Taylor Swift - The Life of a Showgirl (October 3, 2025) • Page 81

I find it interesting that the first three songs seem to be the consensus safe haven on this album, because “Elizabeth Taylor” is definitely in my bottom 3.

 

Ann Powers with some nice writing

On 'The Life of a Showgirl,' Taylor Swift feels love's glow and the spotlight's glare

 

The songs I’d have cut are “CANCELLED!”and “Elizabeth Taylor”, which hew closest to the way she described the album narrative but don’t actually offer much insight on what’s happening behind the scenes in her life. If pushed for another, it’s probably “Eldest Daughter”. Which probably means I’m not primed to love the Reputation vault tracks whenever they do surface.

I thought she made the wrong choice on lead single but then that “the land, the sea, the sky” phrasing was stuck in my head all night.

 

I actually really like “Eldest Daughter.” I think it’s lyrically a lil shoddy (I don’t know how the first verse fits with the rest of it) but I love love love that second verse.

 

I wonder if it’s more that people are just bored after the first three songs.

 

i think Elizabeth Taylor’s chorus is really catchy. it has popped up in my head a couple times when i’m not listening to the album

 

“Be my NY when Hollywood hates me, you’re only as hot as your last hit, baby” has literally been stuck in my head all weekend.

“Ruin the Friendship” is the best song here, but “Elizabeth Taylor” is far away my favorite. Scratches that Rep itch so good. And, as just pointed out, I can charitably attune it to the theme, haha.

 

Bless you

 

I feel like that song is about shedding her own veil of coldness and apathy to return to a state of hopeful romanticism that may seem a little corny to some but is more authentic to who she is. The first verse, I guess, sets up part of why she became that way in the first place, as she was trying to be cool for other people.

I also like the allusion to White Horse because that song is her coming to terms with the fact that life isn't a fairytale and things won't necessarily have a happy ending, whereas this song is her doing the opposite and trying to believe it's still possible.

But yeah, I love that song. The way the guitar comes in on the second verse and the song gets brighter musically as it becomes more positive and hopeful lyrically is really great. The bridge is one of my favourite parts on the album.

 

“Eldest Daughter” is one of the key songs I’d point to for how bad I think the songwriting is on much of this, lol.

It’s just such a clunky bit of modern internet shit delivered earnestly. Which, like… I think there’s a way an artist could make that work without it feeling dissonant or anachronistic or whatever? I’ve definitely heard songs that are emotionally vulnerable while referencing online shit. But, I hear Taylor’s voice over this ballady track talking about mean people online, and not being “a bad bitch” or “savage,” and it makes me, well. “Cringe.”

 

I think that's the right read, but I just think it's a little narratively confused when you put it together with the later verse and the bridge, which are more directly tied to the eldest daughter concept. The first verse and the bridge are more linked into the steely costume she put on for Reputation and acknowledging that she's not that...which, we all knew that Taylor! It's a song I feel could have used another pass, lyrically, even though I do like most of what's there.

 

Did not like the p4k review

 

Listening to this again because I apparently can’t quit this shit. Don’t remember the last time I disliked an album like this, in a way that makes me want to revisit and pick at what makes it bad, and what it says about who made it.

Anyways, the second verse of “Opalite” is a more effective comment on being an online person than any of the bad writing on “Eldest Daughter.” Instead of trite comments about “memes” in a way that make cliche youth pastor relevance seem meaningful in contrast, it casually works in a reference to being on a phone that feels honest and human.

Oh, and to the “first 3 songs” talk… “Fate of Ophelia” is bad to me. The other two are almost certainly in this album’s 4-5 best tracks, but that one feels so uninspired. And, not just in a “repeat the formula” way; she regularly sounds like she got bored halfway through the line. “Actually Romantic,” divorced from the petty narcissistic feuds, feels similarly half-assed.

 

This made me lol, reading the last line as Mona Lisa Sapperstein.

 

Ruin the Friendship and Wood are my two favorites.
Eldest Daughter and Cancelled are my two least favorites.

I honestly can't even tell you how Eldest Daughter goes. Once that "everyone's so punk on the internet" line comes in I have to change the song out of pure embarrassment.

 

Ophelia reminds me of a 1989 bonus track. Like, you could probably tweak the recipe on New Romantics a bit to make it an album opener a la Ophelia. They both have a national anthem line too!

 

I'm with you... this rollout gave me Taylor fatigue BAD.

 

Uhh oh she's trying to create a tiktok trend/dance

 

mentally, I'm still here...

 

Christ this is cringey.

 

it's already gonna go #1 on the hot 100, no need to try to solidify it further with a shitty TikTok dance

 

It’s far from the worst track on here but I can’t get over the title track. The fact that Taylor, Shellback, Martin, and Sabrina Carpenter all united to do some stomp clap bullshit in 2025 is unreal.

 

i think the title track works as a closer. yeah, it’s stomp clap, but i think it works if you want to end the album with a mid tempo song

 

It's been bugging me, but I just realized the title track reminds me a bit of the instrumentation of "Halo"