She Did, in Fact, Girlboss Too Close to the Sun
Taylor Swift’s new album cover for The Life of a Showgirl.
Social media has a lot to say about Taylor Swift’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl. But what do students at CCHS think of the recent release? The pattern I’ve noticed is this: we’re disappointed.
What happened to our lyrical genius, the woman who has carefully constructed hundreds of songs with intention, poured all of her emotions into each and every hit, and has managed to remain significant for over fifteen years now? The closest thing to a positive review I’ve heard about this album is that “it’s too overly hated on,” which is not exactly a compliment.
Naturally, everyone seems to agree that the overall vibe is there. Swift integrates her profuse love for her fiance, Travis Kelce, and her endless joy of her new life with him throughout the compilation: Her happiness isn’t the problem. We can all enjoy fun, catchy, let’s just dance our problems away music, and in a way, The Life of a Showgirl does give us that, just not in the way we’d expect from the #1 pop artist in the world. Frankie Kaliszewski, a student at CCHS and fan of Taylor Swift, said, “Obviously yeah, she’s in love, I don’t expect her to write a depressing album. But the lyrics don’t feel as good as they could be.” Later, she added, “It feels so badly written, and considering what she’s done before, I would expect something way better.” The album is generic, insincere, and something you’ll probably hear during your next visit to H&M.
The potential of The Life of a Showgirl was so high. First, the poetic idea revolving around Shakespeare’s Hamlet. If you are not familiar with the tragic play, all you really need to know is Hamlet’s love interest, Ophelia. Her story is one of love and betrayal, which ultimately results in her madness and drowning. The most famous painting of Ophelia, moments before her death, by artist John Evertt Millais, is the very image Swift imitates on the cover of The Life of a Showgirl. And, the very first track on the album, “The Fate of Ophelia,” is about her newfound love rescuing her from, well, the tragic fate of Ophelia. This song and the third track, “Opalite,” are fun, catchy songs that actually match the overall aesthetic of the album, which Swift does get points for.
Honestly, even all of the song titles and the general ideas are good, but they lack depth. As another CCHS sophomore puts it, “the lyrics feel AI generated,” and the messages are confusing. For instance, “Elizabeth Taylor,” (track two), and “Ruin the Friendship,” (track six), are both very vague, almost as if she put a bunch of words together with no real structure. In these songs, she only scratches the surface of what could be lyrically deep and heartfelt music; something Swift usually excels at. “Father Figure,” (track four), “Wi$h Li$t,” (track eight), and “CANCELLED!” (track ten), all give off weird, conflicting messages. The intention is positive, but if you look deeper between the lines, it isn’t. Additionally, it is rumored that Swift dissed Charli XCX on track seven, “Actually Romantic.” If true, this is honestly just a low blow for Swift, calling out a smaller female artist, probably because she felt threatened by her. But where we really lost her were the songs “Eldest Daughter” and “Wood.” Frankie said, “[these songs are] super cringe and, like, millennial.” Further, Swift explores a theme in “Wood” that I cannot go into in a school-based article, but feel free to explore it yourself. In this song, it feels like Swift is attempting to give off the energy Sabrina Carpenter brings, who appears on the last track, “The Life of a Showgirl,” but it just doesn’t fit.
Taylor Swift’s greatest weakness has always been changing herself to fit what she thinks society wants her to be. Although this trait often ends positively, resulting in her twelve unique eras, she might have gone too far this time. Overall, The Life of a Showgirl felt rushed, all over the place, and like Swift lost sight of the reason she makes music: to express herself, not to please others or to make money. As another student puts it, “It’s just not the Taylor we all know and love.”