‘THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL’ SOUNDS: RANKING THE NEW TAYLOR SWIFT ALBUM
Back on August 11th, the day started quite ordinary. At least for me. I went on a morning walk, ate some breakfast, made a warm drink and then sat down to start my work for that fine Monday. Throughout that day, people on my Instagram feed kept sharing Taylor Swift (presumably) coded posts to their Stories. First was the rumor that Swift would appear on the New Heights podcast (co-hosted by her boyfriend Travis Kelce) which she did and then at 12:12 AM on August 12th, she announced (via her official website and through a clip from her podcast appearance), that her twelfth studio album would be The Life of a Showgirl. Jointly teasing this was shades of orange with splashes of a turquoise as the color scheme. This was several weeks ago and now we the release is finally here so it’s time to put together a ranking The Life of a Showgirl post, something we do each new Taylor Swift album.
LIST | TEN BOOKS (SEEMINGLY) CODED AS THE LIFE OF TAYLOR SWIFT
‘THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL’ SOUNDS: RANKING THE NEW TAYLOR SWIFT ALBUM. Putting together a little #TaylorSwift album ranking list. What are you loving about #TheLifeofaShowgirl? Share on XProduced by Max Martin and Shellback, this breaks from Swift’s longtime collaboration (her last several albums) with Jack Antonoff. Prior to her last several collabs with Antonoff (which have been successful creative endeavors), this trio did collaborate on 1989 and Reputation with Swift. This marks her first collab outside of newest releases (including Evermore and Folklore, The Tortured Poets Department) Taylor has had with anyone else outside of the Antonoff and Aaron Dessner trio. So, while this album probably doesn’t have a new (new) sound, it maybe does sound different than her recent releases.
As an aside, I didn’t listen to any of the interviews Swift has done (outside of her announcement podcast), but I did read that she has said that she’s now the most “her” ever in this stage of her life. If true, I hope she truly is thriving. Here we go (!!), let’s begin in our rankings of this showgirl of an album!
RANKING THE LIFE of a SHOWGIRL
Sorted from least to most favorite
ACTUALLY romantic
So… yeah, I was way off on liking this one. Going off its title, this song isn’t any kind of, well, romantic. It’s actually a revenge song which are never favorites of mine from Swift. While ‘Mean’ has a kind of “cute” quality, I wouldn’t say any revenge song of hers ranks in a top ten ranking for me. Her TTPD revenge song is another that would rank low. One thing I can appreciate is that this song does mirror the sound its title implies.
Note; this song does have the explicit rating, but you can purchase a ‘clean’ version
FATHER FIGURE
I did like the concept of this one and the idea of protectiveness. (Though in this, I think it’s supposed to be a threat…?) Is this telling a literal protegee and mentor relationship? Or is it Swift writing a kind of present metamorphic tale that looks back on her life as a young songstress in the public eye? If so, then this writing could also be a kind of perspective title that is acknowledging some of the tough things she has to go through before her older, wiser self now watches out for her. Or maybe it’s a protective song about her fans?
Swift has been quoted as saying this one is using the “father figure” to talk about power and the dynamics of that. So, yeah, totally off on all of my speculation! This is also (like ‘Wood’ and others) one of the songs that is a bit cruder than normal fare from her.
Note; this song does have the explicit rating, but you can purchase a ‘clean’ version
THE LIFE of a SHOWGIRL
The titular track, this is one I don’t really have an inclination about the song so it’s kind of a “skip” track for me. This is the track to feature her one vocal collaborator in Sabrina Carpenter.
Note; this song does have the explicit rating, but you can purchase a ‘clean’ version
WOOD
As one reference about the lyrics of this song says, this one is, well, a cheeky song. Swift says it’s a song about superstitions but she writes it in a definite double entendre manner that gets a little bit, shall we say, intimate.
Note; this song does have the explicit rating, but you can purchase a ‘clean’ version
ELIZABETH TAYLOR
Don’t really have any deep or otherwise thoughts about this one. Don’t hate it though so I feel like this alone earns this track a bump up or two in these rankings. So far, I guess it’s one of those mid songs that may become a higher up favorite. ranking the life of a showgirl
‘THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL’ SOUNDS: RANKING THE NEW TAYLOR SWIFT ALBUM. Talking about the thing everyone else is currently obsessing over: #TaylorSwift’s new album. What did you think? #TheLifeofaShowgirl is out now. Share on XWISH LIST
On this track, the songstress talks about all of the material things people want while all she needs is the one person who truly loves her, and lets her truly be her. She has also said this is the track that best represents her life right now. The song is a kind of portrait of saying that anything material is immaterial when you have the right one by your side. In this way, the song is relatable because we all want people in our lives who we don’t have to pretend around or be a version of ourselves that isn’t, well, us.
