On August 12, at 12:12 a.m. Taylor Swift announced her 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl. She debuted the cover art and track names on her fiancé Travis Kelce, and brotherJason Kelce’s podcast, “New Heights”. The anticipation and excitement for this album was well worth the wait.
Swift released The Life of a Showgirl on October 3, just 10 months after the end of her nearly two-year long “Eras” tour This album consists of 12 songs, ranging from “The Fate of Ophelia” to “The Life of a Showgirl (feat. Sabrina Carpenter)”.
The Life of a Showgirl is a very upbeat album. She expresses her love for her fiancé Travis Kelce in songs like “Opalite”. Opalite is a man-made opal and Kelce’s birthstone is an opal. Swift explained this and the significance of this song title on a Capital radio interview showing her happiness within her relationship and how the song is a metaphor for how these emotions can be man-made as well, just like Opalite.
In “The Life of a Showgirl (feat. Sabrina Carpenter)” Swift and Carpenter use a character, Kitty, to embody the experiences and challenges of the entertainment industry. Lyrics like “You don’t know the life of a showgirl, babe and you’re never gonna wanna,” show the hardships that come from being in entertainment. The outro of the song is Swift and Carpenter thanking their dancers, music staff and fans as if the song was a concert itself. They end the album with the lyrics “We love you so much Goodnight”.
My personal favorite song from this album is “Father Figure”. I love the overall vibe of the song and the lyricism within it. It reminds me of her song from Lover, “The Man,” but more mature. Lyrics like “I pay the check before it kisses the mahogany grain” and “Said, ‘They want to see you rise, they don’t want you to reign’,” really encapsulate the whole message of the song, which is power within a relationship.
Overall, The Life of a Showgirl has a lot of upbeat songs and symbolism you would never notice unless you really dig deeper. As a Taylor Swift lover, I’d rate this album a 10/10.
