All That Glitters Isn’t Taylor Swift: ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ Reviewed

Does lightning ever strike twice? After the Eras Tour, can The Life of a Showgirl live up to the hype?

So, how are we all doing in the real world, outside of the Swiftiverse? It’s been a week since The Life of a Showgirl dropped, and after a few listens, I would say the only thing unbalanced in here is this record. TLOAS could be read as an album in three acts: the flashy opening, the dramatic main event, and the heartwarming finale.

On the Eras Tour, when Taylor Swift sang she was feeling 'So High School,' apparently she meant it literally. The rich interior narrative and witty lyricism that we’ve come to expect from TS are almost completely couched in cartoonish stereotypes and glitter-gel graffiti this time around. Instead of enjoying a regular millennial’s life experiences, TS has been a bit busy working, so this album feels more like Taylor kicking off her heels with a glass of something bubbly than a behind-the-scenes exposé into fame. And who could begrudge her that, when it sounds like this?

Instead, subtle and indirect threads that allude to the showgirl theme are woven through the songs. In lead single 'The Fate of Ophelia,' there’s a flavour of the OG showgirl, Madonna’s Like a Prayer. TS sings about “just honing your powers” and echoes Madonna’s “I can feel your power.” Come on, George Michael got a credit for less.

The ice-cold sheen of 'Elizabeth Taylor' and glimmer of 'Opalite' fade into a darker second act in 'Father Figure.' Suddenly we seem to be looking back to the past. The whiplash from the contradiction of “my d*ck’s bigger” and “I’ve got the place surrounded” to “I’m not a bad bitch” in the fabled track five, 'Eldest Daughter,' recurs throughout this section of the album, perhaps reflecting the light and shade of a showgirl’s life.

A more obvious track five, 'Ruin the Friendship,' is sweet and authentic, with some beautiful harmonies.

Still firmly in Y2K territory is 'Actually Romantic.' The guitar riff has been publicly compared to both Pixies and Weezer, but I still hear 'Teenage Dirtbag' by Wheatus every time the opening chords play.

The track that has everyone talking is 'Wood.' When I first previewed the tracklist, I was thinking along the lines of 'Out Of The Woods.” But Taylor would say in 'Blank Space,' oh no. The bouncy Motown production values cover a multitude of sins, ahem.

The morality tale of the final act includes the pulsing, pantomime villain/victim narrative of 'Cancelled,' which can’t make up its mind which one it is. There is no question of its Reputation influence.

Sabrina Carpenter features on the eponymous closer, doing most of the heavy lifting in the vocals and adding her own X factor on top, almost outshining the main act.

Had this album been released by Charli, Chappell, Olivia, Gaga, etc., it would slot into the current strong female pop-artist canon perfectly adequately. It’s a solid placeholder, but for a myriad of reasons, Taylor Swift is held to a higher standard. We are more accustomed to her leading the pack rather than following, as she appears to be doing here. This release feels somewhat inconsistent, which may be because it was thrown together while touring.

Taylor Swift The Life Of A Showgirl

Does part of the mainstream criticism of The Life of a Showgirl stem from the marketing promise of a peek behind the scenes, and instead we were served a generic façade? Having performed the world’s most influential and highest-grossing tour for almost two years, I think I expected more of an insight into performing, masking, exhaustion, elation, being away from loved ones, and all the other stuff that touring entails. From the lyrics, it appears that Taylor was way too busy fuming about perceived “rivals.” That, and dreaming of Travis’ “magic wand.” This feels more like a hen’s-night party than a glamorous show.

But damn, if it isn’t a banger.