The Life of a Showgirl: Swiftie and Regular Fan Review

On October 3, Taylor Swift released her 12 studio album,  The Life of a Showgirl, composed of 12 beautifully written songs. There have been mixed reviews about the album, but what do two fans, one a Swiftie and one a regular fan, think of this album? 

The Fate of Ophelia 

"The Fate of Ophelia" is the first track on the album and is the only song that features a music video as of now, which premiered at the release party for "The Life of a Showgirl." The song is all about finding a man who loves you and won’t cause you to fall into Ophelia’s fate. Ophelia is a Shakespearean character from Hamlet who went mad after Hamlet killed her father and ended up drowning herself due to her endless guilt.

Swiftie: Three words: Oh My Gosh! When I first listened to this at midnight on October 3, I was in love! This song is so unbelievably catchy, and the lyrics are unreal! Additionally, the music video is excellent! We got to see how she created the video, so it was so special to me. 5 stars!

Regular Fan: Personally, as a Shakespeare enthusiast, I love any song that is inspired by his works. It took me a minute to realize it was, but I did very much enjoy it. The beat is catchy, and I find it to be a great way to open an album. 4 stars 

Elizabeth Taylor

In this tune, Taylor expresses the public’s opinion on her relationships now and then. Elizabeth Taylor, a famous actress during the 60s who was infamous for having “a lot of relationships,” was the name of tune to compare and express that critics and people are the same as they were then about famous relationships. 

Swiftie: The beat to this song is contagious! The chorus, hello? I LOVE how in this song, she talks about her struggles with relationships, and it was a good choice to finally talk about Elizabeth Taylor. 4.5 stars.

Regular Fan: I personally find this to be super duper clever. I knew she could write; that is one of the things I like most about her. Especially compared to someone more to my taste with the oldies movie stars, it made my heart happy. Plus, calling out the haters is something she is good at in songs and always has been. 4 stars 

Opilate 

“Opalite” is a simple song, theme-wise but not lyrically. Taylor always has a way with words. It is essentially about repeatedly going back to an ex because you miss them. 

Swiftie: OH MY GOSH THIS SONG! I am obsessed. Point, blank, and period. The vibes this gives me are crazy, and this is definitely my new favorite dancing song. Also, dare I say, opal may be my new favorite color. 5 stars.

Regular Fan: As this was the first song, other than the Sabrina song I listened to on this album, I really enjoyed it. When I listened, I really didn’t focus on the lyrics; I really enjoyed the beat. 4 stars 

Father Figure 

This track takes us on a journey of betrayal and hurt. We see a man who wants to be a father figure to a young man who shares his desire to be a significant figure in the world. By the end, we see that the young man betrays his father figure, and you can feel the hurt in the older man’s voice.

Swiftie: The bridge in this song makes me feel like such a baddie. Taylor’s lyrics in this song portray this story beautifully. It is definitely different from what I thought the song would be about, but I am in love with this song! 5 stars!

Regular Fan: This song reminds me of “Emails I Can’t Send” by Sabrina Carpenter or “Father Daughter Dance” by Kesha, mainly because of the lyrical content. It is sad to see so many songs about bad relationships with fathers, especially when I have a great one with mine. 3.5 stars 

Eldest Daughter

This beautiful song takes the listeners into the minds of an eldest daughter and her struggle of being the firstborn daughter in the world. 

Swifie: I may not be the eldest daughter in my family, but this song is still so relatable to me. This song is all about growing up and knowing you have to be mature for your family. Also, the melody is so catchy! 4.7 stars.

Regular Fan: The one thing I can relate to is being the firstborn child, as I am the only one. I even got bullied in school and stuff. I never really let that affect me, but this song is definitely relatable. 3.5 stars 

Ruin The Friendship

This song talks about falling in love with your best friend but not wanting to ruin the friendship. We later find out in the song that the boy died, and the girl wishes she had ruined the friendship before it was too late. 

Swiftie: This song is so relatable! I definitely know the feeling of falling in love with your friend and being too scared to say anything. This song has a MAJOR curveball like WHAT? I love how Taylor used Abigail again in this song. The last time she used that name was in her song “Fifteen” from her Fearless Album, and that was also about high school. I will never not think of JJ and Kiara from OuterBanks when I listen to this song. 5 stars!

