Album review: Taylor Swift-“The Life of a Showgirl”

Taylor Swift dropped her 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl, on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. Swift’s successful Era’s Tour sparked the idea to re-collaborate with former songwriters, Shellback and Max Martin. During Swift’s European leg. on the Era’s Tour, she flew back and forth from Sweden to make the album with Shellback and Martin. 

I believe that, The Life of a Showgirl, is one of Swift’s best albums. Recently getting engaged to Kansas City Chief’s Tight End, Travis Kelce, Swift highlights her new relationship, talks about her past, and shows all of us how relatable she can be with her audience. Swift’s creative, witty, and fun personality is definitely highlighted in this album. 

The first song on the album is, “The Fate of Ophelia.” This song was inspired by a character in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Ophelia. “The Fate of Ophelia” is a simple telling of Ophelia’s fate. In a Hits Radio interview, Swift said, “I have this fixation on Shakespeare characters that I love and I can’t stand to see them meet a tragic demise.” Swift changed Ophelia’s fate and it is definitely felt throughout this song. 

Song two on the album is, “Elizabeth Taylor.” When this album came out, many people were confused about who Elizabeth Taylor was. Taylor was an American Actress known for her roles in “Butterfield 8,” “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,” and most notably her role in “Cleopatra.” This song is notably about Taylor’s famous career and love life. 

The next song is, “Opalite.” This is personally one of my favorite songs on the whole album. Not only is it fun and upbeat, but it truly just puts you in a good mood whenever it is on. Swift’s favorite gemstone is an opal, so it’s only fair that she wrote a song called, “Opalite.” Plus, Swift’s fiance’s birthstone is an opal. On “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon,” Swift went on to explain, “Just like they can do man-made diamonds, they can do human-made opal,” Swift said. “It was interesting imagery and a cool metaphor for: Life isn’t always going to give you what you want, you’re not always going to get your way, you’re going to get your heart broken, things are going to happen to you, chaos will ensue – but you have to pick your own happiness. You choose it. It doesn’t always choose you. It doesn’t always show up knocking on your door. You have to sometimes make your own happiness.” 

The fourth song is, “Father Figure.” Swift paid homage to the late music legend, George Michael, in this hit. According to the article, “Taylor Swift’s ‘Father Figure’ Lyrics Reimagine George Michael’s Classic With a Sinister Twist,” by Gina Vivinetto states, “Swift sings her version from the perspective of someone in the music industry, possibly a mentor or an executive, who is allegedly taking care of his ‘protégé,’ demanding only ‘loyalty’ in return.” I think that this is derived from the lyrics, “The winding roads lead to the château / ‘You remind me of a younger me’ / I saw potential / I’ll be your father figure.” 

The fifth song is, “Eldest Daughter.” As the youngest daughter, I couldn’t relate much to this song, but my older sister definitely related to these lyrics. The eldest daughter of every family is expected to “hold the weight,” fix the problems, and know everything. That can be a lot of pressure. Swift being the oldest sibling herself shared her experiences being the oldest sibling through this song. 

Song six on the album is, “Ruin the Friendship.” This is arguably the saddest and most heartfelt song on this album. This song is about a personal romantic regret that Swift has had since she was in high school. Through the song we can listen to her sing about wishing that she would have kissed a friend that later passed away. Swift sings in the chorus, “And it was not an invitation/ should’ve kissed you anyway.” We can also learn that Swift’s long time best friend, Abigail Anderson, was the one to call to tell her of the passing. Swift sings, “When I left school, I lost track of you / Abigail called me with the bad news / Goodbye, and we’ll never know why.” This song will definitely have you in your feels. 

The seventh song is, “Actually Romantic.” Swifties caught on early to what this song actually meant. Many of Swift’s fans believe that this song was inspired by her “tiff” with singer Charli xcx. Swift used to be in a relationship with Matt Healy from the band the 1975. Charli xcx is married to the 1975 drummer, George Daniel. Many believe that Charli dissed Swift about her relationship with Healy, and this is Swift’s “revenge” on her comments. 

The eighth song on the album is, “Wi$h Li$t.” This song is an ode to what Swift has dreamed of happening in her life. I think that this song is about her and Kelce’s relationship. She finally is getting exactly what she has been waiting for, happily ever after. Many people believe that she wants a yacht, a mansion, etc., when in reality she talks about just wanting to be with the person she loves most. Swift sings, “And they should have what they want / they deserve what they want/ hope they get what they want/ I just want you.” 

The ninth song on the album is, “Wood.” This is arguably one of Swift’s most scandalous songs that she has ever written. Personally, I don’t think that you can listen to this song without blushing. This is also one of the most explicit songs on the album as well. Since this is a college newspaper… I’ll just give you the go ahead to listen to the song for yourself. 

Song #10 on the album is, “CANCELED!” This song is simply about canceling culture and hatred through misogyny. These are both things that Swift has stood against and spoke out about for a number of years. She sings about how her friends have had to go through the same things, and they are the ones who have always stuck by her. 

Song #11 on the album is, “Honey.” This song is about Swift’s new love for an old pet name. Ever since falling in love with Kelce, he lovingly calls her, “Honey.” This song talks about how she found her love for this name, and how she has changed her perspective on it. While her other songs about Kelce might be scandalous, this one is just loving and playful. 

Lastly, song #12 is, “The Life of a Showgirl (feat. Sabrina Carpenter).” Pairing up with Carpenter for this song was probably one of the most iconic things that Swift has ever done. This song talks about how they have navigated life living through the spotlight. Swift told Jimmy Fallon, “I had been writing this album around the themes of show business and a public life – because honestly we all have a public life now. We are mandating our social media and social circles and gossip.” 

“The Life of a Showgirl,” was truly one of the best albums that I have listened to in a while. Swift’s lucky number is 13. I am excited to see what she will accomplish with her next album which will be her 13th.