Taylor Swift’s newest album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” has sealed its fate as one of her most divisive albums. As for me, I think the album shines brighter than Opalite. 

The album opens with a song titled “The Fate of Ophelia,” which uses the Shakespearean story “Hamlet” for inspiration. This song, in itself, gives the album the titular showgirl vibe, firmly establishing its place within the pop genre. 

This song has everything: beat, flow and lyrics, which can be said for almost every song on the album. The music video for the song cements both the album title and the pop genre with how showy and fun it is.

It’s hard to pick a favorite song from this album. The first three songs, “The Fate of Ophelia,” “Elizabeth Taylor” and “Opalite” are definitely up there, all having great lyrics. Interestingly, lyricism was something a lot of Swifties said was lacking in the new album. However, that cannot be more false. It’s just different lyrical genius. 

Picking a least favorite is easy, though. “Honey” didn’t stick out as much as the other songs. Compared to the other songs in the album, it isn’t as fun and doesn’t stick the landing for me. 

Contrary to popular opinion, the album as a whole was good and just sounds different than her usual work, but it felt like a real pop album for the most part. There were a few outlier songs with “Eldest Daughter” being slower the entire time, feeling more like a song she’d put on “Folklore” or “Evermore.”

Every song earned a spot on an album of this title. 

Each touched on a part, whether obvious or hidden, of a showgirl’s life. The first three are obvious, and so is the namesake song, “The Life of a Showgirl,” which, fittingly, features Sabrina Carpenter. 

“CANCELED!” is about cancel culture, “Wi$h Li$t” can be seen as what someone who has everything wants versus what everyone else in the world might want, “Father Figure” portrays a mentor-mentee relationship and “Wood” is about being superstitious in the industry and definitely not an allusion to Travis Kelce in bed. Definitely.

Despite the obvious sampling Swift did on this album, the production of almost every song was fun. And while the lyrics weren’t as complex as those on other albums by Swift, they didn’t have to be. Pop albums just have to be fun and light, which this one definitely is.

If you haven’t listened to it yet, try it before drowning out this album. 

Official Score: 8/10

Categories: Arts & Entertainment