Taylor Swift - The Life of a Showgirl (October 3, 2025) • Page 104

i can think of brat as an example but that seems like an extreme case. maybe something to say about a wide gulf between album discourses that really last and the majority of ones that peter off quickly.

 

I think there's also a loooooot to be said about the power of the algorithm. I hear about this album every single day on TikTok still.

 

Yeah, I would definitely say Brat was a minority case.

Definitely true. On the rare occasion that I look at Threads, I'm still bombarded with Taylor content. Not necessarily positive Taylor content (a lot of people are pissed there's been no public statement about the White House using "Ophelia" in a video) but still!

 

justice for MAYHEM

 

If we're going to ding the biggest pop album of the year for not having legs, we also have to ding the also-rans. Sorry, I don't make the rules.

 

https://www.instagram.com/stories/t...ig_story_item_share&igsh=MXNtc3VqZzZwa3ZpaQ==

 

I think touring right after an album drops is a huge / the main way to keep the hype going

 

but she clearly doesn't need to tour because the hype for this album is still going strong just on its own, in terms of sales/plays.

 

There is definitely a disconnect between the "perception" of hype and what the actually data shows. It's kind of funny, because we're in this period where online discourse about new albums seems to evaporate faster than ever, but where the charts are just about as stagnant as they've ever been.

 

I was about to say something similar. The last couple releases felt bigger because she was also omnipresent through the Eras tour. Couldn’t open IG without having reels from a show pop up

 

It's absolutely true because this album and single have topped the charts for 5 weeks organically with no promo or sales tricks, but it FEELS like it's in the past.

And then brat was mentioned which FELT huge, but it peaked at #3 which isn't much higher than her previous album peaking at #7, and "Apple" only got to #51

 

can't speak for everyone else, but i haven't touched this album in a month, and don't really have a desire to spin it again anytime soon

 

ophelia, father figure, and ruin the friendship are in regular rotation for me. i constantly have actually romantic stuck in my head. medium taylor album.

 

I have no doubt that Taylor thinks of the docuseries as kind of a replacement for touring this time around to satiate the fans.

That is a funny observation about album discussions ending in record time, but the album will be on the charts forever and ever. I gotta guess it’s culture getting bored very quickly by everything and just the vast amount of music that gets shoveled on to streaming that it’s impossible to keep up.

 

Taylor's dominance comes from her ability to capture the interest of the general public/casual music listeners. For people like that, this is like the one big album they are listening to this year where they're engaging with the full album and not just the hit songs. But they're also not people who care enough to come online and discuss it. In that context, it makes sense this feels "dead" but Brat felt like such a big moment.

Obviously the hardcore online Swifties are their own category but they're in their own little bubble anyway.