The theories and Easter eggs. The teasers. Every brand changing its Instagram color scheme. The anticipation. The Spotify crashes.
A Taylor Swift album release week is a one-of-a-kind experience that has punctuated every meaningful era of my life. Taylor has been the soundtrack to my life since 4th grade, and I have defended her through every high and low, including her shift from country to pop, the #taylorswiftisoverparty Twitter hate campaign, the release of the song “ME!”, and beyond. Once upon a time, I thought there would never be a Taylor Swift album that I didn’t like. But unfortunately, this day has come with the arrival of The Life of a Showgirl. Let’s talk about it.
The Marketing Mismatch
I think a huge reason why this album disappointed me was that what was marketed and what we got were inconsistent. The showgirl aesthetic was initially promising, with bold flair and glamorous indulgence. The promotional photos seemed to signify that a sultry, theatrical, burlesque-inspired sound was on the way, accompanied by the immersive storytelling that we know and love. She promised to “draw back the curtain” on everything that was going on behind the scenes while she was traveling during The Eras Tour.
Additionally, Taylor herself proclaimed that the album would be a combination of 1989 production and Folklore lyricism, melding arguably the two best albums in her discography. She also emphasized the short track list, sharing that she had pared the album down to focus on quality over quantity, a notable shift from the robust 31 songs she released during the TTPD rollout.
Conversely, I felt that what we received fell short of what was promised. The album’s storytelling largely centers around her relationship with Travis Kelce rather than showgirl themes, and no new territory is covered on either front. Travis takes on the role of the heroic Romeo who Swift has written about since her teenage years, which was, admittedly, heartwarming; however, when always-classy Swift attempts a Sabrina Carpenter-esque raunchiness in “Wood,” it feels a bit inauthentic and forced. Messages about fame, the music industry, and cancel culture in “Elizabeth Taylor,” “Father Figure,” “CANCELLED!,” “Wi$h Li$t,” and “The Life of a Showgirl (feat. Sabrina Carpenter)” are conveyed more subtly and gracefully elsewhere in her discography, in songs like “The Lucky One,” “I Know Places,” “Nothing New,” and “My Tears Ricochet.”
The production, while markedly different from Swift’s typical sound, felt shallow and unfinished compared to 1989, which is widely considered “pop perfection.” During multiple moments on the album, I found myself wanting greater depth and more dynamic shifts. “Actually Romantic” was practically begging for a pop-punk guitar shred that never came, and many of the other tracks lacked any sort of arc in intensity. The album itself also lacks any sort of overall climax in sound or storytelling; no songs stand out. Stripped-back production can work in introspective albums like TTPD, but in a pop context, it reads as lazy. Production in songs like “Elizabeth Taylor,” which attempt a dramatic and edgy vibe, makes the music feel like it belongs in the background of a Love Island episode, unfortunately. Additionally, the melodies feel heavily inspired by other artists in a way that becomes, at best, distracting, and at worst, legally suspicious.
THE MILlENnIAL CRINGE
We’ve always known that Taylor is a millennial, and most times, it is easy to laugh off her moderately cringey selfie angles or Instagram captions. However, I hate to say it, but TLOASG took millennial cringe a bit too far. I was so excited for track five, titled “Eldest Daughter,” considering that I, myself, am an eldest daughter. However, as soon as I heard the chorus, I was immediately turned off.
Look, do I understand what she was going for with the outdated slang? Yes, it’s not supposed to sound natural, and it’s supposed to highlight the fact that the eldest daughter often tries too hard to seem cool and fails miserably. However, although the idea is decent, the execution is unfortunately insufferable. One cringey verse might’ve been forgivable, but as a repeating chorus, the slang turns this ballad into a skip for me. I also personally felt that using this slang dates what might’ve been a timeless track five.
Swift repeats this mistake a few other times in songs like “CANCELLED!” and “Wi$h Li$t,” doubling down on the poor use of slang. Again, in theory, I can understand why she did it, but as a listener, it felt very jarring.
Too big for her brand
This last qualm is a hot take that has been brewing in my mind since TTPD: has Taylor Swift become too big for her brand?
It’s no secret that Taylor has always been very aware of the media’s perception of her, to the point where her new music has become a response to whatever the haters are saying. This was kind of cute when she still had something to prove; for instance, when Fearless was criticized for having many co-writers, she proceeded to write the entirety of Speak Now alone. But after insisting for all of the Reputation era that she no longer cared what anyone thought of her, it’s disappointing to see how she continues to cater to the haters.
For example, in the midst of The Eras Tour, when the public found out about Taylor’s breakup with Joe Alwyn, people naturally had a lot of questions about what could’ve caused the couple to end their long-term relationship. And instead of Taylor’s typical dodging and insistence on privacy, she released 31 songs detailing exactly what happened. While she certainly satiated the media’s hunger for gossip, I felt that TTPD suffered from a lack of relatability as a result. Allow me to elaborate: I think “So Long, London” is a fantastic song, but when I listen to it, all I can think about is Joe Alwyn; I can’t relate to it. The same goes for a song like “The Tortured Poets Department”: it is simply a song about Matty Healy, in my mind. The album feels more like a tell-all breakup debrief than a thoughtfully constructed conceptual album; it was written to inform, not inspire.
The Life of a Showgirl appears to be following the same trend. Songs about being canceled and struggling with fame aren’t relatable to the average fan, and without a strong storytelling backbone to support them, they fall flat. And this is the reason why some fans feel a bit uncomfortable hearing a song like “Wood” — because for the past two albums, Taylor has been very clear that the songs are about her specific, individual experiences. So “Wood” isn’t just about getting down and dirty with your man in a general sense; instead, it feels very oddly specific to Travis Kelce’s anatomy. So, the question remains: is Taylor Swift simply too famous to be relatable? Or is she just too concerned with her public perception and, therefore, no longer prioritizing relatability in her writing?
In Conclusion
As a fan, I definitely hold Taylor Swift to a high standard. Perhaps it is unfair to do so when I don’t hold other artists to the same standard, but she has earned my trust and respect through decades of great music. And as a fan, I reserve my right to be critical of even my favorite artists. Unfortunately, TLOASG doesn’t align with the quality that I expect from Taylor Swift.
Who can say why this was the album she felt compelled to create? Perhaps she has fallen complacent in her immeasurable success, perhaps her marketing team missed the mark, or perhaps she has simply found her soulmate and is prioritizing her relationship instead of her music. If the latter is the case, I hope she takes some time to do so, as she certainly does seem happy and in love, and I am thrilled to see her so joyful.
While TLOASG fell short of my expectations, I remain interested to see the music that Taylor makes in this new chapter of her life. I will always be a Swiftie at heart, even through my criticism. For now, I’ll be putting on my headphones and blasting old Taylor because those albums will never go out of style.