On October 3, Taylor Swift released her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. Overall, this album has received mixed, but mostly positive reviews. The Swifties have stayed loyal to Taylor and say this is her best album yet, even though it is a different vibe from her last few albums.
The Life of a Showgirl is very upbeat and happy, unlike The Tortured Poets Department and Folklore, which have a sadder vibe to the songs. However, haters are gonna hate. Many people say the lyricism in this album sounds more millennial than in previous albums. For example, in her song, “Eldest Daughter”, one of her lyrics says, “Every joke’s just trolling and memes, sad as it seems, apathy is hot.” This lyric is much simpler than her lyrics from The Tortured Poets Department.
However, her previous albums have received hate for her lyrics being too complicated. Taylor Swift has started a new era of music, and she is unbothered by the hate. She said in an interview with Zane Lowe, “The rule of show business is, if it’s the first week of my album release, and you are saying either my name or my album title, you’re helping.” So, despite all the hate, The Life of a Showgirl is very popular and has received a lot of attention.
Along with the lyricism, several listeners say the songs on this album sound similar to other songs from different artists. The title track, “The Life of a Showgirl”, sounds very similar to the Jonas Brothers’ song, “Cool”. “Wood” also has a similar beat to” I Want You Back” by The Jackson 5. Swift has been accused of copying other artists’ songs. However, nowadays, it is very difficult to write a pop song that does not sound similar to another song. Olivia Rodrigo was accused of copying Taylor Swift’s song, “Cruel Summer”, with her song, “Deja Vu”. Nonetheless, all of the tracks sound amazing and are a creative work of art.
Several students and faculty at ACAD enjoy The Life of a Showgirl. Campbell Ann Harrison ‘29 said, “My favorite song is ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ because it reminds me of the Eras tour. I loved the album, and I think that it’s especially made for Swifties. It definitely deserves an award.”
A faculty member, Brian Olson said, “It is a happy album and has lots of positive energy. As with every Taylor Swift album, the more you listen to it, the better it gets.” Overall, this Taylor Swift album is a huge success, and has broken several records, such as having the most pre-saves in Spotify history, the first artist and album to have all 12 tracks on the top 12 spots on the Billboard 100, having the most vinyl sales (1.3 million), and so much more.
