In Defense of Taylor Swift | The Life of a Showgirl Review 🧡💚

Video Description

Hi everyone! In this video, I want to discuss my thoughts on Taylor Swift's newest album, The Life of a Showgirl.

There's a lot in this album that I'm really excited to talk about, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

In the comments, be sure to let me know what you think about this album, what your favorite song is, and what your thoughts are about people's reaction to this album.

Pop music is one of my biggest passions, and I'm excited to get to share it with you.

I hope you enjoy this video, and as always, make sure to have a fantastic day, and thank you so much for watching! 🧡🧡🧡

Video Transcript

Hi everyone, I’m Joshua Miller and welcome to my YouTube channel. Because style is my favorite subject, today I want to talk about an album that I’ve been unable to escape the past couple of weeks, and that’s Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. In this video, I’m going to talk about my relationship with Taylor Swift over the years, my thoughts on the new Heights album rollout, as well as the marketing strategy and the album artwork for this album. I’ll then dive into a track-by-track review and end with a big picture conclusion as to what it is I think about this album. I’m going to have all of the timestamps for this video listed inside the description below and I’ll also have them listed as chapters at the time bar below. So feel free to fast forward to whatever is the most interesting to you.

Starting with my relationship with Taylor Swift, I’ve been a fan of her since Debut. I remember hearing “Tim McGraw” on the radio for the first time, and ever since then I’ve been interested in who she is and what she has to say. And then with her second album, Fearless, there was something about that album that was just so timeless and so aspirational and coming of age that had really resonated with me as a kid.

And next, I really loved Pop Taylor when I was in middle school. I wasn’t one to subscribe to the “I miss the old Taylor” discourse of the early 2010s. Songs on Red like “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” or “22” filled my middle school experience. And 1989 is just a classic pop album that really just represents everything that pop music can do. And then in her catalog, Reputation is one of the most monumental albums to me. What this album taught me is that pop music isn’t created in a vacuum. Everything that you do and say as a popular artist is in response to what’s going on and what people are saying about you within the media and within the general public discourse. And Reputation taught me that this is part of the art, and your reaction to other people’s opinions of you and the way that you use that to make your statement is really powerful, and it can really make something that’s just a simple pop album be the kind of thing that people talk about decades later.

And then Lover—I remember falling off for some reason that I can’t even remember. And then Folklore is what really got me back into her. I remember the imagery of that album provided a much needed escape my freshman year of college, and that’s really what helped me respect Taylor Swift as an artist. But unfortunately Folklore was kind of the end of the road for me with Taylor Swift. I just found myself being interested in other projects and other styles of music. And yes, I kept up with what she was doing, but it definitely wasn’t at the front of my mind until The Life of a Showgirl.

When this album was announced, I, like the rest of the world, was sat watching that New Heights podcast episode live on YouTube as it aired. But excluding tabloid pictures in People magazine, I didn’t really see or hear a lot about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. And getting to see them in a way that felt this personal was really special. It was like you got to see Taylor Swift talk about an album that meant a lot to her in her living room. And I also think that Taylor Swift just did such a fantastic job on this podcast. Every single one of her answers she gave felt like it was in the moment, but it was also very well thought out. And it was really nice getting to see both of the Kelce brothers uplift Taylor Swift as she talked about all of these vulnerable things throughout the last couple years of her career.

I think there’s something really cool about the biggest primary source of promotional information for this album being an in-house production. She could have very easily gone with an influencer-driven, focus-grouped-to-death media TV announcement, but she chose not to do that. I feel like this rollout strategy really dialed into key themes that we would see inside this album, like power, and to what extent is the audience able to control or influence a performer. And I also like this rollout strategy because it made people have to theorize what they thought the album was going to be about. There were no singles. There were no snippets. We didn’t really get to see anything besides this podcast and a couple of promotional images. There’s just something that’s so theatrical about that style of release. It kind of feels like when you’re going to see a debut musical and people are talking in line at the bathroom or in line at the bar about what they think the show is going to be like or what they think people are going to wear. And that excitement and the audience’s opinions and the way that those influence the way that the audience interprets the performance is a part of the performance. And I feel like that was intentionally included and inspired with this album rollout.

And next, I want to give my opinion on this album cover just because I feel like there are a lot of things about it that I haven’t heard anyone talking about. First, starting with the color story, I feel like the green-against-orange look was very strong. It’s a very distinct color combination, and it’s also very easy to recognize. It’s the kind of color combination that sticks out against anything else that we’re really seeing right now in pop music and that we’re also seeing in fashion. And I think that there’s something that’s kind of intentionally against the grain and kind of just intentionally upsetting about that. And this idea of being intentionally upsetting rings true with a lot of the other elements of this album cover.

