Taylor Swift's lyrics, literal retellings of her everyday life both public and private, sabotage, what to my ears would otherwise be pleasant enough pop tunes that I might play a second and third time if they were recorded by anyone else.
As I listened to "The Life Of A Showgirl," I found myself saying, "This is pretty good" or "Wow, I like this."
The melodies don't veer too far off from the same sing-songy course, but her vocal inflections, the big choruses and overall vibe, didn't make me run away. I enjoyed this record more than I enjoyed any Taylor Swift records before it. I simply can't get beyond the words, which continue to feel like diary entries or tabloid items set to music. This clumsy storytelling has apparently been her selling point all these years, and therein lies my problem. Or, one of them, anyway.
Hey Swifties, if you read about something or see something on social media or television about Miss Swift, do you think, "Oh that's gonna be Track Three, Side One?"
"The last time I laughed this hard, I was on a trampoline in a backyard, I must've been eight or nine, and I fell off and broke my arm...."
...and then Uncle Vinny pulled up just in time for the barbecue, he brought the ribs I like from Faicco's Pork Store and he was wearing those black socks with the white boat shoes again...
Hey, I think my lyrics are just as relatable.
I don't even want to hear my favorite artists drop singles months ahead of a new release. I want the experience of a new record to be, well, new. What if Dylan's new record was called "I'm Wearing A Hoodie Now." Track One, "Put Your iPhones Away." Track Two, "Not Doing 'Catfish' Tonight." Van Morrison tried that and got slammed.
I've given up trying to understand the praise. The disparity between the reality of the music and the godlike status makes my pons melt. But, Tay is talking to a lot of people, young and old, and she is making them very happy, and if I hated this new record, I might be singing a different tune. It was only one full pass and a few spot checks, so far, but it was the first Taylor Swift record that I listened to from top to tail and I felt like I could do it again. "The Life Of A Showgirl" also made me realize how her brand of pop music is a hell of a lot better than most of her competition. "Opalite," "Father Figure," "Eldest Daughter" "Wi$h Li$T" are all catchy as hell. I might even play "The Life Of A Showgirl" a second and third time. I didn't only not hate it. I didn't mind it.
Quinn Martin Epilogue:
"Although Swift hasn’t explicitly said that “Opalite,” the third track on The Life of a Showgirl, is about her fiancé, all signs point to him. The song reflects her search for everlasting love after being hurt in past relationships. (She dated actor Joe Alwyn for six years before briefly being linked to The 1975 frontman Matty Healy at the start of the Eras Tour in early 2023.)
Another major hint that “Opalite” is about Kelce? The Kansas City Chiefs player’s birthday is Oct. 5, which makes his birthstone opal. Swifties also noticed that the Grammy winner wore opal earrings while cheering him on at the AFC Championship Game in January 2024."
In related news, Led Zeppelin's "Lemon Song" is about fucking.
22 comments:
Don't remember ever listening to a TS song. I'm sure have. Just don't remember.
But, I saw her on the Graham Norton Show t'other day and she was tremendously likeable. By far the biggest name on the couch, but she showed no ego and related to the other guests in a natural, friendly way. (See Madonna for the opposite behavior). The discussion of her new record made it actually sound interesting.
So, still not a Swiftie, but I'm keeping an open mind.
"...tremendously likeable. By far the biggest name on the couch, but she showed no ego and related to the other guests in a natural, friendly way."
Absolutely.
"Quinn Martin Epilogue" - nice touch for readers of a certain age!
Taylor -- babe -- go to India for six months. Study TM with the Maharishi. Take a vacation in the French Quarter and hang out in the clubs. Then come back and write a new album.
Just saying. 😎
2012’s Red with its opening trifecta of “State of Grace”, “Red”, and my favorite TS track “Treacherous” is the only album I’ve returned to - sometimes just to get a fix of those opening songs. This is when she begins her Max Martin connection. “Pop confections” is an accurate description. With Red, if you’re not careful, you’ll find yourself singing along. Lol! Your review prompted an enjoyable first pass on the new one. Thanks! :)
Max Martin is a close second to McCartney in Billboard No. 1s. Crazy!
