Perfect Pitch: The Life of a Showgirl

Belmont Vision Multimedia, Zach Watkins

Welcome back to another edition of “Perfect Pitch,” a series where members of the Belmont Vision review the latest releases in music and look for the next big thing.   

This week, we’ll be discussing “The Life of a Showgirl,” the twelfth studio album from American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. 

The first time Swift has worked with Swedish producers Max Martin and Shellback was in 2017 with her sixth studio album “Reputation,” before working with Jack Antonoff until “The Life of a Showgirl.”  Since then, Swift has released five studio albums alongside four of her re-recording’s coined with “Taylor’s Version.” 

“The Life of a Showgirl” has broken multiple records since its release, including selling an unprecedented 4 million units in the debut week, which is almost twice as many as Swift’s last album, “The Tortured Poet’s Department,” sold in the first tracking week. Also following the release of the album, Swift released a music video for “The Fate of Ophelia” alongside hosting a nationwide cinema event that included messages from the singer and visuals for each track. 

Name: Reece Leddy - Sports Editor

Overall Rating: 3/10

General Thoughts: I will admit, I am not a Taylor Swift fan. The last time I remember hearing one of her songs it was from a Family Guy episode where she wrote a song about Chris Griffin. I’ve always found Swift’s songwriting to be bland and safe, though she has built a career from polished pop music which deserves a lot of credit. Often I’ve heard Swift described as a deep, poetic lyricist and I’ve never understood that. If there was a record to break the Swiftie spell, this might be the one. From songs about a peacock contest with the devil to a song about Travis Kelce’s cedarwood, the lyrics on this album were enough to make my brain have a factory reset. The writing feels weirdly mismatched with the overly serious tone Swift delivers throughout the album. It creates a sense of awkwardness rather than depth. What could have been meant to be playful and ironic lands as unintentionally cringy. The songwriting also borders on derivative. “Wood” sounds suspiciously like a reskinned version of The Jackson 5's "I Want You Back,” right down to the chord progression and bouncy rhythm. “Actually Romantic,” borrows heavily from the Pixies’ “Where Is My Mind?” That feels like a rewrite rather than an homage. For an artist praised for her originality, this is just a slap in the face. While I am sure fans will be able to dissect the metaphors I missed about her 10 different ex-boyfriends throughout this album, I will continue to not understand the hype.

Favorite Song: “Opalite”

Least Favorite Song: “Father Figure,” “Eldest Daughter,” “Wi$h Li$t,” “Honey,” “CANCELLED!”

Favorite Lyric: “Every joke’s just trolling and memes.”

How does “The Life of a Showgirl” reflect the direction Taylor Swift is taking with her music?“The Life of a Showgirl” showcases Taylor Swift’s ability to pump out music year after year, which is an impressive feat. However, that consistency does not translate to quality and creativity. While the work ethic and the overall sound production behind her album deserves respect, the record is a Frankenstein’s monster of musical trends rather than an artist honing in their craft. If this album represents the direction Taylor Swift heads towards, expect more trend-chasing work by Taylor Swift. 

Name: Rachel Suggs

Overall Rating: 6.5/10

General Thoughts: Swift flexes her pop muscles again on “The Life of a Showgirl,” combining catchy pop melodies with Swift’s detailed lyricism. Album highlights such as “Ruin the Friendship” and the album’s title track artfully craft a narrative that is accompanied by hooks that captivate the listener and make the songs easy to sing along to. However, “The Life of a Showgirl” shows Swift reusing a pop formula that has grown stale after 11 years of its use. Themes such as haters and high-school sweethearts feel fresh and new when the artist is an 18-year-old up-and-coming country singer, but these themes feel overdone and misplaced when the artist is a 35-year-old global superstar. The album can also feel out-of-touch, specifically on the song “CANCELLED!” where Swift, a billionaire, sings about how she likes her friends “dressed in Gucci and in scandal.” Overall, the album is a good addition to Swift’s pop repertoire, but it doesn’t do anything to make itself stand out.

Favorite Song: “Opalite” and “Ruin the Friendship”

Least Favorite Song: “CANCELLED!”