And a lot of graphic designers have criticized the typography and the layout of the text on this album. But I also think that these are intentionally upsetting. The way that the words are laid out on here is just so aggravating to look at. But I think that that is the point. It’s instantly recognizable and it’s the kind of thing that anyone can recreate and you’ll instantly know that it’s a nod to Taylor Swift. Whether you’re looking at like a university Instagram account or a sports team Instagram account, the recreations of this graphic are everywhere. And I think that that just shows that sometimes in order to start a trend, you have to do things that you’re told are wrong just so that way it gives other people permission to do it too. And it creates this larger story and this larger fan culture that Taylor Swift is so good at and so known for.

And next, to go track by track, this album kicks off with “The Fate of Oilia,” which is a textbook fantastic pop song. I love the soundscape of the song and just how open it feels. And I also like the vocal performance. And I feel like it effortlessly balances these two juxtaposing ideas of sounding like a chorus of Taylor Swifts belting in your face and also like you’re overhearing someone singing while gardening. I will say my biggest criticism is that when she pronounces Oilia on the chorus and she sits in that “uh” vowel, it’s a little bit dissonant and it’s a little bit too nasally in my opinion. I think that vocal would be a lot better if she had opened the back of her throat more when she sung that. I just feel like it would have given it a nicer timbre and it would have been less disruptive to kind of the open and easygoing vibe of the song.

And then the curtain opens and we move into “Elizabeth Taylor.” And again, I’ve seen a lot of criticism of this song, but I also really like this one. I like that the introduction is so dramatic. It kind of feels like a melodic callback to “I Did Something Bad” from Reputation. And I like the way that she plays with patterns of three and four within the pre-chorus and chorus. I feel like it creates this really effective push and pull between you and the song. And I feel like this is only further emphasized by the fact that when the melody ascends, the bass line descends, and it creates this kind of ripple, wave-like effect that just draws you in as the listener. And this song also has one of my favorite lyrics on this album, which is “You’re only as big as your last hit, baby.” We know that Taylor Swift is someone that wants to chart high, and we know that she’s someone that commercial success is something that’s really important to her. And given the fact that this album is about what it felt like to be on the Eras Tour, we can very easily get a glimpse with this lyric into what it felt like to be her at this time. She’s voluntarily forcing herself to live under this extreme external but also self-imposed pressure. And I feel like the darkness in the delivery of this line and also just the straightforwardness of it kind of underscores this entire feeling.

And next is the song “Opalite,” and I feel like this melody is just so catchy and infectious. You know when you were a kid when you would just slide under the bathtub and let all of the bubbles and all of the water wash over you? This is what this song kind of sounds like. It’s kind of pleasant in a way that feels very alone, but also very just relaxing.

Next is the song “Father Figure.” And again, I really like the vocal delivery of this song. There’s something about the timbre of her voice that’s just so dark and resonant and it just draws you, as a listener, in. I will say Taylor Swift is someone that I’ve always thought of as a songwriter. I don’t really think of her as being a spectacular singer, but when I listen to this song, I kind of feel bad about the fact that I haven’t respected this part of her artistry until now. It takes a lot of vocal confidence to put out a song that is this vocally exposed. And I feel like she navigates that really well. When she’s singing in the studio, she sounds very confident and she sounds very assured, which I have to give a nod to, especially the fact that this was likely recorded while she was already doing the vocally demanding Eras Tour. Her voice sounds so controlled and so full on this song, and I really think that she did a great job.

Next is the song “Eldest Daughter.” And a lot of public discourse about this song is that it’s corny or that it’s cringe. I’ve heard a lot of people making fun of the lyrics, but I think that that’s kind of the point. It’s the kind of song and it’s the kind of lyrics that you would write if you thought that no one would ever hear them, which is why I think this is a song that everyone needed to hear. And I’ve also heard a lot of criticism toward this song because it is slotted at track five on this album. Taylor Swift herself has acknowledged that track five is a very important track on the album to her. It’s given us songs like “All Too Well,” songs like “White Horse,” and songs like “Delicate”—songs that realistically drive the entire themes of those projects. So, when you have a song like “Eldest Daughter,” a song that feels kind of cringe and corny sitting in that spot, it can feel like it’s a waste. But I feel like it’s actually kind of the exact opposite. The song is exposed, the song is raw, and I kind of love it for that reason. The song feels like it’s taking you on a journey of self-discovery as the instrumentation expands from the beginning to the end. And it’s just something that I can’t help but find myself paying attention to every single time I hear it.

