Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ proves that not all that glitters is gold.

By Eva Tweeten

The release of Taylor Swift’s newest album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’ has come at a very fitting time. Though her name is never far from the public’s lips, Swift has been more in the limelight than usual, due to her recent engagement to NFL player Travis Kelce. It is therefore a very strategic decision to release this album, centered on the pitfalls of global fame, shortly after a spike in her media exposure. 

The first track on the 2025 album is a song much like other Swift songs of late, with a pensive and gloomy tune accompanying her words of love. The tragic character of Ophelia in Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’ has long been a source of romantic melancholy for artists. Swift embraces this moody tone in her song, comparing Ophelia’s mournful death with the tragic loss of slow, painful heartbreak. Twangy bass accompanies the breathy words of gratitude to her lover, singing, “You saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia.” 

Another song named after a famous woman, ‘Elizabeth Taylor,’ primarily relies on Swift’s vocals until the beat drops in the first chorus. This flashy song is all about Swift’s desire to chase fleeting things alongside her fleeting lover. She sings that ‘You’re only as hot as your last hit’ – a snide remark about the brevity of Hollywood fame. However, instead of coming to a wholesome conclusion about the lasting love of family and friends, she instead continues on the materialistic path, claiming, ‘all my white diamonds and lovers are forever’.

‘Opalite’ follows in a similar vein. Much like the artificial crystal it is named after, the track is a flashy, though somewhat shallow, anthem proclaiming that there are better things ahead. The lyrics are a glittery mess as Swift bounces between topics like her fear of missing out, finding love again with Kelce and the importance of uniqueness. The singer encourages her audience to keep dancing when life gets tricky because they make their own light in this world.

Songs ‘Father Figure’ and ‘Eldest Daughter’ are a stark contrast to previous tracks, but seem to go hand-in-hand. The ‘Father Figure’ in Swift’s fourth track is not someone to be idolized. The singer seems to align herself with this toxic figure, saying she will “protect the family” by making deals with the Devil and drinking liquor. The song is filled with crude humor, and the worst implications can be drawn from the line, “This love is pure profit, just step into my office.” 

‘Eldest Daughter’ is the inverse of the previous piece. The slow, simple melody calls back to Swift’s early days with just vocals and piano. Unlike the terrible father in the last song, she now promises to “never break that vow [and] never leave you now”. But there is also an undercurrent of sadness as she states that “every eldest daughter was the first lamb to the slaughter” and “every youngest child felt they were raised up in the wild.” 

Both ‘Ruin the Friendship’ and ‘Actually Romantic’ are songs that romanticize unhealthy relationships. The former includes Swift daydreaming about having an affair with an old friend, despite acknowledging his current committed relationship status. And in ‘Actually Romantic’, Swift sings of a toxic friendship that she likens to a tumultuous relationship. 

The strong friendship between Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter has been built on their rare shared experience of international fame. 

‘Wi$h Li$t,’ as the title may suggest, is a song in which Swift idealizes the “simple life” through crass language and heavy synth, and ‘Wood’ is almost entirely made up of crude jokes. Swift calls out cancel culture in ‘CANCELLED’, literally playing devil’s advocate as she symbolically aligns herself with Hades.‘Honey’ is a forgettable song once again stuffed with innuendoes. 

But a treasure awaits those who make it all the way to the end of the album, with each theme previously touched on culminating in the final, titular song. ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ featuring Sabrina Carpenter is an honest portrayal of life in the limelight. Swift and Carpenter sing of their own experiences and how people idolize fame and wealth without realizing how empty these gifts are. The limelight is far less glamorous than it appears. For as these two global superstars sing, “You don’t know the life of a showgirl, babe/And you’re never gonna wanna.”

“The Life of a Showgirl” is available on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music and YouTube

Eva Tweeten is a Junior Psychology major who loves analyzing books, movies and music. She is also a big animal lover who helps train service dogs in her free time!

Images courtesy of IMDB and Taylor Swift’s album marketing.