Note; this song does have the explicit rating, but you can purchase a ‘clean’ version
RUIN the FRIENDSHIP
This song is something of a puzzle. It’s about looking back on a friendship and wondering what if you had made a romantic gesture or had that conversation even at the expense of heartbreak. I’m not sure if this is another song about her brief (last) romance with a British singer or is looking back further than that, but the reason it puzzles is this album is supposed to be about her life off stage during the Eras tour. So, it also has a sad ending. I’m assuming the story is about something sad that happened which reminds her of this person’s impact on her life. Sometimes, no matter the speculation or what we make of a song, if Swift is the only one who really knows what the song means, well, that is perfectly appropriate and how it should be. Maybe the song is also more of a metaphor for a life lived, too.
CANCELLED!
This one talks about being “cancelled” and having friends you can trust, in part because they wear some of the same scars. I like this one better than I thought and I think the message of coming to terms with ones choices and how that will reflect in the public eye is wise.
Note; this song does have the explicit rating, but you can purchase a ‘clean’ version
HONEY
As Swift has said in her own words, this song is one that works nicely to “repurpose” words that once were used in a move that had bad power over us, but how these same terms or words can be used again for affectionate and sincerity. The song is upbeat and mostly cheerful, which I say knowing nothing about the production of the song. ranking the life of a showgirl
Note; this song does have the explicit rating, but you can purchase a ‘clean’ version
OPALITE
I don’t really have a lot to say about this song. But I do like it just to listen to. Same as is true of any thoughts here, none of mine are “professional” nor am I pretending to know what makes a good song in terms of technical elements. I’m just listening and finding the songs I enjoy most or the ones I want to put on repeat. This song is one I’ve listened to on repeat, so I guess I do like it – that lighting strike line just works.
ELDEST DAUGHTER
I do really like this song. It’s one I’ve listened to multiple times. It’s the infamous “fifth song” track that is usually observed as being Swift at her most “vulnerable.” According to the writer, she says of this song, in part that it is actually a “love song about kind of the roles that we play in our public life, because nowadays everyone has a public life. You have a life that you portray to other people or what you portray on social media, and then you have the you that everyone gets to know who has earned the right to be closest to you. And it’s really hard to be sincere publicly because that’s not really what our culture rewards. People reward you for being like tough and unbothered and like too busy to care.” I cannot put my finger on why I love this so well, but for me, it’s the standout.
Also, how much do I love the line “Every single hot take is cold as ice”? I’ll tell you; it’s a lot.
Note; this song does have the explicit rating, but you can purchase a ‘clean’ version
THE FATE of OPHELIA
I did really like this one, odd since I had it near the end of my “based on song titles rankings.” (Can we just not even talk about how wrong those are?) Anyway, this one is using a story that has tragic origins (Shakespeare) and turning it happy as Ophelia finds her world made bright and happy again through the unexpected person who comes into her life. The song is also just a fun way to kick off the album and seems to connect with ‘Eldest Daughter’ in a way. The way this one sounds is admirable and I admire that she can use a tragedy (in a historic sense) and make it a song that makes you want to snap fingers.
“You saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia”
Note; this song does have the explicit rating, but you can purchase a ‘clean’ version
You can purchase The Life of a Showgirl now. Find it on Vinyl or CD, or purchase digital MP3 albums on places like Apple or Amazon. You can also find the “clean” versions on places like Apple.
FIRST IMPRESSION RANKINGS, based on song titles
Like always, these rankings don’t hold true (and sometimes they still shift with further listens), but I still think it’s fun to write these after I learn the tracks (and I did rank most of these August 13 – 14, but certainly did all prior to hearing any of the songs). Listing from least to most favorite
12: Wood
11: Cancelled!
10: Honey
9: Elizabeth Taylor
8: The Fate of Ophelia
7: Father Figure
6: The Life of a Showgirl
5: Ruin the Friendship
4: Wish List
3: Opalite
2: Eldest Daughter
1: Actually Romantic
Photos: Instagram | Taylor Swift | Feature Image: Barry King / Alamy Stock Photo
Ok, over to you! What did you think about The Life of a Showgirl track list? Which songs are you playing on repeat? Did your initial judgement of favorite vs non-favs change or hold up? Does TLOAS hold up as a new favorite in your 12-album ranking? Do you think these rankings work or are they totally off? What would your ranking The Life of a Showgirl list look like?
Comment all of your Taylor Swift thoughts below! Let’s talk.
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