Next is “Ruin the Friendship.” And this is another song that I love listening to while driving. There’s something about the melody and the vocal delivery here that I feel like I could just get lost in forever and ever. It’s the kind of song that you don’t have to know a lot about music or even really understand a lot about Taylor Swift or her life to understand what this song is trying to say, or at least be able to project your own experiences and your own thoughts and feelings into it.

The next song is “Actually Romantic,” and I will admit, when I first heard this song, I didn’t like it. I think that if you were Taylor Swift, it would be really easy to want to always put out the most polished and the most produced version of your music. But sometimes, by going against the grain, you’re actually able to emphasize your message even more. And this is a power of pop music and a power of writing that I feel like Taylor Swift commands here really well. And say what you want—yeah, you can make fun of this song a lot—but I find it to be very catchy. Again, it’s one of those melodies that just gets stuck in your head and it’s so simple that it feels very obvious. But I feel like that place is where some of the best music can be written.

Next is the song “Wish List,” and this is another one of my favorites on the album. There’s something about this song that just feels like when you’re taking a bath that was supposed to be long, warm, and soothing, and then the water starts to get cold, and you start to realize that you’re going to have to get out of this escape and face reality. In this song, you can really feel Taylor Swift pondering these overarching questions of: What am I even doing with my life? What is this for? And is this life the kind of thing that I even want for myself?

And I feel like not only does this build up a narrative momentum going into the conclusion and title track of this album, it also gives you something about this album that anyone can relate to. We’ve all looked in the mirror at some point and had to ask ourselves, “What is it in this life that we really want?” And I feel like this song does that in a way that’s very vulnerable and a way that’s very universally applicable. There’s something about the writing and production here that just translates this feeling that we’ve all had into a pop song that everyone can sing along with. And I love the imagery of all of the things and all of the pictures that she’s seeing in her life as she’s preparing to get out of this figurative bathtub. We see her talking about having kids running down the block that look just like her husband. And we see her talking about having a big driveway with a basketball hoop and just having the public and the paparazzi leave her alone, and her wondering that maybe I would actually be happier if I did that.

And it’s kind of heartbreaking, given the fact that this album is called The Life of a Showgirl, to have Taylor Swift reflecting on the fact and asking this question: Maybe I don’t want to be a showgirl, and maybe I don’t want to wear this costume anymore. And I think that that’s a very vulnerable thing to say. And I’m really glad that she included it on this project. It would have been really easy to just talk about very common themes of being a showgirl—things like hiding in the wing, getting ready in the dressing room, doing interviews, posing, and smiling for the cameras. But here, she’s addressing what a showgirl is and what it feels like to be a showgirl behind the curtain. And I feel like that is a very important theme, especially given the fact that there’s a lot of macro cultural conversations right now about celebrities and privacy and what information about the lives of famous people everyone is entitled to know about.

And for the sake of time, I’ll speed it up here. “Wood” is another song that I really like. Again, it’s in your face. It’s uplifting. It’s catchy. It reminds me a lot of “34+35” by Ariana Grande. And I feel like this is such a big compliment, given the fact that one of the biggest goals of this album was to return to that straightforward, catchy, and infectious style of pop music that Taylor Swift used a lot on 1989. And while I’m not really interested in the innuendos of this song, again, I feel like it does a good job of keeping this music popular. It’s the kind of thing that’s so tabloid and just so E! News. And I can see people dissecting whether or not she’s singing about you-know-what in this song for years to come.

And the next two songs are arguably my least favorites on the album. “Cancelled” I really like because I think it has a very strong chorus, and I can see why this song was included on the album because of this chorus and the way that this song ends. But I don’t find the verses of this song to be very fulfilling. I kind of feel like the verses of this song are kind of just musical waiting rooms for us to sit in and twiddle our thumbs until we eventually make it back to the chorus. And I don’t like that for this song. A lot of the songs on this album are very good at keeping and maintaining momentum and energy as the song progresses from the beginning to the end, but this is one of the only songs on this album that I feel like falls short in that.

