This Swiftie Is Not Impressed By The Lyricism in ‘The Life Of A Showgirl’

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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at BU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

It’s pretty hard to know what to follow up with after such a successful, record-breaking world tour like Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.

The global popstar has made a booming impact on the music industry since her country days in 2006. Since then, Swift has dabbled in genres from folk-alternative to pop. Fans excitedly conspired about the album to follow up The Tortured Poets Department, which was announced in 2024 and had a record of 380 million streams on Spotify in one day. It’s safe to say I was ecstatic about what would come after such a deeply emotional, thoughtful, and poetic album.

When Swift announced The Life of a Showgirl as her 12th album, I eagerly anticipated listening to her new songs. Swift told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, “This one [The Life of a Showgirl] was like, showgirls are mischievous, fun, scandalous, sexy, fun, flirty, hilarious.” Although after listening to the album, I agree that those words definitely fit the vibe. But, I have to say, I was disappointed by the lyrics in some of her new songs.

You see, I’m a lover of all Taylor’s music, ranging from Speak Now to Midnights. I think she can do all genres well; she has a killer way with words and a sense of artistic license in the music world that continues to stun her fans time after time. But this time around, I found myself a little surprised by some of the word choices in The Life of a Showgirl.

The album may be fun, but I didn’t realize fun had to equal thoughtless, and frankly, a little trashy. On the 10th track, “CANCELLED!” for example, the lyric, “Did you girl-boss too close to the sun?” just screams millennial. It’s not a thoughtful song in the slightest. She then goes on to sing, “I like ‘em cloaked in Gucci and in scandal,” which I just find a little tacky and not very relatable. 

And don’t get me wrong, this has nothing to do with Taylor writing sad versus happy music. Some of Taylor’s most joyful songs, like “So High School” and “Daylight,” have some of her best lyrics; “Truth, dare, spin bottles, / you know how to ball, I know Aristotle” is an example of Swift using playfulness in her lyrics successfully. She incorporates literary references, which just makes her work feel more authentic, rather than the try-hard references of The Life of a Showgirl.

I think the artist can write upbeat music with good lyrics, but unfortunately, I just wasn’t impressed by it in this album. It’s not that her music has to be sad to be meaningful, but if she’s going to write these cheerful, carefree songs, I still expect the lyricism to have good meaning behind it.

Swift has also received backlash because her songs sound oddly similar to other pop hits by other artists. The Hindustan Times writes that an Instagram user found that the title track, “The Life of a Showgirl,” resembled “Cool” by the Jonas Brothers. This wasn’t just the only example; other critics argue that the song “Wood” is clearly copying the Jackson Five’s theme song. This might be a subjective take, but there’s no doubt she’s being critiqued for the undeniable similarities of the beats of some of her songs. 

On a more positive note, the first track of the album, “The Fate of Ophelia,” has been on repeat for me over the past week. It’s a song that feels meaningful, full of heart, and a little bit whimsical; “Late one night, you dug me out of my grave and / Saved my heart from the fate of / Ophelia… Keep it one hundred / On the land, the sea, the sky, / Pledge allegiance to your hands / Your team, your vibes…” The song can make you feel full of love and energy while also being emotional and heartfelt. It’s the perfect balance and an excellent starter track for the album. 

Overall, The Life of a Showgirl wasn’t my favorite album. But I’ll always appreciate Swift’s ability to try new things and experiment with her music in new phases of her life. Speaking of new phases, congratulations are in order for the popstar princess and her football fiancé, Travis Kelce, as they’ve announced their engagement. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes next for Swift, in the music world and in her own life, too. 

Until next time (or until a new album is released)…

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