Taylor Swift - The Life of a Showgirl (October 3, 2025) • Page 80

I’ve been toying with a longer writing piece/review, but I think I’ve really landed on the fact this album is retreading Reputation. It’s a complete and utter aesthetic and motif failure, but it might actually be a pretty good album about falling in love instead.

 

I thought it was interesting how Nora and Nathan, as well as the NYT Popcast hosts, all heard this as a sort of “ride off into the sunset”/end of an era album for her. With how prolific she’s been for the past 6-7 years now, I’m not sure if I buy into that read, but it will be interesting to see whether she actually steps away for a bit after this one.

 

I don't know if she knows how to, she's constantly in the studio and constantly writing, she is sitting on hundreds of songs

 

If she were to take a break, I feel like it wouldn’t be until after her 13th album

 

Tbh I feel this too and is partly why I haven't really formed fully fleshed out opinions on her last few albums. Altho it's part the big discourse around every release and partly the large volume of songs she's released recently sort of blending together. It took me like four years to realize I like reputation. It took a while to push past her off-putting visuals and marketing around it being a kimye revenge album when it was really about finding love during a vulnerable time.

 

The release party screenings made $33 million over the weekend. Gotta assume with The Smashing Machine not being a draw, theaters were happy about that.

 

A couple listens in and I think I really like the opening three songs, Ruin the Friendship, and Showgirl. Still feeling a bit iffy on the middle section, whether it be entire songs or individual sore spots on a couple tracks.

 

The first third of Wood, until the first (ah!)notized me, has SUCH promise considering what the song moves on to do. There’s such more personality and fun in that conceit.

 

The music video is great!

 

If Charli is smart, she’s writing and releasing a diss track in the next four weeks

 

Looking at my social media accounts I feel like doing nothing wins this going away. I don’t see anything positive posted about the album, only memes and people dunking on it.

 

Skill issue

 

End of the weekend, this is sitting above TTPD and Midnights for me. Below Lover. Lot of bad stuff, fortunately shorter and less super boring stuff than those two. Opalite, Wood, first track, title track and Honey are highlights. Ruin the Friendship and the Charli diss (sonically at least, even if it is just an Olivia knockoff) are solid tracks too. Elizabeth Taylor reminds me of the annoying parts of Reputation. Father Figure stinks. Eldest Daughter has embarrassing lyrics. Cancelled stinks. Wish List is…I can’t remember that one

 

Sure the crowd is on her side (which only helps!) but us more about the ability to be heard by a broader audience. As big as brat summer seemed, outside the big collab singles it didn’t actually stream that widely in the mainstream.

 

I mean streams for Sympathy have skyrocketed the last few days and she is in multiple movies coming up, with her own music in one as well so I don’t think she is playing it wrong to not respond, be unbothered and use this to post about Palestine like she has

 

“Ruin the Friendship” is my favorite song on this

 

storytelling mode is her best mode

 

Listened to the album on Friday and again at the movie theater today. I’m not much of a Taylor listener but my wife is a massive fan so I kept the listening to a minimum because I know the album will fill a lot of time in the car.

On my first listen the only track that remotely popped for me was Opalite but after the theater experience I vibe with the first 3 and Honey. The Ophelia video is super fun and the thought process behind it is pretty rad.

 

And it was nottt
Con. ven yaaant
But I whispered at the grave
Should have kissed you anyway




SO GOOD

 

Damn yea, should have listened to you all saying my 6.9 guess was high

 

Also I know this is a drop in the bucket and doesn't ultimately mean much but I'm at a cousin's wedding and two of my cousins who are die hard Swifties do not like the album, they like the first 3 songs and then nothing really after which sort of surprised me

 

Great video for The Fate of Ophelia, one of her best.