Photo credit Taylorswift.com
Taylor Swift is in a new era. The 14-time Grammy Winner released her 12th album, “The Life of a Showgirl” on October 3rd and has mixed opinions among fans online and students on campus.
According to Billboard and Guinness World Records, Swift’s single “The Fate of Ophelia” achieved 30,987,370 filtered streams on Spotify in its first 24 hours, making it the most-streamed track on the platform in a single day. The album itself has already racked up over 460 million official on-demand U.S. streams since its Oct. 3 release. The album also shattered modern-era sales records, with 3.4 million units sold in its first week, surpassing Adele’s 3.382 million sales on her “25” album.
Despite its record-breaking success, The Life of a Showgirl has received mixed reviews from critics online, who have called it “dull” and its “lack of compelling songwriting,” compared to her previous material.
Fans on the Album’s Sound and Lyrics
“The one thing I kind of don’t love about the album is the more cultural references to the millennial era,” said Norah Perkins, a senior. “Some of her wording is weird…I was really excited for ‘Eldest Daughter’ and ‘Father Figure’ but I just don’t like the wording of ‘savage’ and ‘hot take.’ It felt too slangy-trendy.”
Still, Perkins praised “Cancelled” and “The Fate of Ophelia” as standout tracks, especially for their production. “The music video is so cool,” she said. “It was really cool watching the movie to see the production side of it come to life.”
Grace Walker, a sophomore, said the album grew on her after several listens. “From first listen I knew it was going to grow on me,” Walker said. “There are a couple of questionable lines, but after listening for about two weeks now, it’s up there in her discography. I think the concept she teased wasn’t fully executed the way people thought it would be, but I’m happy that Taylor’s happy singing about her future.”
Walker listed “The Fate of Ophelia,” “Elizabeth Taylor,” “Actually Romantic,” “Opalite,” “Father Figure,” and “The Life of a Showgirl” as the tracks that best reflect Swift’s vision.
When reacting to “The Fate of Ophelia” music video, “I have no idea what the frick just happened,” said Tyler Wilson, a senior. “That was too much. There was a lot going on. I like the beat of the song, but the lyrics are just not her best. That’s not like her.”
Jayden Evangelo, a junior, says “All the lyrics are bad except for the first song,” he explains. “She looks sexy in the music video, but the other songs don’t connect.”
“This happens with every album that comes out,” Ryan Russo adds. “People hate her no matter what she does. If you don’t like her songs, you don’t need to listen to them.”
Track 5: A Taylor Tradition
Traditionally, Swift’s track five songs are known for being her most vulnerable and emotional.
“The fans take it very seriously,” said Grace Walker, a sophomore. “I think the only song she fumbled on was her track 5 ‘Eldest Daughter.’ It sounds unfinished, and the lyrics aren’t as strong as a lot of us are used to.”
“I think it’s a song that we haven’t really gotten yet, and we haven’t understood the meaning of it yet. One day it’ll click for everyone,” says Russo.
JP Elder, a senior, agreed. “I wanted track five to be a sad version of ‘I Can Do It With a Broken Heart,’” Elder said. “Something about the Eras Tour and how the show must go on but the sad version.”
Mixed Feelings on Marketing
“I don’t think her promos match the songs,” Elder said. “It was a showgirl in a sexy and provocative way…very 1920s in Vegas to me, but the songs are her classic pop. The visuals promised one thing, but the sound gave another.”
Jayden Evangelo, a junior, agreed the album’s visuals didn’t align with the music.
“She’s misguiding me,” Jayden said. “‘Wood’ is a good song, but it doesn’t belong on the album. It doesn’t match any of the photos.”
Russo said part of that disconnect comes from how fans visualize the “showgirl” concept. “It’s the aesthetic of the album,” he said. “We have this idea of what a ‘showgirl’ is, and it’s already set in stone versus what The Tortured Poets Department was.”
Elder added that while he’s warming up to the record, he found some lyrics to be conflicting.
“There’s a difference between ‘Is it romantic, how all my elegies eulogize me’ (The Lakes, from her Folklore album) versus ‘He dickmatized me and opened my eyes’ (Wood, from The Life of a Showgirl) Like what? What happened, Taylor?”
Photo credit: @TaylorSwift on Instagram
The Movie and Fan Experience
Adding to the celebration, Swift launched the very first watch-party for the album release. The Life of a Showgirl released in more than 8,000 theatres across North America. Fans were encouraged to sing along and dance with no ads or trailers. The 89-minute movie had some mixed feelings.
“The movie was a really good experience so that people could see her insight and reasoning behind all of the songs,” said Paige Klemme, a graduate student. “It was cute to see all the little kids dancing. It brought so many people together.”
Russo said seeing the visuals on the big screen changed how he viewed the album.
“It honestly made me appreciate the album more,” he said. “It was nice to get more visuals for the album. The music video was stunning on the screen. I watched it on YouTube and it doesn’t do it justice on the movie screen. I’m so glad I got to watch it that way.”
“I really liked the movie too. I thought it was fun to see her thoughts on each song and the behind the scenes of her music video. I loved seeing it twice – once in the beginning and once at the end of the movie,” JP Elder adds.
As The Life of a Showgirl continues to dominate charts and streaming platforms, one thing is clear: Taylor Swift knows how to keep the world talking.
