Sophie Pfahl/The Maneater

In a college town like Columbia, students can’t go a day without hearing someone throw out Taylor Swift’s name. So far, I haven’t been able to go more than a few hours without listening to “The Life of a Showgirl.”

Taylor Swift, the bestselling artist of the century, released her 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” at midnight Friday, Oct. 3. The album featured 12 flirtatious, fun tracks and a feature by pop artist Sabrina Carpenter, who opened for Swift during a leg of the Eras Tour.

As a 2006 baby, some of my earliest music memories revolve around Swift. Growing up, I remember jamming to “Mean” with my dad in the car and dancing with friends to “Shake It Off” in elementary school. Like many girls my age, Swift has always been a strong, independent woman I have looked up to. I have enjoyed following her career throughout the years and therefore heavily anticipated this newest release.

While some songs remain forgettable, Swift has perfectly curated the album to match the carefree, euphoric place she is in life after regaining the rights to her music catalogue and closing the successful Eras Tour.

The opening track, “The Fate of Ophelia,” wonderfully elicits the groovy, breezy energy Swift was going for and kicks the album off with an upbeat vitality. The song makes me envision myself driving through a bright, sleepless city at night. Swift’s lyrics cause the listener to feel almost desperate, as she metaphorically connects herself to Ophelia, a daughter in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” who dies from melancholy. Swift roots the song in storytelling and masterfully explains how a man dug her out of her grave, saving her from Ophelia’s fate.

Swift also uses brilliant lyricism to her advantage in track four. The best way I can describe “Father Figure” is that it is the cousin of her song “The Man.” According to many speculators on the internet, Swift is throwing slights at Scott Borchetta, the record executive who took advantage of Swift when she made a deal with him at 15, signing away the masters to her first six albums. Swift figuratively becomes a “father” with an ego, examining the role that a predatory industry plays in using and discarding young artists.

In comparison, I found track five, “Eldest Daughter,” to be lacking in the type of genius lyrics Swift fans have come to know and love. While the song has its cathartic verses, I found the chorus to be cringe. Millennial-sounding lines like “this isn’t savage” took me out of the scene Swift was beginning to make me envision.

I also did not fall instantly in love with “Ruin the Friendship.” The song felt forgettable, lacking the zeal I became accustomed to from the first few tracks. However, as I was walking to my math lecture, bumping it in my AirPods, it clicked for me.

Swift expresses all the intrusive thoughts and temptations about relationships that many of us have had at one point or another. It made me feel so morally grey, and yet, seen.

For me, the next standout track is “Wood.” It succeeds in revitalizing the album after taking a bit of a dip in the middle, in which songs start falling into the trap of blending and becoming a bit self-obsessed. The beginning instrumentals are funky, and Swift sounds like she has taken a bite out of the Jackson 5’s ‘70s vibe. Swift makes the listener feel sexy, flirty and fierce alongside her. The subsequent track, “CANCELLED!”, carries on the sassy, girlboss vibe and builds on it.

In “Honey,” Swift takes the risque aura and turns it sweet. It’s refreshing compared to some of the surface-level lyrics found in “CANCELLED!” and “Wi$h Li$t.” I can hear the joy emanating through her voice as she sings about how she’s found her forever person, Travis Kelce.

In one of my favorite lyrics off the entire album, Swift states, “You could be my forever-night stand, honey.” The lyric reminds us how we are all deserving of the kindest, most genuine love.

The title track, “The Life of a Showgirl,” featuring Sabrina Carpenter, feels like the perfect finale. Swift includes an outro audio from the Eras Tour when the pair performed together. In the audio, the two thank the audience while the music fades, leaving the listener content and in admiration of their sisterhood.

As a dedicated fan, I cannot help but feel endlessly proud of Swift for “The Life of a Showgirl.” After her last album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” was slammed in the media for its lyrics being messy and forgettable, this album feels like such a win for her.

While I wish every track on the album would have met the standards set by “The Fate of Ophelia” or “Honey,” it still feels completely and authentically Taylor Swift — the person, and not just the public persona.

Edited by Mikalah Owens | [email protected]
Copy edited by Avery Copeland | [email protected]
Edited by Chase Pray | [email protected]