Still loving SSS!!! :)
Love the Epilogue as well. And the Cover of the Day proves that the Schoolhouse does indeed Rock.
She's 35 and she still, as always, writes about relationships like she's 15. Oooo, a song about my boyfriend's dick. Max Martin can certainly manufacture pop music. She's way better than the worst of pop today. But that's just not enough. She is a genius at self-promotion. The rest of her skills are vastly overrated.
Pixies’ “Gigantic” Lol!
You can write about anything you want, that is why is your blog.
But this time, I just don’t understand.
What don't you understand? Why anonymous, by the way?
Sal, you drop "Quin Martin" the same week I decided to watch an episode of "The Streets of San Francisco"! As the dad of a Swiftie, I'm always hearing the social-media driven hint-dropping about the meaning of each song. The latest is about a painting of "The Death of Ophelia", and continued rumor-mongering of TS' sexuality. I might just suggested to her "The Lemon Song"!
I'll admit that I'm a fan of some of her albums. The last one, "...Tortured Poets..." was not one of them. Sonically, "...Showgirl", is a return to form. Catchy tunes with really good production. Lyrics to usually secondary to me, so I'm not too put off by her constantly divulging what's going on in her life. For me, the problem is the 8th note "sing song" similarity of most of her songs. Otherwise a pleasant enough listen. I don't begrudge her her success. I think she's a good person, doing a lot of good and I admired what she did regarding the issue of her song rights being sold and how she took care of everyone that worked on the Eras tour. She not an asshole and has worked very hard to get where she is and has done it admirably. Is she my favorite? No, but considering the pressure she must be constantly under, she's continuously delivered.
Maybe someday TS will expand her lyrical horizon. Maybe. Probably. When it happens will the lyrics be any good? Who knows? I expect she will attempt it someday. I hope she does but I won't be listening in all likelihood because I'll still be obsessing over Kinks' B-sides from 1966. Just saying.
Captain Al
My feelings on Taylor are very similar to cmealha above. I think I inch a bit more "Swiftie", however. I saw her live on the "Reputation" tour and was very, very impressed. I then learned that that album is near the BOTTOM of her rankings and dove in to "Red", which impressed me even more. She's clearly not perfect and almost no one deserves all the adulation that she gets. But she also doesn't deserve a lot of the criticism. Funny enough, this one underwhelmed me. The songs are definitely catchy and the album is concise. But, this album is where I agree with the usual criticism about her lyrics. I saw more depth on "Red" 15 years ago than I do here. "Folklore" and "Evermore" proved that she is very, very capable of writing from a mature point of view. She just chooses not to here. And that's a bit of a disappointment.
First of all, I think it's sad that Taylor hasn't laughed that hard since she was 8 or 9. Growing up's a bitch, isn't it? Secondly, thanks to your review Sal, I took a listen today and honestly, it's not a bad album. It's not really aimed at me, but I can appreciate it for what it is. I listened to Folklore after it came out and didn't return after the one spin. I skipped the last one entirely. Still not a fan of all the vocal processing, but a lot of the melodies on this album landed for me.
Guess I'm a Swift-ish now?
Careful Sal, you'll soon be making those cute little bracelets 🤣
P.S. I thought you provided an honest and valid assessment.
Thanks for saying so. Always appreciated more than the anonymous shitheads who troll.
"Quinn Martin epilogue" -- I agree with those above, that was a very funny touch. I've made you a friendship bracelet! We can exchange when I'm in NYC some day. (It includes a nod to Todd Rundgren and Daryl Hall and John Oates, of course.)
Good on you, Sal, for taking her seriously and for what's obviously and honest and thoughtful opinion.
Goddamniit, I knew when I saw your open-hearted, honest post this morning, some fuckhead would write in to troll you, and I'm guessing that's why the post disappeared. I hope I'm wrong. Hang in there!!
C in California
As a slightly-more-than-casual TS listener, I enjoyed this album much more than the over-long and plodding Tortured Poets album.
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