gen Z, references like “a magic wand” and “a redwood tree” might seem extraordinarily unnecessary, I’ve noticed that millennial listeners have loved the cheeky context of the song.
Another issue with the album is the lack of conceptual continuity. With an album supposedly called The Life of a Showgirl, there are many basic “I love Travis Kelce, my fiancé” songs, instead of giving us the behind-the-scenes life of the record-breaking Eras Tour. The album was also constructed in a weekend in Sweden, mid-tour, which can be reflected in the half-baked lyricism and conceptual development.
Many of the clean versions of songs, like “Actually Romantic” and “Wood,” are better lyric-wise and prove the point that Swift doesn’t need to be as explicit as Sabrina Carpenter to make a splash. Additionally, learning the backstories behind many songs, such as “CANCELLED!” and “The Fate of Ophelia,” made me appreciate Swift’s album as a whole more. It reflects a specific period in her life, and while it strays far from perfection, it captures the chaotic nature of being a pop star with an unraveling personal life.
Nevertheless, TLOASG is a ringing success, with Swift having the biggest album opening in Spotify history. She’s already achieved the top album debut in 2025, surpassing releases by Sabrina Carpenter and others by over 200 million streams, and will likely continue to grow into hits worldwide.
To those saying she needs a break — “you don’t know the life of a showgirl, babe, and you’re never gonna wanna.” However, despite all the drawbacks to this album, I’m a Swiftie, and I can assure you that I’ll be playing TLOASG on repeat. In fact, the more I listen to it, the more I’m drawn to the album, which I guess is the undying magic of Taylor Swift.
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