Taylor Swift - The Life of a Showgirl (October 3, 2025) • Page 75

I'm not qualified to speak on this since I haven't really enjoyed one of her records since 1989, but man this is pretty bad. Gave it an honest chance and I just don't get it.

 

more proof she's an out of touch billionaire

 

I was gonna move on from this after my third listen yesterday, accepting that I’m just not on the Taylor Swift path anymore (at least for now). Given how into her work I’ve been, for how many years, though, I decided I should listen again. Especially since, unlike that last gigantic blob of largely anonymous-feeling tracks, this is one I can develop thoughts for.

Someone will probably say I’m being insincere or hyperbolic or whatever, but I genuinely have such negative thoughts on this that it’s making me call my past fandom into question, lol.

It’s not that there are no songs on here I could enjoy if dropped as a single before the exhaustion of the past few years. But, a solid half of this is so frustrating and embarrassing to me from a songwriting perspective that I don’t want to associate with any of this project. It sucks! I’m sorry, but it really sucks.

Alas.

 

No credits other than her max and shellback

 

He thought it was related at least



And for what it's worth I think artists should be able to reference and pay homage to other songs but I'm just bitter about the Olivia situation when Taylor has several songs that have the same "issue" as Olivia's

 

Well, the capitalist content queen has released more content for me to consume that overall sounds mostly just like the content that preceded it. Went in expecting the promised pop bangers, but the downbeat pop vibe is hard to distinguish. There’s nothing to dislike here, it’s just standard inoffensive post-pandemic Swift music. At least it’s not three hours long or whatever.

Definitely liked the first few tracks, but the album title / theme doesn’t match the atmosphere and this feels so safe and ultimately uninspiring. Not what I expected at all.

So much talent, but feel it’s given way to churning out music without thought, just to break records and make more money.

And four listens in it really isn’t bad, I just feel like I’ve heard it a million times before from her.

 

I liked the first three tracks even though they were a lot more subdued than I was expecting, and I also liked the last two tracks, particularly the closer / title track, but 7 whiffs in a row on a short / concise / normal length album is kinda rough

 

I remember him talking about the swifties coming after him lol. In another dimension she covers I Saw and he covers All Too Well.

I also remember Frank Turner has his story with her where his label told him she could do the vocals on Silent Key (from my favorite album of his) but he refused and then went on to speak fondly of her as an artist and covered one of her songs.

 

Laughed at this

 

I think there was also an instance with Taylor and Hillary Duff's song "Breathe In. Breathe Out." as well but it's been a while so I don't remember the exact details.

 

Matt regularly talks about this on tour and it is genuinely hilarious:

 

Also apparently “Actually Romantic” sounds like the Pixies song “Where Is My Mind” but I haven’t heard the Pixies song. I was wondering why I kept seeing their name pop up around Showgirl discussion.

 

Everyone gave me shit one time a few years ago when I said I heard Nelly’s Like a Bird for the first time but imo that is far more shocking!

 

You haven't heard Where Is My Mind???

 

Wait okay I am listening now and I have heard this song before. I guess I just didn’t know the name or who it was by haha.

 

I thought Actually Romantic sounded like a Weezer song a little bit.

 

I wanted to give this album another shot but for all the cringey lyrics, the oversimplification/misunderstanding of Hamlet on track one is tough to get past

 

I think the worst moment has to be the making me wet part, from the lyric itself to how she says it and the music with it, it's hard to find a worse moment on this album

 

Big fan of your critiques being specifically from a literary perspective.

 

she also didn't know that Romeo and Juliet and The Scarlett Letter were separate stories

 

He’s the best. Saw him live once and it was pretty much a comedy show in between each song.

 

went to the movieish thing with my wife and kids and her intro for Actually Romantic really just comes across as

 

heard the clean version changes it to making me sweat

 

He's so funny. One of my favorite live performers, and definitely my favorite guy to interview.

 

I’ve been saying this for years, but I just want a rock album from Taylor. Loved folklore and evermore though. Best albums for me since Red. Everything else post evermore has been largely meh.

Absolutely wild that you get two of the best producers and come out with this snoozefest. I was pretty stoked for this one as well.