Favorite Lyric: “I swore my loyalty to me, myself and I, right before you lit my sky”

How does “The Life of a Showgirl” reflect the direction Taylor Swift is taking with her music?

“The Life of a Showgirl” shows that Swift is taking a step towards joy. Coming off the depressing lyricism and production of “The Tortured Poets Department,” she is pivoting back to a bright pop sound with cheerful, love-filled lyrics. Similar to her pivot from “Reputation” to “Lover,” Swift released this album after wrapping up her record-setting “The Eras Tour” and getting engaged to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. This album is brimming with the joy found in both her professional and personal lives, while also keeping some of the more emotion-driven material by reflecting on past experiences, such as on “Ruin the Friendship.”

Name: Abby Thomas

Overall Rating: 9.5/10

General Thoughts: 

Swift positively dazzles in “The Life of a Showgirl,” embracing the joys of being in love and simply enjoying life, while blissfully ignoring society’s commentary on her life. She nearly achieves the pop-perfection that was 1989 or Reputation, incorporating sassy beat drops, contagious melodies and harmonies, and lyrics that reflect her gleeful life at the moment. Coming off of the melancholy ballads of “The Tortured Poets Department,” Swift spins her mood on its head and instead makes this her most fun album yet, hitting bop after bop, making you want to dance down the sidewalk in your most dazzling pair of heels. God forbid a girl be truly happy once and for all! Swift is letting go of criticism and judgement, finding freedom in the fun of it all. “The Life of Showgirl” is Swift’s unabashed happiness come to life.

Favorite Song: “The Fate of Ophelia” and “Elizabeth Taylor”

Least Favorite Song: “Father Figure”

Favorite Lyric: “Hope they get what they want, I just want you, have a couple kids, got the whole block looking like you,” or “Keep it one hundred, on the land, the sea, the sky. Pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes”

How does “The Life of a Showgirl” reflect the direction Taylor Swift is taking with her music?

“The Life of a Showgirl” is a perfect example of Swift just simply doing whatever she wants and focusing on what fulfills her the most, both creatively and personally. She’s also embracing the fact that the expectation for artists to keep topping their previous work is unrealistic. Being an artist is all about making art that you are proud of, not catering to what your audience expects from you. Swift is successful enough in her career that she can experiment with new themes and production tricks, despite the risk that would put a smaller artist in. In an interview with BBC Radio 1, Swift talked about how she’d worried what her emotional writing would be like once she actually found happiness in a relationship, but this album soothed any of those worries for her. 

“I used to kind of have this dark fear that if I were truly happy and free being myself and nurtured by a relationship, what happens if the writing just dries up? What if writing is directly tied to my torment and pain? And it turns out, that’s not the case at all,” Swift said. “We were just catching lightning in a bottle with this record.” 

Samantha Graessle - Arts and Entertainment Editor 

Overall Rating: 4.5/10 

General Thoughts: My opinion of Taylor Swift has worsened over the last couple years, more due to her marketing decisions than her music quality, although “The Tortured Poets Department” had a few good songs, it felt longer than necessary. I was not sure what sound “The Life of a Showgirl” would have because Taylor is notorious for changing up her sound with every given era, and the visuals were so starkly different from previous albums. My first impression of the album was from the songs “The Fate of Ophelia” and the title track featuring Sabrina Carpenter “The Life of a Showgirl,” which did not initially resonate with me; and I was quick to call the album her worst. While the album's upbeat sound and sparkly production initially drew me into the surface of the album, the corny lyricism would often throw me off. I strongly enjoyed the visuals of the album, however the songs did not do justice to the intriguing, dazzling and sensual images. 

Favorite Song: “Wi$h Li$t”

Least Favorite Song: “Father Figure” or “CANCELLED!”

Favorite Lyric: “As legend has it you are quite the pyro, you light the match to watch it blow and if you'd never come for me I might've drowned in the melancholy” 

How does “The Life of a Showgirl” reflect the direction Taylor Swift is taking with her music?

