On Oct. 3, Taylor Swift released her highly anticipated 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” In just one day, the album gained 250 million streams on Spotify, the second largest debut of all time, only behind Swift’s own “The Tortured Poets Department.” In the album’s first week, it became the largest sales week for any album in U.S. history, selling over four million units. In addition, the album’s lead single, “The Fate of Ophelia,” earned the most streams in a single day and the most streams in a single week on Spotify.
The issue with Swift’s previous five albums was that many of her songs were beginning to sound similar. “The Life of a Showgirl,” however, sounds fresh. This is largely due to her return to working with Max Martin and Shellback, producers she had not worked with since her 2017 album “Reputation.” In the new album, every song contains musical components from many different decades, paying homage to different eras of performers.
Sonically, “The Life of a Showgirl” is one of Swift’s more interesting and unique albums. The eye-catching and elaborate visuals for the album, however, proved to be misleading in terms of what the album would sound like. There are few moments on the album where it sounds as glamorous as the photography might suggest. The production still holds up, especially because it sounds so new for Swift, but it does not match the album’s visuals.
What the album does live up to is its title. It intricately depicts the life of a showgirl behind the curtain. Among the most memorable tracks from the album, “Father Figure” tells of a sort of battle between an industry mentor and their protégé, a clear reference to Swift’s battle with Scott Borchetta selling the masters to her music.
The song, which begins by taking the perspective of the mentor, eventually changes the point of view to that of the protégé. She sings, “I was your father figure / you pulled the wrong trigger / this empire belongs to me.” These lyrics nod to Swift purchasing back her masters and officially putting an end to the fight. There are also mentions of Swift’s fiance, Travis Kelce, all throughout the album. Obviously, he is a large part of the showgirl’s life and therefore takes up a large portion of the album.
Swift is extremely happy and it can be seen throughout the several love songs sprinkled in the album. The best of which are “Wi$h Li$t,” “Opalite,” and “The Fate of Ophelia.” The topic of the vast amounts of scrutiny Swift and her close friends face is also touched upon in “CANCELLED!” The track stands out thanks to its dramatic production which features an orchestra and daunting lines such as “can’t you see my infamy loves company?”
Swift has yet again delivered a masterfully crafted album that has smashed records, many of which have been set by Swift herself. It is a completely new sound for the artist, and it is sonically cohesive which makes listening to it feel like no time has passed. The album is also packed full of happy, upbeat songs that are easy to dance along with, a stark contrast to much of her previous few albums. A welcome change, Swift’s joy shines through on every track, and now fans have a proper idea of the life of a showgirl.
