Rebecca Jozwiak | multimedia editor

Last Friday, Taylor Swift released her 12th studio album. Entitled “The Life of a Showgirl,” the record promised sounds of a thrilling look into Swift’s life as a modern day “showgirl.” I, along with many other lifelong fans, found the album to be everything that we didn’t expect — and not in a great way.

“The Fate of Ophelia”

A very upbeat album opener, “The Fate of Ophelia” sets the scene of what we wanted from the album. Fiance Travis Kelce unlocked a Pandora’s box full of love and happiness for Swift, saving her from a fate similar to Ophelia, who died alone in a bed of water and flowers. The instrumental of the song echoes flashes of Swift’s past works“1989” and “Midnights” — with a bit of aged millennial flair.

“Elizabeth Taylor”

This sounds more like a classic Swift song. Starting off slow, Swift wonders if her current lover will stick and be her beacon throughout the ups and downs of her illustrious career leading into a major beat drop — Swift at her best. She bleeds the brutality of show business into a plea of wanting this person in her life forever.

“Opalite”

“Opalite” is reminiscent of the glittery gel pen lyricism and production that Swift has mentioned in prior interviews. The song sounds like something you’d hear in a department store and feels like the love child of “Lover” and “Midnights” that wasn’t completely cut and mixed before its release.

“Father Figure”

A rare sample allowed by George Michael’s estate, the interpolation of Michael’s “Father Figure” isn’t as dimensional as it could be. Though Swift reclaims herself as her own father figure by the end of the song, some lyrics are too straightforward in addition to her talk-singing some verses of the song.

“Eldest Daughter”

A song that has potential to expose the emotional, child-like underbelly behind being a “showgirl,” “Eldest Daughter” ultimately falls flat due to lyrics that are laced with subpar reflections on life in the media.

“Ruin the Friendship”

What stands out to me the most about this track is the question it poses: Would we rather question ourselves for the rest of our lives, or tell someone how we really feel about them before it’s too late? A song that highlights bittersweet nostalgia and wondering about what-ifs, the track doesn’t fit in with the aesthetic of “The Life of a Showgirl” at all.

“Actually Romantic”

This one should have stayed in the drafts. Seemingly targeting Charli xcx, the song creates more drama than a “gotcha!” moment like Swift probably anticipated. I’m all for her standing her ground if someone has been talking about her, but say it with your chest — and not with lyrics that are vague and boring.

“Wi$h Li$t”

Wi$h Li$t begins to feel very repetitive very quickly. I enjoy the production, but lyrics like “Boss up, settle down” and “They want the fat
[expletive] with the baby face” turned me off from really enjoying the track.

“Wood”

The production is catchy. “Wood” is a double entendre for bad omens, in addition to being about her real life fiance’s genitalia. Personally, I wish Swift would have made more space to examine these doomed traditions on the song; it would have gone over better for myself and a majority of fans if it wasn’t so in depth about her and Kelce’s … personal life. Sometimes, the less we know, the better.

“CANCELLED!”

I don’t have much to say for this song, because, honestly, it’s just not that great. From “Good thing I like my friends cancelled,” to “They’re the ones with matching scars,” it feels a little bit like a rebellious song for millennials who love wearing “Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my coffee” shirts.

“Honey”

After years of condescending comments and praise, Swift reclaims the word “honey” on this track, taking back another term or concept that show business has stolen from her. Sweet like honey, this song is meaningful, but, again, not a total musical fit for an album that was marketed as a flashy show record.

“The Life of a Showgirl”

I wanted this song to revive the potential of a blockbuster, jaw-dropping showgirl album, but this title track played it too safe. The build-up to Sabrina Carpenter’s feature and the climax of the song was unsatisfying.

Closing Statements

While some songs have brief flashes of good songwriting and are carried by great production from Max Martin and Shellback, “The Life of a Showgirl” falls flat. The album marketing created anticipation for strong lyricism, similar to “Reputation” but isn’t nearly as powerful.

I see what Swift was trying to do with the album, though. As she continues to live the life of a “showgirl,” she finds solace in her loved ones surrounding her, unlocking the child-like part of her personality. Lyrics like “I’m not a bad [expletive] / And this isn’t savage” dilute the message Swift attempts to portray throughout the record. The two most vulnerable songs, “Eldest Daughter” and “Ruin the Friendship” begin to uncover this sentiment, only to be quickly forgotten thanks to one-dimensional songs like “Actually Romantic” and “CANCELLED!”.

Rebecca Jozwiak can be reached at jozwiakr@duq.edu