Over the years, legendary singer/songwriter Taylor Swift has written twelve unique albums, all sounding different and distinct in their own way. Recently, on October 3rd, Taylor Swift released her twelfth studio album, The Life of A Showgirl.
This pop album has twelve tracks, and each track is almost like its own world. This album is mainly based on what was going on behind the scenes of Swift’s record-breaking Eras Tour, and it was actually recorded on the European leg of the tour.
This album has already gained over 250 million global streams on Spotify and has broken several records, and while there have been many controversial opinions, I love this album, and here are my top five tracks I can’t stop listening to.
1. “CANCELLED!”
This incredible song is on the second half of the album, the tenth track of The Life of A Showgirl. This song is about watching a famous person get “cancelled” by toxic media, and how that affects them and the way they’ll view the world for the rest of their lives.
“It’s a good thing I like my friends CANCELLED!” is one of the lyrics from Swift’s song. This doesn’t mean she wants her friends to be “cancelled”, she’s actually saying that most of her friends have also gone through getting “cancelled” by toxic media, like her, and they all band together after the fact.
In her Spotify “Track by Track Version” of the album (which I will refer to throughout this article) Swift also states, “When other people go through it, you kind of find yourself thinking about how they’re probably gonna get smarter because of this.”
This song is one of my favorites because it is easily relatable to my life. With over 11o million streams in the first three weeks, it’s definitely worth a listen.
2. “Eldest Daughter”
While this song may not be on everyone’s top five, since it is the slowest and arguably saddest song on the album, it is a really beautiful song that hits home for me, since I am also the eldest daughter of my family.
It reflects on the insecurities of trying to be unbothered and trying to make it seem like you don’t care.”I’m dying just from trying to seem cool,” is a lyric that restates that.
Swift explains, “This song really kinda gets to the heart of when someone gets close enough to you to earn your trust, that’s when you can admit to them that you actually really do care about some things.”
Although it’s a different type of song and doesn’t bring the same upbeat, “showgirl” vibe that the other songs do, this song definitely deserves a listen. “Eldest Daughter” has over 106 million streams in the first three weeks, and even if you’re not the eldest daughter, go check it out!
3. “The Fate of Ophelia”
This is the first track and the only single of The Life of a Showgirl. It’s upbeat, catchy, and well written. Swift combines old and new styles of writing in this song, stating, “I really love this song because it kinda combines sort of Shakespearean storytelling of this legend of this tragic hero Ophelia and what happened to her, blended with this kind of newer concept of escaping that fate and having more modern terminology being used in the song too.”
If I could recommend only one song to listen to from this album, it would absolutely be this one. Swift’s music video for The Fate of Ophelia is amazing, and in my opinion, the best music video she’s ever made. The production level is amazing. This music video even features Taylor’s dancers from The Eras Tour, and a loaf of bread she baked herself.
This song is the most streamed from the album, with almost 280 million streams in the first three weeks. So if you haven’t heard it on the radio already, go take a listen!
4. “The Life of a Showgirl” (ft. Sabrina Carpenter)
This is the final track from the album, and it is the title track. This song addresses what it’s really like to be a showgirl, how to deal with the hate, the grueling performances, and all the other hardships that come with it, making it a great song. “You don’t know the life of a showgirl babe, and you’re never gonna wanna” is basically a lyric that sums it up.
Swift explains, “It is the story of a fictional showgirl named Kitty and how my character in the song goes to see her perform and is completely inspired by her.” The fictional showgirl’s last name is Finlay. Finlay was her grandmother, Marjorie’s maiden name, and she was an opera singer that inspired Swift to start writing songs.
“I thought who better to ask to be a part of this song than the ultimate showgirl Sabrina Carpenter, and thankfully she said yes.” Taylor comments. It is arguably one of the best songs on the album, with almost 115 million streams in the first three weeks. This internet-breaking collaboration is definitely worth a listen.
5. “Opalite”
Having a rough day? Need a song to cheer you up? Well, then this is the song for you. The third track on The Life of a Showgirl, “Opalite,” is a song about choosing happiness, shown in the lyric, “Sleepless in the onyx night, but now the sky is opalite”. It also talks about letting the sadness and hardships of the past go and choosing to focus on the good things instead, making it one of the most positive songs Taylor has ever written.
Swift happily states, “’Opalite’ is a song on my album that I think is just so infectiously, contagiously happy and it’s really an expression of happiness. The song itself is about choosing happiness and getting through hard times.”
This song is obviously well loved, being that it has more than 190 million streams in the first three weeks. No matter what, I always feel happy listening to this song, so go listen and see for yourself!
Although this is just my top five, there are also other amazing songs on the album that you should definitely also listen to if you’re interested! While it may not be everyone’s favorite, it’s worth a good listen. It is also Swift’s most successful album and has been breaking world records since it came out. So go see what all the commotion is about and listen to The Life of a Showgirl now!