Taylor Swift’s new album, “The Life of a Showgirl”, is a wonderfully blended album that offers a mix of upbeat pop and emotional tracks, exploring life both in and out of the spotlight. Even with only 12 tracks on the album, it still shows off Swift’s ability to evolve and grow as a songwriter. Here’s my track-by-track review of the album. 

The Fate of Ophelia- 

This is Swift’s first track on the album, and I honestly really enjoy this track. I think it effectively combines old Shakespearean history with newer terminology, and the chorus is very catchy. I also like the music video a lot, and I think it’s super fun and creative. 

Elizabeth Taylor- 

This is the second track on the album, and I would say this track is pretty good. It’s not one of my favorites, but I have nothing bad to say about it. I think it hints really well at what the showgirl Elizabeth Taylor went through in her life, while also paralleling Swift’s own life. 

Opalite- 

Now this track is one of my favorites on the album. It’s in my top three, and for a good reason. It’s upbeat and fun, and I feel like I could dance around to it all day. I think it talks about a really good message, saying that the sky is now “opalite,” and she is in a really happy stage of her life. I also think it connects with her previous song, “Maroon,” her second track on her tenth album, “Midnights”, when she says in the song that she “looked up, at the sky and it was Maroon.” and now she’s saying that the sky is “opalite”. 

Father Figure- 

This track is nothing like what I expected it to be, and I love it. It’s Swift’s fourth track, and I enjoy this song a lot. I think it’s mainly about her relationship with Scooter Braun and the record company Big Machine. The song mentions someone being Swift’s “father figure” and that “this empire belongs to me,” clearly hinting at Scooter Braun and her six previous albums that she had to re-record because of ownership and legal issues. (She eventually regained ownership of those six albums in 2025) 

Eldest Daughter- 

I’m not going to lie, this song is probably my favorite on this album. I fear it hits a bit too close to home, especially with me being the eldest daughter, and I love this song a lot. This is her fifth track on the album, and she is notorious for having her fifth tracks be sad, and that is an understatement. This song has a melancholy feel to it, with a lot of piano, especially in the chorus. She has some pretty devastating lyrics in this song, one of them being “every eldest daughter was the first lamb to the slaughter”. Needless to say, I love this song, and it’s one of my favorites of hers. 

Ruin The Friendship- 

This song really catches you off guard, and not in a good way. (I still love this song though) When I first listened to this song, I thought it was just a cute song about a childhood crush, but I was very wrong. In reality, this song is about Swift’s friend from high school, Jeff Lang, who unfortunately passed away in 2010. The bridge in this song really shifts what the song is about, especially with the line “But I whispered at the grave, should’ve kissed you anyway.” So I think this song is really about Swift’s bitter regret about not “ruining the friendship” and her advice to the younger generation to do what she could not. 

Actually Romantic- 

This song is also not what I expected at all. I honestly expected it to be a love song directed at her fiancé, Travis Kelce, but I actually think it’s about her complicated relationship with pop star Charli XCX. Swift has never openly disclosed that the song is about her, but she has never denied it either. I mean, some of these lyrics are pretty explicit, and I think a lot of them are clearly directed towards her, but it might be just me. 

Wi$h Li$t- 

This is Swift’s eighth song on the album, and I like it, but I don’t think it’s anything special. Compared to some of her other songs on this album, I would put it lower on my list than I thought I would before listening to the album for the first time. It’s pretty clear it’s about her fiancé, Travis Kelce, with lines like “Have a couple kids got the whole block looking like you,” and “Boss up, settle down, got a wish list I just want you.” 

Wood- 

This song, I feel, is similar to Wi$h Li$t. I think it’s okay, but again, nothing special. It hints heavily towards superstition, with lyrics like “Penny’s unlucky, I took him back and then, stepped on a crack, and the black cat laughed,” and even her saying “Seems to be that you and me make our own luck, a bad sign, is all good, I ain’t got to knock on wood.” Now, when she says knock on wood, a knocking sound plays twice, matching the rhythm of the beat, which is weird because usually you knock on wood three times. I think she’s actually hinting at maybe a second music album, but that’s just one of my predictions. 

CANCELLED!- 

This song totally belongs on “Reputation”, and I’m here for it. I like this song a lot, and I think it’s a bit underrated. I also think that this song definitely hints at her friendship with actress Blake Lively, especially when she says, “Good thing I like my friends canceled, I like them cloaked in Gucci and in scandal.” I also think that there’s some easter egg in the title, with the word canceled being spelled with two l’s, which is used in the UK. 

Honey- 

This is another one of my favorites on the album, and heavily underrated. This song is the 11 track on the album, with a super catchy chorus. I think it’s a cute love song about Travis Kelce, with lyrics like “You can call me honey if you want.” 

The Life of a Showgirl (feat. Sabrina Carpenter)- 

This is the last and final track on this album, and I think it is a great way to wrap up the album. It talks a lot about Swift wanting to be a showgirl, and being told by this showgirl, Kitty, about the downfall of being a showgirl. I also really like Carpenter’s parts in this song; I think she does a really good job of not outshining Swift. I also love the ending of the song with clips from the Eras Tour being in it; I think it was a great way to end the song. 

I think this album really showed Swift at her most bold yet playful, and I really love this album. Each track is different from each other, and they all bring different things to the table. It’s clear she’s having fun- and taking us all along for the ride.