On Oct. 3, Taylor Swift released her twelfth studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” with mixed reviews from fans. Swifties were split on the album, some took to social media bashing her lyrics and others said it was her best album yet. After listening to the whole album multiple times, I crafted a perfect and extremely biased list of the top five best songs including two honorable mentions.
- The Fate of Ophelia
The first track is definitely the best song on the album. It reminds me a lot of her breakout pop album “1989.” The song follows the character Ophelia from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” who went mad and drowned. In her song, Swift says that she is saved from Ophelia’s fate by love, hinting to her fiancé Travis Kelce. Swift also made a music video to the song, fans saying it was her best yet. During the line “pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes,” Swift is seen catching a football, another implication to Kelce.
- Opalite
This song was another one of my favorites because of the energetic rhythm and lyrics. This was another song directed at Kelce, with his birthstone being an opal. When I saw the promotions for the album, I really wanted and expected it to be like “1989” or a similar pop album. I was surprised when lots of the songs weren’t, which is why I think the songs I tended to like the most were the upbeat and happy ones.
- Elizabeth Taylor
In this song, Swift references legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor by comparing their careers and how they both faced success with lots of judgement in the public eye. Swift asks Elizabeth Taylor multiple times throughout the song, “Do you think it’s forever?” This lyric is an implication to Swift’s fame and success and also her relationship with Kelce.
- Father Figure
This song is hated by some fans and loved by others. Certain lyrics in this song some find to be a disappointment compared to previous songs such as “All Too Well” or any “Folklore” song that have been famously recognized for their lyrics. After my first listen, I disliked this song because of certain lyrics that I thought were cringey and didn’t sound like work she had done before. Once I got past this, I really liked the song, especially the bridge. Certain lyrics such as, “Who’s portraits on the mantle? Who covered up your scandals?” or, “This empire belongs to me, leave it with me,” and, “They don’t make loyalty like they used to,” are speculated to be about her former label owner Scott Brochetta who in 2019, sold her masters to Scooter Braun, leaving Swift without the rights to her own albums. Swift bought back her masters in May for $360 million dollars.
- Ruin The Friendship
When Swift first announced her album, I was expecting this song to sound completely different. I thought it would be similar to “Wood,” another song on the album. This song is about a past friendship that Swift wished was more. In the song, Swift revealed that she wished they had become more than friends and regretted it when she heard of his death. I really enjoyed this song because of its emotional tribute to something that could’ve been.
H.M. Honey
Once again, I really liked this song because it was upbeat and fun. In this song, Swift says she doesn’t like when people call her “sweetheart” or “lovely” because they are usually saying these things in ways that sound passive aggressive or like backhanded compliments. She goes on to say that there’s someone that she doesn’t mind when he calls her things such as, “Honey” because he says it “like you’re in awe of me.” This song is another speculated to be about Swift’s fiancé.
H.M. The Life of a Showgirl feat. Sabrina Carpenter
Swift and Carpenter sound great together in this song. The song starts off with the two women singing about how being showgirls is a difficult life with lyrics such as, “the more you play, the more that you pay.” Towards the end of the song, Swift and Carpenter change their opinions on being showgirls, showing their love for their jobs, “sequins are forever, and now I know the life of a showgirl, babe, wouldn’t have it any other way.” This is the first collaboration the pair have done, after Swift brought Carpenter out as a surprise guest at one of her Eras Tour concerts.