Taylor Swift's brand has always been more targeted towards women and the girlhood aesthetic, which I know has drawn much criticism from people who don’t resonate with that vibe, and this album is no exception. While I think she has produced more mature albums in the past, I think this album follows her brand of creating music that has a fun pop sound that draws people together, although it might not be her best. However, following her usual suit again, I really enjoyed visuals for this album, especially the cover art and music video for “The Fate of Ophelia,” leaning into a more provocative style she usually does with a mix of feathery and gemstone covered risque outfits. With that said, I hope for future albums, she takes more time on production because this album did not feel like it reached the fullest potential it could have, and it felt similar to my frustration with “The Tortured Poets Department” of feeling too long and unedited. 

Trinity Selman - Vision Writer

Overall Rating: 3/10 

General Thoughts: “The Life of a Showgirl” had the potential to be a return to Taylor Swift’s pop star prime with producers Max Martin and Shelback reuniting with her to create an album about her newest peak of stardom, reminiscent of “1989.” Unfortunately, this album fell flat for me in every possible way, which I didn’t think could be possible of a Max Martin produced project, especially after his work with Ariana Grande on her latest album “Eternal Sunshine” which was my personal favorite album of 2024. As an overall enjoyer of Taylor Swift’s music, I had some hope that she would be able to deliver after the disappointment that was “The Tortured Poets Department,” but that was not the case. The lyrics on this album have fallen so far from her past projects, it’s hard to believe it was written by the same person. During the promotion for this album, I was intrigued by the idea of a pop album from the perspective of a pop star at the peak of her fame, taking on the biggest tour in the world, the gritty, dark side of Hollywood, and potentially peaking in your career in front of the entire world. What we got was a collection of forgettable pop songs about her already highly publicized relationship, with lyrics that sounded like they were written by a mother trying to stay current with her children. The album felt so rushed and unnecessary, released only with the purpose of being a cash grab.

Favorite Song: “The Fate of Ophelia”

Least Favorite Song: “CANCELLED!,” “Eldest Daughter”

Favorite Lyric: “Keep it one hundred, on the land, the sea, the sky. Pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes. Don't care where the hell you been, 'cause now you're mine.”

How does “The Life of a Showgirl” reflect the direction Taylor Swift is taking with her music?

I think this album reflects that Taylor Swift is moving into the direction of releasing whatever, and whenever she wants. Now that she’s reached such a peak of fame, she’s not working towards making something better, or even something new. It seems that her music is moving into a very boring place, lacking any real direction or critical perspectives. She knows that whatever she makes is going to top the charts, so she doesn’t need to try anymore.

Louise Geri - Vision Writer

Overall rating: 6/10

“The Life of a Showgirl” is only a great album conceptually. A few songs lose the lifting-the-curtain theme, and the sound doesn’t have as much of a live feel as I would’ve expected for an album with “showgirl” in the title. But most of all, Swift’s usual strength, the lyrics, are uncharacteristically half-cooked. “Father Figure” contains an unneeded reference to male genitalia. “Wood” would be a fun Sabrina Carpenter-style song filled with sexual innuendo, but Swift tries too hard to make it poetic. She makes risky lyrical decisions in the name of satire, and “Eldest Daughter” and “CANCELLED!” are almost excruciating as a result. Meanwhile, “Honey” and “The Life of a Showgirl (featuring Sabrina Carpenter)” aren’t risky enough. Worst of all, “Wi$h Li$t” comes off incredibly out of touch. Swift explained how everyone wants rich-people things while she just wants her partner. Adding dollar signs into the title when the whole point is that she doesn’t want items of monetary value seems mocking. Still, the album does have some bright spots. “Ruin the Friendship” has a country sound and a guttural plot twist. In “Actually Romantic”, a cheeky love song to a hater, Swift finds a way to express a more bluntly sexual side without cringey metaphors, unlike “Wood.” “The Fate of Ophelia,” “Elizabeth Taylor” and “Opalite” are all true to Swift’s regular polished pop sound. The sound itself on this album is great. It’s almost possible to ignore the lyrics if you focus on the melodies and beats, courtesy of Max Martin and Shellback. In conclusion, I love Swift to death, but the most on-point thing about this album is that it was clearly written by a showgirl, someone very talented, but very tired.  

Favorite song: “Ruin the Friendship”

Least favorite song: “Wi$h Li$t”

Favorite lyric: “I whispered at the grave, ‘Should’ve kissed you anyway.’”

