Taylor Swift is known for being a lyrical genius. One could write essays upon essays about her deep and complex words that compliment her catchy tunes. However, it seems like Swift has taken a different approach when it comes to writing her newest album, “The Life of a Showgirl.”
With Swift’s unmatched popularity and fame from the past three years, some might say that whatever her next big project was would be difficult to surpass her earlier hype. However, few could have predicted just how disappointing her new album would turn out to be.
From the very start of the album, this may not be apparent. “The Fate of Ophelia” feels like a true Taylor Swift song. With a great chorus, it has a catchy beat with decent lyrics, although as an engaged, famous, billionaire the sad, underdog, unpopular, heartbroken girl lyrics don’t make as much sense. This is a theme prevalent in many of the songs in this album – the lyrics are about things that either don’t apply to her or that no one cares that much about. Immediately after that, Swift provides the listener with “Elizabeth Taylor,” which is, admittedly, a whiny, repetitive song that doesn’t sound all that great.
“Opalite,” her third song, has a very Sabrina Carpenter-esque beat, and while it does a decent job at being an upbeat break in the melodrama, it isn’t the only song of the album that has some Carpenter themes and ideas in it. “Actually Romantic” and “Wood” have several out of left field lyrics that just don’t match Taylor’s style or vibes at all. It’s clear that Sabrina Carpenter’s style of sensual song and dance has inspired Swift to add more mature themes to her album, and it does not work at all.
“CANCELLED!” is an interesting concept, but once again the instrumentals are a bland and the lyrics are somewhat out of touch. Additionally, the flow of her words in a lot of these songs just don’t mix well with the music. The album is full of weird tempo changes, high notes that don’t quite hit, and missed opportunities for some awesome beat drops.
In songs like “Wi$h Li$t,” Swift’s use of profanity is that of a third grader who just learned how to swear. The lyrics of this album have some decent feminist ideas behind them, but the way they are expressed is very sub-par. The overuse of profanity and weird, provocative language doesn’t feel like Taylor Swift at all. Some other lows in the album include the very mid “Father Figure,” which features whisper like vocals that don’t resonate well. “Eldest Daughter” is better when the guitar comes in but still isn’t great. “Honey” is boring, and “The Life of a Showgirl” (which interestingly features Carpenter herself) is similarly dull.
Overall, Swift’s newest album is a disappointing release from someone who is known to be a profound lyricist who makes great, catchy music. None of these songs come close to her albums of the past, and we fans can only hope for a return to form for the next project, where hopefully Swift recognizes her strengths and doesn’t try to make herself someone who she isn’t. Rather, she should be herself.
