‘The Life of a Showgirl’: Taylor Swift’s most disappointing album to date

BY LINDSEY HUGHES

Art Director

Taylor Swift, highly regarded as one of the most talented musical artists in the world, recently released her latest album “The Life of a Showgirl.” This album made waves throughout the music industry, specifically within her fanbase, known as “Swifties.” 

Let’s start with Taylor Swift, the person. Born Dec. 13, 1989, Taylor Allison Swift is a singer-songwriter who has had a passion for singing and acting since the ripe age of nine. 

Her family was more than accommodating of her passion and talents, and when she learned she may have a knack for country music, they moved to Nashville to give her the chance to break through.

 Her first single “Tim McGraw” was released in June 2006, and from there her career took off. 

Jumping to 2025 and this new release, I’ll go so far as to say that this was Swift’s most controversial album, both in content and in reviews. The social media climate surrounding this album release was treacherous. Even some of the most devoted Swifties had some passionate critics. 

The album art itself isn’t bad, the music video is inventive and fun and the dancing and costume work are beautifully put together.

 “The Fate of Ophelia” is the only track on the album with an actual music video, and it does the job well enough to cover the entire record. 

I thoroughly enjoyed watching it, and it does a wonderful job at keeping viewers on their toes with scene changes and set changes throughout the entire thing. 

 Many people are criticizing the color choices for the album cover, a striking orange and mint green mixture; however, I actually think it works well and pops out at you just the right amount. 

Onto the music itself, the content of the album is severely lacking, containing clunky lyrics, weird references and boring choruses. The Alternative, a major music critique site, called it, “The year’s most disappointing blockbuster pop record,” and I would have to say that I agree.

While never having been a Taylor Swift fan, I must give credit where credit is due. She has always been a wonderful lyricist who has written many compelling and thought-provoking hits in the past, which is why so many were surprised at this release. 

Albums like “The Tortured Poets Department” or her earlier album “Fearless” were full of deep meaning and hard-hitting lyrics that really resonated with fans.

Now, let’s dive into some major songs on the album and dissect some of the more interesting lyrics.

Starting off strong with what is widely considered the No. 1 song on this record, “The Fate of Ophelia.” 

This song not only hit No.1 on Billboard Hot 100 for four consecutive weeks, it also hit the top of the United World Chart and broke Spotify’s record for the most streams in a single day and a single week. 

I have nothing bad to say about “The Fate of Ophelia.” It is one of the only songs on the album that I enjoyed listening to. It was incredibly catchy, and the lyrics had deeper meanings relating to love and loss. This song stuck out like a sore thumb (in the absolute best way) on this album. 

Next, let’s talk about one of the most controversial songs on the album, because why not jump from best to worst?

 “Wood” is the song that tore parts of the internet, and the Swiftie empire, into shreds. 

Basically, you either love it or hate it. The title is a crude double entendre that sets the scene for how the rest of the song is going to go, with her fiancé Travis Kelce getting some not-so-subtle shoutouts throughout the entire track. 

Some fans are loving how open she’s being about her intimacy, and some agree that we didn’t need to know quite as much detail as Swift shares in some of the lyrics.

“Redwood tree

It ain’t hard to see

His love was the key

That opened my thighs.”

Enough said.

“Eldest Daughter” is another track on the album that, like so many others, could have been something special if it weren’t for the cringy lyrics before and after every half-decent line. 

It’s a heartbreak song that is deeply vulnerable in some aspects, but honestly, I was holding laughter back for most of it.

Swift starts the song with “Everybody’s so punk on the internet… Every joke’s just trolling and memes,” and it doesn’t get better until about timestamp 1:40 when the chorus and pre-chorus manage to bring some emotion with lines that aren’t as clunky and out of place. 

“When your first crush crushes something kind” and “Every eldest daughter was the first lamb to the slaughter” were two heartbreakingly real, vulnerable lines that began to give me hope for this track. 

All hope was quickly lost when these were followed by “But I’m not a bad b**** and this isn’t savage.” That speaks for itself, but this is a common theme with this album: hints of lyrics that are true masterpieces being closed in on both sides by lines that look out of place and awkward.

Other notable lyrics from this album include, “Boss up, settle down” from “Wi$h Li$t,” “Did you girlboss to close to the sun” from “CANCELLED,” “I can make deals with the devil because my d***’* bigger” from “Father Figure” or “I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave” from “Actually Romantic.” 

That last example, a line from Swift’s attempt at a diss track, “Actually Romantic,” sparked a lot of controversy from listeners. The common speculation is that this is a diss at Charlie XCX, but it just comes off petty. 

To close off “The Life of a Showgirl” era, at least for yours truly, I’ll say this: Even as someone who’s never loved the music that Taylor Swift puts out, she has always had a certain level of emotional competence and an ability to write to her audience in ways that allows them to connect not only with her but with their own uniquely individual situations. 

That ability did not shine through here. Instead, the lyrics sound like they belong in a middle-aged woman’s Etsy T-shirt store. 

Sorry, not sorry.