On Oct. 3, Taylor Swift released her twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, which broke the modern-era record for most albums sold in a week in the U.S., selling more than 3.4 million units.
We decided to rate our four favorite and least favorite songs on the album. First, these are our four favorite songs.
1. “Ruin the Friendship” — (8.7/10)
In “Ruin the Friendship,” my favorite song on the album, the lyrics grapple with Swift’s grief over the death of her high school crush, while the song maintains a contrasting and playful melody that evokes the innocence of adolescence. In another song on the album, “Wi$h Li$t,” it is clear that Swift now has stable love in her life, which makes revisiting earlier pain more touching. It’s beautiful for Swift to include “Ruin the Friendship” on The Life of a Showgirl because it displays her willingness to reflect on her journey to fame. The simple lyrics fit into the song’s youthful theme, and I enjoyed the melody. — Brett Carter
2. “The Fate of Ophelia” — (8.3/10)
The album starts off with a catchy and emotional song, “The Fate of Ophelia.” Referencing Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Swift sings, “You dug me out of my grave and / Saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia.” In Hamlet, Ophelia goes mad and drowns. However, Swift reimagines the tale as one of redemption and celebrates the relationship that saved her from her previously rocky love life, with Swift in the role of Ophelia. I enjoy Swift’s reclamation of Ophelia to exhibit herself as in control of her life, establishing that she will no longer allow her relationships to define her as a person. The fun and catchy beat makes up for the simple lyrics. — Brett Carter
3. “Wi$H Li$t” — (7.6/10)
“Wi$h Li$t” captures Swift’s anxiety about the impermanence of fame, while she also imagines the peace that leaving fame behind could provide. Lyrics such as “I just want you” indicate that Swift has found a relationship strong enough to fill the void of her imagined lost fame. The song touches on Swift’s desire for a family through the lyric, “Have a couple kids, got the whole block lookin’ like you.” This song is a cute and fun love song, and the joyful synth-pop beat maintains the brightness of the track. — Brett Carter
4. “Opalite” — (7.4/10)
“Opalite” is a classic Taylor Swift pop record chalk full of Easter eggs. Swift sings about finding happiness after a past heartbreak through lyrics like “You had to make your own sunshine, / But now the sky is Opalite.” Opalite is a light blue gemstone. Her fiancé Travis Kelce’s birthstone is Opal. The fact that Opalite is a man-made gem is a clever way to show that Swift is creating the narrative of her love life. My favorite part of the song is its instrumentation; an electric guitar doubles the melody under the choruses, and the layered synths add a shimmering quality to the track. The song is a bright spot on the album, but it repeats the 1989 pop-hit formula in a way that leaves me wanting more. — Alex Hughes
Here are our four least favorite songs.
1. “CANCELLED!” — (1.2/10)
Swift’s attempt to engage with cancel culture falls flat in every aspect of “CANCELLED!” My least favorite lyrics are “Did you girl-boss too close to the sun?” The buzzword “girl-boss” ages Swift instantly and feels unnatural from an artist whose last album, THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT, was a deeply introspective, narrative record. The lyrics and the message in “CANCELLED!” feel especially shallow when you compare them to tracks on Swift’s Reputation. That album dealt with similar themes of being scrutinized by the media but did so in a way that didn’t come across as cringe-worthy or narcissistic. — Alex Hughes
2. “Father Figure” — (3.2/10)
This track uses a structure common in Swift’s songs such as “Love Story” and “Getaway Car.” During the third chorus, the majority of the instruments cut out, leaving just Swift’s vocals, a muted guitar and a faint keyboard. After a quick buildup, the song changes keys, and the instruments come back in. The key change is annoyingly predictable, and it feels like a cheap trick to feign movement. Everything from the production to the lyrics feels so repetitive. Swift comes off as an entitled billionaire bragging about how rich and powerful she is with lyrics such as “I was your father figure” and “This empire belongs to me.” — Alex Hughes
3. “Actually Romantic” — (4.6/10)
Structurally, this track is a nice subversion of Swift’s usual formula. I love the call and response during the bridge with the lyrics “You think I’m tacky baby, / Stop talking dirty to me.” However, the lyrics themselves don’t provide much substance or contain a lot of nuance. Swift sings about a one-sided adversarial relationship with an obsessive critic. It is difficult to digest a song full of petty jabs with lyrics such as “I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’” and name-calling with the lyric, “like a toy chihuahua barking at me.” — Alex Hughes
4. “Eldest Daughter” — (5/10)
The fifth tracks on Swift’s albums are notorious for being emotional (ie. “ All Too Well” and “my tears ricochet”), but I’m sad to say that “Eldest Daughter” does not measure up to the others. Phrases such as “I’m not a bad bitch / And this isn’t savage” come across as off-putting, breaking the spell of an otherwise enjoyable song. The title suggests that the song will capture the experience of eldest daughters, but the lyrics are too frenetic to home in on the essence of the experience. While the bridge stands out, offering a glimpse of lyrical precision, I find the rest of the song to be underwhelming. — Brett Carter
We find The Life of a Showgirl to be mediocre. While we enjoyed the production of the songs, the album, in general, felt like a lyrical downgrade from Swift’s previous works.
Alex’s overall rating: 4.2/10
Brett’s overall rating: 6.1/10