Regular Fan: This song is very catchy and relatable to many people. It is about falling for a friend and never making a move. This has happened to me one too many times, and I did go for it, and it went south. Although I like that the main point is that you should go for anything in life, no matter what. 4 stars 

Actually Romantic 

The song Actually Romantic is all about someone being so obsessed with you and hating you so much that it ultimately feels like they are in love with you, and you just don’t really care. It is also rumored that this song is a diss track to Charli XCX.   

Swifie: I LOVE it when my girl Taylor gets sassy in her songs. She hardly ever makes those songs anymore. I very much relate to this song. People like to be obsessed with me for no reason. 4.5 stars! 

Regular Fan: As a Charli XCX fan, I was shocked to find the rumor that this was a track about her in a negative way. I never ever heard that they weren’t friends, and I always thought they were, so it was shocking to me. 3.5 stars 

Wi$h Li$t

Our girl Taylor Swift is in love! This song is Taylor’s wish list for what she wants with her fiancé, Travis Kelce. It is a beautiful insight into what she wants her life to be like after finding the love of her life.

Swiftie: Nobody but Swifties will understand the feeling of Taylor finally finding her true love! I have been there through all of her boyfriends, and it hurts my heart to have Taylor be heartbroken so often. This song really portrays how happy she is with Travis, and I love it! 5 stars.

Regular Fan: I remember when Taylor and Travis’ romance was at its biggest spotlight in 2024, as that was when I had my “Swiftie” phase. I was not surprised by this song or that they would get engaged. I always like to listen to real-life love songs, so it’s nice to see another one. 2.5 stars 

Wood

According to Ms. Taylor Swift, her song “Wood” is all about superstitions, like knocking on wood and black cats. Listeners can also tell there is more to this song than just suspicions.   

Swiftie: Taylor Alison Swift, you dirty, dirty girl! That's all I have to say. 5 stars!!!!

Regular Fan: I have a lot to say about this song. I can’t tell if I would be criticizing Taylor or not for saying that I never thought she would write a lyrically sensual song. To be honest, that is why I always liked her, because her lyrics were pretty clean in that sense. It changed my mind a little bit, but the beat is catchy. 2 stars. 

CANCELLED!

The 10th track in this album is about how Swift deals with her friends who have been cancelled. She has been “cancelled” a few times, so she takes it upon herself to help her friends deal with the situation at hand. 

Swifie: My favorite song from this album right here! It feels like a song from Reputation, which is my favorite album by Taylor, by far. It is so catchy, and the lyrics are phenomenal! It is also a sassy song, so it automatically makes me happy. 5.5 stars! 

Regular Fan: I like this song’s visual, especially the one lyric, “Summertime spritz, pink skies,” sounds like it would be a line from her “Lover” album, which is the chosen of hers for me. 3.5 stars 

Honey

“Honey” is about being called pet names in a passive-aggressive and hurtful way, but then, you meet someone who calls you pet names in a loving way and a way that makes your heart warm. 

Swiftie: I think she made this song for me. The number of times I’ve been called honey in a passive-aggressive way should be illegal. This song also has so many amazing lines like I'm OBSESSED. 5 stars!

Regular Fan: This sounds like something she would have released on Lover or 1989, which I particularly heard because I grew up listening to those albums, although I wasn’t obsessed, I have memories with some of them. 3.5 stars

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

With the feature of Sabrina Carpenter, another pop girl like Taylor, they express how fame isn’t cracked up to be, and that people only see them as one thing when they are so much more than that. Usually happens in the industry. Sabrina and Taylor’s relationships have been in the spotlight, and many people see only that. 

Swiftie: I have been waiting for so long for a Taylor and Sabrina collab, and it's finally here and better than I could’ve ever imagined! I also love the fact that their roles in their lives have been reversed. Taylor has always been a role model for Sabrina, but now it's been flipped in this song! 5 stars!

Regular Fan: Personally, I like Sabrina better, and I enjoyed this tune because of how honest it is, and plus, there is something about Sabrina’s unique voice brought to the song. In this song and even her new album, she is obviously emphasizing her voice, not even in a bad way, because she knows she can sing; some people think she can’t, so it’s a kick in the face to her haters. 4.5 stars 

Swiftie’s final rating:

Regular fan’s final rating: