“That’s showbiz baby”. Taylor Swift’s twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, has just been released, and I love it. I have been a fan of Taylor’s since I was five years old, so whenever she releases a new album or song, the lead-up and reaction to it are so fun for me to experience. I always come up with my own theories, thoughts, and wishes/expectations before the album comes out, and then I compare them to my opinions after I have listened to the album. I have a good batch of my opinions and others that I am ready to share.
Pre-Release Thoughts
Before an album’s release, I try to keep up to date with all the announcements and statements that Taylor makes about the album. For example, I note who the producers are, the song titles, track lengths, and number of songs, as well as all the easter eggs (which are definitely my favorite part). I also like to consider and listen to other fans’ theories. Off the bat, I can confidently say that I expect and theorize that this album is going to be extremely pop oriented. I feel so confident about this because the producers of the album are Max Martin and Shellback, who have collaborated with Taylor before on her albums Red, 1989, and Reputation, which are all pop albums. They are also known mainly for making pop songs for many other artists like Britney Spears, Ariana Grande, and Katy Perry. I’m hoping the album is also going to include a lot of musical theatre and old Hollywood, or jazz sounds and vibes. From what Taylor, Max Martin, and Shellback have said in interviews, I feel like this album is going to be happy and romantic, but with deep and wordy lyrics. I’m thinking like a mix of her albums 1989 and Folklore or The Tortured Poets Department.
I have also come up with a few fun theories about some of the songs. For example, I theorize that the song “Ruin the Friendship” might be about the public fallout of Taylor’s close friendship with actor Blake Lively. I also think “Eldest Daughter” is going to be one of the sadder songs on the album because it’s track five, and those are always some of Taylor’s saddest songs. Some more random thoughts I have are that the album is going to have a good fan and audience reception, it’s going to be very cohesive, and the album visuals are going to be iconic, which we have already seen with all the vinyl variants. Some fan theories that I’ve seen are that Travis’ name is going to be one of the songs, Sabrina Carpenter is going to get more than a verse in the song she’s featured in, and Taylor is going to mention NYC.
Post-Release Thoughts
After listening to the album, I can confidently say that I really like it. At first listen, it’s always hard for me to get into the album right away because I don’t know the lyrics yet, but I really enjoyed my first listen. Some of my theories that I got right were that the album was going to be pop, which it is, but it’s not as much like her album 1989 as I thought it would be. I also don’t get as much of a musical theatre vibe from the album as I thought I would because of the visuals. There are also more sad songs and lyrics than I thought there were going to be.
My afterthoughts on the album are that I think it is very cohesive, but it doesn’t relate to the showgirl vibe as much as I thought it would. The songs are very catchy – the lyrics are kind of cringey, but it doesn’t bother me that much. My top three favorites are “Father Figure,” I really enjoy the sampling of “Father Figure” by George Michaels, “The Fate of Ophelia” I love the beat and the lyrics, and “Elizabeth Taylor” I am obsessed with the message and lyrics of the song. Other fans and the media have had varying thoughts on the album. Some think it’s too “poppy”, others think it’s too cringey, and others really enjoy it. This article from Mashable supports these claims: Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ is here, and the internet is divided. Overall, I enjoy the album, and I can’t wait to learn all the lyrics and sing it at the top of my lungs.
