2025 has been one of the most monumental moments for Taylor Swift and her fans with the singer finally getting her masters back, getting engaged to Travis Kelce and the release of her 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl”. After the release of “The Tortured Poets Department” in April 2024, fans had been waiting over a year to hear news of Swift’s next work and were pleasantly surprised to hear of the new album coming on Oct. 3. It has been two weeks since the release of the album and the songs are trending all over social media platforms, with many fans immediately loving the unique lyrics and meanings behind the songs.

The first track on the album is the single, “The Fate of Ophelia”. This song was the first to get its own music video, premiering on Oct. 5. As my personal favorite song on the album, it sets high expectations for the rest of the tracks. This song is very upbeat and talks about how Swift’s fiance, Travis Kelce, saved her from her going mad because of love and heartbreak or in other words from “The Fate of Ophelia”. 

I give “The Fate of Ophelia” a 10/10.

The second track on the album is “Elizabeth Taylor,” named after the 1950s film star. The song starts out slow and sad as Swift sings the line, “Oftentimes it doesn’t feel so glamorous to be me,” which was one of the Easter eggs found in the New York pop up. (Swift staged this pop up, full of Easter eggs and lyrics, Sept. 30 through Oct. 3 to give fans a preview of the album.)  The opening of the song makes it seem like the song will be very somber but then the chorus starts and the beat drops. In the chorus, the song talks about how Swift has never had someone to share her success with and wonders if love can be forever, once again referring to Kelce.

I give “Elizabeth Taylor” a 9/10.

The third track on the album is another love song, “Opalite”. In this song, Swift compares her current love life to her past relationships and the journey it took her to find her current fiancé. This track contains quotes from Swift’s brother and her mother, also describing her past love life as “Eating out of the trash” and dodging lightning strikes. The chorus is very upbeat, catchy and does a good job of showing how, despite Swift’s previous failed relationships, she has grown and now her life is brighter with Kelce in it. 

I give “Opalite” an 8/10.

The fourth song on the album, “Father Figure,” brought a shock to fans due to Swift’s vulgar language. She uses this language to describe the relationship between her and somebody who betrayed her. She describes how this person became the father figure for her, but they mistook her for being weak and tried to undermine her and steal her fame. She talks of revenge at the end of the song and how they will regret trying to pull such a move on her. It is heavily rumored that this song could be about her former manager, Scooter Braun, who withheld the rights for her music from her and refused to return them until she paid $360 million dollars to get them back in May. This song is also an ode to the recently revived song “Father Figure” by George Michael. 

I give “Father Figure” a 7/10.

The most melancholy song on the album was the highly anticipated “Eldest Daughter”. Before the release of the album many fans expressed their anticipation for the song but were disappointed by the cringy lyrics. In the chorus Swift says the line, “But I’m not a bad bitch/And this isn’t savage,” which immediately turned many listeners, including myself, off of the song. The song depicts the life of being the oldest daughter and how Taylor struggled with being herself and not falling to common stereotypes and a form of defiance from her hardships. As an eldest daughter myself I was overall disappointed with the song. What was my most anticipated song going in became my least favorite song in the end due to the lackluster lyrics in the chorus which spoiled the whole track for me. 

I give “Eldest Daughter” a 4/10.

The most devastating song on the album is by far “Ruin the Friendship”. This song starts out with Swift describing events from her childhood and a crush she had. She expresses her regret of never shooting her shot through the line, “Should’ve kissed you anyway” which is repeated numerous times throughout the album. The plot twist at the end is what really wrenched listeners’ hearts when Swift reveals that the person she had a crush on tragically died and she is flying home for his funeral. Some fans suspect that the song is referencing Swift’s childhood friend Jeff Lang who lost his life to suicide. She has also written two songs previously about Lang, “Forever Winter” and “Bigger Than the Whole Sky”. 

I give “Ruin the Friendship” an 8/10.

“Actually Romantic” is one of the first songs on the album to show Swift’s playful attitude towards those that have wronged her. From playing the song just once, a listener might assume that the song is about Kelce and how in love she is, but once you really listen to the lyrics you realize it isn’t about love at all. Swift talks about how this person hates her so much and spends so much time trying to make her feel bad that it comes off as romantic. They send her notes and she describes how no one has ever treated her so well, “No man has ever loved me like you do”.  This song is so upbeat and fun while also being mocking and clever and it is easily one of the most personality-filled songs of the album.

I give “Actually Romantic” a 7/10. 

The next song is the favorite of Swift herself, “Wi$h Li$t”. This song is about Swift’s more domestic dreams in life such as settling down with Kelce and having kids. She lists the wants of other people, all being very materialistic items, but when stating what she really wants all she says is, “I just want you,” referring to Kelce. This song shows who Swift is as a person and how she hasn’t let her money and fame go to her head and that she still values a normal life outside of her fame.

I give “Wi$h Li$t” a 8/10. 

Swift has rarely used curse words in her music but as she has gotten older she has begun using more expletives and innuendos in her music which is prevalent in the ninth track, “Wood”. This track lists many superstitions through the song and talks about how Swift has never been a lucky person, but she got lucky by finding Kelce and she didn’t even have to “knock on wood”. From just one listen you might think this song is just a cute love letter to Kelce, but a deeper analysis has the listener uncovering numerous sexual metaphors throughout the song, the track title being one of them. This song is very fun and upbeat with my only criticism being that I was surprised and slightly scandalized by the underlying meaning of the song. Being used to Swift’s normal discography of PG songs it was surprising to hear this song that pushes very PG-13 and even R rated humor. 

I give “Wood” a 7/10.

The 10th song on the album, “CANCELLED!”, is very witty and fun as Swift defends her friends and says she prefers them cancelled. Through the song she lists many reasons that someone could be cancelled and says how one way or another every person in the spotlight will inevitably do something wrong. There are many rumors as to who the song could be about, with most fans suspecting Swift’s longtime friend, Blake Lively who recently experienced some criticism during the press tour for her film, “It Ends With Us”. This song is very fun and gives you a confidence boost with its powerful message. It is the perfect song to listen to when you are feeling angry at the world and in a vengeful mood.

I give “CANCELLED!” a 7/10. 

The next to last song on the album is yet another love song about Kelce, “Honey”. In this song, Swift talks about how when Kelce entered her life he changed her perspective on many things, including the nickname “honey,” which previously had a negative connotation in her life. This song addresses all of the hate Swift has gotten and how people have spoken down to her by calling her honey to undermine her success. She shows how none of that seems important to her now that she has somebody to support her. “Honey” is a very sweet and fun song which is the perfect representation of how Kelce has changed her life for the better. 

I give “Honey” a 7/10.

Finally, the song which the whole album is named after, “The Life of a Showgirl”. This song was one of the most anticipated songs due to Swift’s collaboration with pop star Sabrina Carpenter, who started out as a Disney star and is now rising in the pop music business. The song follows a young girl who meets a showgirl named Kitty who warns her that “the life of a showgirl” is not as glamorous as it seems. By the end of the song the young girl has grown up and, despite Kitty’s warning, has become a successful showgirl. The song ends with a recording of Swift’s outro from the Eras Tour, the inspiration behind the song and the album as a whole. 

I give “The Life of a Showgirl” a 7/10. 

After listening to the album too many times to count it has slowly begun to grow on me. I have been a Swiftie my whole life and it has been amazing to see Swift’s transformation over the years from a heartbroken teenager to a successful woman in love. This album is a perfect representation of Swift’s new life and the accomplishments she has had during her tour and in her love life. 

Overall, I give “The Life of a Showgirl” album a 8/10.