Taylor Swift’s highly anticipated 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” was released on Oct. 3 after much buildup from the artist, including limited vinyl releases, an in-theater movie experience and listening parties across the globe.
The album garnered excited social media posts from many public figures, from alternative home builder Lloyd Khan to the “queen of rap” Nicki Minaj.
Even local businesses joined in the fun, with Starkville’s Rick’s Cafe hosting an album release party and Arepas on Campus advertising a special drink for the release.
Proponents of the album have declared it a return to “glitter gel pen” music, a term coined by Swift to describe her more carefree and upbeat songs. Listening to each song in order, with that in mind, the album can be seen as music to paint your nails to or to listen to while getting glam and having a good time.
The album is a departure from the introspective tone of Swift’s last album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” opening with the upbeat song “The Fate of Ophelia,” in which Swift declares that her heart has been saved from misery and melancholy. The song references Ophelia from “Hamlet,” saying that Swift is different from the titular Shakespearean heroine, as she is not condemned to death within her story. With fun, simplistic rhymes and an upbeat pop sound that offers a more upbeat and hopeful outlook on love and life, the song opens listeners to an album that is noticeably different from “The Tortured Poets Department.”
The second song uses the recurring cry “Elizabeth Taylor,” referring to the Hollywood icon whose love life was fraught. Here, the speaker of the song suggests that, should her beloved leave her, she would be distraught. This suggests fear of a romantic life filled with loss.
“Opalite” claims the sky to be “opalite,” a man-made gem. Thus, the speaker makes her own happiness in a happier relationship. The song is an easy-listening pop song that continues the upbeat sounds of “The Fate of Ophelia.”
“Father Figure” has been popular among TikTok’s fan edit community. Featuring many mafia references, it has been a good fit for many characters across franchises and fandoms. Lines such as “mistake my kindness for weakness and find your card canceled” fit well with scenes from many movies and television shows, inspiring edits of characters such as Iron Man and Batman. It interpolates George Michael’s classic pop song by the same name, making this another easy-listening song with fun pop roots.
The fifth track, “Eldest Daughter,” opens with a line that, due to its Internet culture references, has made many on social media cringe as Swift sings that “everybody’s so punk on the internet.” The speaker then continues to use eye-roll-worthy Internet lingo before transitioning to admitting that she has been trying to seem cool. The second verse describes a moment when the speaker was happy on a trampoline, free and laughing, before falling and breaking her arm. This, the speaker says, taught her caution.
The speaker refers to eldest daughters as lambs to the slaughter and youngest children as those raised in the wild. The chorus unites the two, as the eldest daughter says she will never let her beloved down, furthering the positive outlook of the album. With a slower piano backing, this song is a glitter gel pen song disguised as a sad piano track.
If “Eldest Daughter” is a song in disguise, then more so is “Ruin the Friendship.” What sounds like an upbeat song reminiscing on high-school memories hides a sad revelation. Swift sings she “should’ve kissed you anyway” as her speaker talks to a friend from the past. At the end of the song, however, it is revealed that Abigail, a friend of Swift’s from adolescence who is referenced elsewhere in her discography, calls with bad news about another of Swift’s friends.
“Goodbye,” Taylor sings low, “and we’ll never know why.” The song moves to an acoustic moment, as Taylor sings about flying home and whispering at the grave of her deceased friend. The song leaves the listener shocked, the unexpected turn reflecting the suddenness of the death described. Despite its sound, which matches the glitter gel pen aesthetic, the track is the true sad moment of the album.
The next song, continuing the pop-girl sound, turns the idea of a hater on its head. “Actually Romantic” describes the effort of a hater, enemy or frenemy as being more romantic than the advances of men. Theories online have suggested several possible targets of this apparent diss track, including Charli XCX, but Swift has neither confirmed nor denied these suggestions. Once again, the song is an easy-listening pop tune, easy to nod along with.
In “Wi$h Li$t,” Swift describes the wishes of various people and her own desire for a beloved. With a slower beat and simple lyrics, the song continues to deliver the album’s overall message of easy-listening romantic excitement.
“Wood” is the singer’s raunchiest song on the album, featuring suggestive lyrics. While the lyrics are tame in comparison to those of other popular artists, and are even silly or cringey, they show that the artist is having fun with her work — and with her lover.
“CANCELLED!” is a track featuring yet more pop-culture lingo, much like “Eldest Daughter.” Swift describes enjoying drama among fellow high-profile individuals and “infamy.” Like “Actually Romantic,” the song has rumored meanings and connections that Swift has not confirmed or denied. Maintaining the girly-pop sound of the album, Swift sings about scandal in a vague manner, ending with the sentiment that true friends stay together.
The second-to-last track, entitled “Honey,” is another song exploring bad past experiences in comparison to a new relationship where words are not used negatively against her. The speaker allows her romantic partner to call her honey despite her bad experiences with it. As the last relationship-focused song on the album, it ends the topic on a positive note, looking to happiness and respect.
The titular and final track on the album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” features stomp-clap sounds and Broadway inspirations as well as fellow pop musician Sabrina Carpenter. The song ends with the speaker thanking a fan for a bouquet before transitioning to the sounds of the last show of Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour. Thus, Swift’s album ends with a positive memory and a moment of thanks for a fan base that has supported her.
With simple lyrics and easy pop beats, the album matches the marketing and promotional message of glitter and enjoyment. The album fits the listening party and glitter gel pen vibe that some fans of Swift have been waiting to hear. Though some fans will miss the long-tormented poet of albums past, the album serves easy-listening pop.