How does “The Life of a Showgirl” reflect the direction Swift is taking with her music?

If anyone has justification for being cocky about their talent, it’s Taylor Swift, and she knows it. The effects of Swift’s success this decade are clear as day on this album: she’s confident enough to change how she writes about certain topics like sex, money and the internet. This shift allows Swift to keep surprising people, but she’s dug herself into a hole. I understand the thought process behind satirical lyrical choices where you misuse slang, but why? And at what cost? Why are you using profound metaphors to describe sex? Why are you talking so much about items of monetary value when you’ve only done that sparingly before and you’re already getting backlash for being a billionaire? The answer is most likely, “For the hell of it,” and it’ll be interesting to see what Swift does next “just for the hell of it.”

Name: CJ Johnson - Vision Writer

Overall Rating: 2/10

General Thoughts: The marketing of this album suggested a “peek behind the curtain,” but the themes explored in the album had been front-and-center. We were told this was an album about being sore after the shows, taking a bath with makeup on, and performing sold-out shows with the stomach bug. Instead, this was an album about loving her fiancé , her qualms with the internet, and hating Charli xcx. The only song that begins to scratch the surface is the title track, “The Life of a Showgirl,” featuring Sabrina Carpenter. 

“You don’t know the life of a showgirl,” Swift and Carpenter sing. Nowhere in the album do they elaborate what that life is like. 

Swift does seem to be putting on a show in this record - featuring poor imitations of other artist’s hit songs. From The Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back” in “Wood” to Lana Del Rey’s “Summertime Sadness” in “The Fate of Ophelia,” it makes me wonder if the “lighting in a bottle” Swift claimed to have captured with Shellback and Martin had struck before. The overarching issue with this record is that it sounded as if Swift was impersonating other artists such as Lorde, Lana del Rey, Sabrina Carpenter, etc. However, as proven with the record-breaking “Eras Tour,” Swift is the star of the world stage. The issue is that we wanted to see behind the curtain, not what we saw on stage for over 200 shows. Fans didn’t turn on “The Life of a Showgirl” to hear about “a” showgirl. The album should have been about “the” Showgirl. 

Favorite Song: “Father Figure”

Least favorite song: “Eldest Daughter”

Favorite lyric: “Whose portrait’s on the mantle? Who covered up your scandals? Mistake my kindness for weakness and find your card cancelled.”

How does “The Life of a Showgirl” reflect the direction Swift is taking with her music?: 

Swift described this album as something that “had never been done before,” and as being as lyrically interesting as “Folklore” and “Evermore.” What was released was more similar to “Me!” After the album’s release, there were a slew of misogynistic comments made about Swift, some of the most popular being that her ex-boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, wrote many of the songs on her popular folk albums, “Folklore” and “Evermore.”

Taylor Swift is capable of writing about the material covered in this album in an intelligent way. She’s written about sexuality on the songs “Guilty as Sin,” “Sparks Fly,” and “Dress,” growing up on the songs “Fifteen,” “seven,” and “You’re On Your Own, Kid” and being unfairly criticized by the internet on the songs “Anti-hero,” “Mean,” and almost all of the “Reputation” album. The issue in the album is not what it’s about, but the juvenile way in which it’s written.

Anna Buescher- Vision Writer

Overall rating: 5/10

General Thoughts: 

“The Life of a Show Girl” was disappointing, especially with all the hype surrounding the release. All the photoshoots and promotions suggested glamour, mystery and style. Taylor Swift gave us none of that. The album features midtempo tracks with poor lyricism, and forgive me when I say most of the songs sounded the same. Honestly the album is what Swift haters say her music sounds like. As a tenured Swiftie myself,  I had high hopes for Swift’s return to pop music, especially with Max Martin and Shellback producing the album. No one except Swift could have success putting out an album like this. I will say, I did appreciate the honesty throughout the songs. There's a lot of growth, and while vague, the storytelling is still there.

Favorite song: “Ruin The Friendship”

Least favorite song: “Cancelled” and  “Eldest Daughter:

Favorite lyric: “Do you wanna take a skate on the ice inside my veins? / They ripped me off like false lashes and then threw me away”

How does “The Life of a Showgirl” reflect the direction Swift is taking with her music?