And next is the song “Honey.” I don’t really have a lot of major thoughts on this song other than the fact that I feel like we could have really left this one out. I don’t really see it adding a lot to the plot of this album that hasn’t already been said before. Yeah, it’s a good song, but again, I just feel like it was only included so that way we could bump this album up to 12 tracks. Knowing Taylor Swift and knowing the caliber of her writing, I feel like there’s another song within the catalog that was composed for this album that could have been swapped in for this one.

And I will acknowledge the fact that my opinion of this song could be largely influenced by performance order, given the fact that this song is track 11 and it’s right before the title track and the only feature on this album. Every time I found myself listening to this song, I kind of just want it to be over so I can hear “The Life of a Showgirl” featuring Sabrina Carpenter. So I will acknowledge the fact that I do have an emotional bias toward this song, which could be clouding my judgment of this. Had this song been listed at track five or six, I might have different feelings toward it, and I feel like it’s in my interest and your best interest as well to at least acknowledge how that could be influencing your opinion of this song.

And lastly is the title track, “The Life of a Showgirl,” featuring Sabrina Carpenter. And I will go on record as saying that I believe that this is one of the best Taylor Swift songs of all time. Something about it is just so timeless and so inspiring. And I love the way that it wraps up these overarching questions that this album was asking and that audiences were asking of her. This song directly tackles one of the biggest questions on this album, which is: Taylor Swift, how do you even feel about being a showgirl? You’ve accomplished one of the biggest tours in music history. You’ve engrossed so much money and you’re living a lifestyle that so many people dream of, but do you even like it? And what does it feel like to be in your shoes?

And when we reach the end of this song and you hear her say, “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” there’s just something that’s so inspiring about that. I don’t know. It’s nice to know that someone is living out their dreams and that someone is genuinely happy. There’s something that’s so refreshing about that, given the fact that there are a lot of dark moments on this album.

So, to conclude, my overarching thoughts of this album are that I really, really like it. And one of the biggest things that I love about this album is how it reinforces how important art and pop music is to society. Growing up, English and music were two of my favorite subjects. And I always remember hearing people talk about whether or not these subjects are actually important. And I feel like people’s reactions to this album are proof of that. And I feel like people’s reaction to their own interpretation of what they see as “missing good poetry” just shows how important it is to the world. And it’s also just fun to see everyone’s different opinions. And it shows how music can truly be a universal language, and it’s something that everyone can apply their own thoughts, feelings, and attitudes toward in their interpretation of it.

Pop music is supposed to reflect people’s opinions and people’s lives now. And I feel like this album does a great job of that. Questions like: To what extent should a person have power? Or how much money is a person allowed to have? Or what does it even mean to be an artist?—are questions that I hear people discussing every single day. And it’s really nice to see this album kind of expand to be a gateway and a forum for people to get to express these feelings that they wouldn’t have had a clear way to talk about otherwise. So even if people don’t like this album, or they’re criticizing Taylor for it, or they’re criticizing Pitchfork or the different results, I ultimately feel like all of this press is such a good thing because it’s getting people off of their ass and using their brains to think about the power of English and the power of art and the power of performance in society.

So there you have my thoughts on Taylor Swift’s 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl. Make sure to let me know what you guys think in the comments down below. I’m really excited to hear what you guys thought about this album. What were your favorite songs? Do you like this cover art? What are your reactions to other people’s reactions about this album? I feel like there’s so much with this album for people to talk about regardless of what it is you are interested in, and I really look forward to the conversations that you and I can have in the comments down below.

And if you liked this video, make sure to give it a thumbs up and subscribe to my YouTube channel. I post videos like this one about fashion, pop music, and self-improvement every other Sunday. And I also post daily short-form videos on this channel, as well as my Instagram and TikTok @Joshua Miller. And again, just thank you so much for watching this video. It has been such a joy to get to create this for you. I did take the last nine days off of making videos, and it is really fun to get to be back talking to all of you guys. And if no one else has told you this yet, make sure to have a fantastic day and thank you so much for watching.

That’s not the right pronunciation for it. I can guarantee that.

Uh, come on, Google Translate.

Opalite.

Opalite. Okay. Opalite. Don’t cancel me if I say this wrong.

---

If you want to be the first to know all things Joshua Miller Style, be sure to subscribe to my email list below! Email subscribers get first access to my blog content and receive special messages from me on what I'm interested in, what you're interested in, and what I'm planning for future posts. So, if you want a weekly reminder to live with style, confidence, and enthusiasm, make sure to click the link below to sign up!

You can also follow me on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube at the handles below!

Instagram: @__joshuamiller

TikTok: @__joshuamiller

YouTube: @joshuamillerstyle

SUBSCRIBE