The Life of a Showgirl is finally here and as with any Taylor Swift album it’s filled with catchy songs with some cutting lyrics.
The new album has 12 brand new tracks for Swifties to dive into, with Metro calling it ‘addictively catchy’ in our review.
While Taylor appeared on UK radios — inviting Greg James to her wedding — fans were already devouring songs like Actually Romantic, Father Figure, and lead single The Fate of Ophelia.
There are some clear instant hits in the mix; we expected nothing less from the queen of pop.
But a new album can be overwhelming, especially when fans online are shouting about ‘Charli XCX diss tracks’ and Travis Kelce’s … wood?
So we’ve painstakingly listened to the whole of The Life of a Showgirl for you to give you the ultimate album guide.
The songs you can’t skip
We’re big advocates for listening to the entire album but if you’re hoping to cherry-pick a few there’s some songs that you cannot skip.
Our first absolute no-skip is The Fate of Ophelia, which is what Taylor has chosen as her lead single for the album, with a music video on the way.
This is the track you’ll find instantly at the top of the charts, but for good reason, as it’s downright catchy with a slight 80s Eurythmics inspiration running underneath.
If you want to engage with any album, where better to start than at the song the artist wants you to listen to first?
Our second no-skip is The Life of a Showgirl, it’s epic and has Sabrina Carpenter featuring on it — a collaboration we knew we needed.
While The Fate of Ophelia opens the journey, The Life of a Showgirl is the big finale with a country twist to call back to her roots.
It’s got a stomp-clap beat that just makes you want to get up and dance.
Any Swiftie who went to the Eras Tour might get a little emotional on this one, as it ends with a sweet farewell to her career-defining tour.
The songs with shady lyrics
Most of the big conversations have been about Charli XCX and this supposed ‘diss track’ Taylor wrote, Actually Romantic.
‘I heard you call me ‘Boring Barbie’ when the coke’s got you brave / High-fived my ex and then you said you’re glad he ghosted me / Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face / Some people might be offended.’
It certainly seems aimed at the Brat artist, a response after Charli wrote Sympathy is a Knife, which many fans feel was about Taylor.
After this verse, the song does appear to widen out to less direct jibes, discussing how addictive the attention from haters can be.
CANCELLED! also follows this theme of struggling with life in the spotlight — notably, she’s using the British spelling here.
‘Did you girl-boss too close to the sun?/Did they catch you having far too much fun?/Come with me, when they see us, they’ll run/ Something wicked this way comes.’
Taylor has many friends who have been ‘cancelled’ for various reasons, from Brittany Mahomes to Blake Lively, however, she rarely weighs into the fray.
As with much of the shade on this album, it seems directed outwardly to those who seek to tear Taylor down rather than at anyone directly.
Unless you count the loved-up songs about Travis Kelce, which throw some casual barbs at her exes.
The songs about Travis Kelce
Of course, along with her struggles with fame, The Life of a Showgirl is utterly loved up thanks to her fiancé, Travis.
Fans knew they were endgame when he appeared on stage with her at the Eras Tour, but giving his podcast her album announcement interview was beyond confirmation.
Wi$h Li$t, Wood, Honey, The Fate of Ophelia, Elizabeth Taylor, and Opalite; half the album references how besotted she is.
Fans have immediately picked up on the incredibly complimentary lyrics of Wood, in which she sings about ‘new heights of manhood’.
Also there’s: ‘Baby, I’ll admit I’ve been a little superstitious / The curse on me was broken by your magic wand.”
Oh and: ‘His lovе was the key that opened my thighs.’
Taylor, we’re blushing. Sorry to any of her exes.
Meanwhile, on Opalite, she jokes that her brother ‘used to call it eating out the trash’ when referring to her dating history.
Speaking about the track on Capital Radio, Taylor confirmed it’s Travis’ favourite song — he ‘loves it.
She explained: ‘Travis’ birthstone is an opal, it’s a manmade opal, but happiness can be manmade too’.
The songs you will sing in the shower
Opalite is super catchy, we can see why it’s Travis’ favourite and it will definitely be on repeat for us.
The ‘woah, oh, oh’ lines and ‘dancing through the lightning strikes’ are so 1989 coded, it’s hard not to immediately sing along.
However, it’s hard to ignore the addictive quality of Father Figure.
There’s a reason George Michael’s song, which this interpolates, is such an iconic track and went viral earlier this year.
The beat just makes you want to dance, giving Reputation’s dark edge with a seductive undertone from Taylor’s vocals.
Ultimately, the album is almost equally split between songs that make you want to spin around in love or put on your leather boots and take over the world.
Or if you want to have a cry in the shower, stick on Ruin the Friendship — those lyrics are devastating.