My first listen to The Life of a Showgirl was… not ideal. I was driving home with friends from a really loud concert – my hearing was shot, my attention span was nonexistent, and honestly, I probably shouldn’t have trusted myself with new Taylor in that state. Lesson learned: no more first listens unless my ears are keeping it 100.
I said, “This is weird… she doesn’t sound like Taylor.” It felt like I was listening to the lovechild of Sabrina Carpenter and Lana Del Rey. I didn’t dislike it – I just couldn’t get past the fact that it didn’t sound like Taylor. And I was pretty sure it wasn’t going to be one of my favorite albums.
The next morning, I went to work and, of course, my coworkers asked me what I thought of Taylor’s new album (they know and support my fully obsessed Swiftie self). I shrugged and they were shocked. So, I played the album again in my office. We were vibing, and then the chorus of Father Figure chorus hit. My office mate and I both whipped around in our chairs – I said, “Did she just say my d**’s bigger?” Okay, Taylor. Okay! This album is growing on me.
Saturday I had a long drive and I had received one of the four copies of the CD I ordered. I popped the CD in and listened to it for a third time. I realized I really, really liked it. It felt confident, sparkly, and fun – the kind of album that makes you dance in your car. I thought, “this might actually be a no-skip album.”
When I got to Eldest Daughter, I started recording my reactions and thoughts for my best friend and fellow Swiftie. I said, “Okay, hot take: I think Ruin the Friendship should have been track 5. It’s way more sad.” And then Taylor hit me with “Every youngest child felt they were raised up in the wild, but now you’re home” – and I lost it. I immediately took my hot take back. “It’s a good track 5. Taylor, why did you do this to us? Track 5 and Track 6 back-to-back? It’s like a double track 5 with no happy bop in between to help us recover.”
Finally, I went to the theater release on Sunday with my husband. I warned him, “I’m probably going to be singing and dancing in my seat.” When we got to Ruin the Friendship, I took a deep breath. Knowing what the song was about, I knew that seeing the lyrics on the screen would probably break me. It did indeed break me – I actually sobbed. I had to bury my head into my husband’s shoulder. Taylor, what did you do to me?
Now, a week later, I can’t stop listening. When I go to play music, my brain just says, Showgirl. Every morning I wake up with a different song in my head, and random lyrics pop up throughout the day – right now it’s: “my mama told me it’s alright, you were dancing through the lightning strikes” and very often it’s just “ELIZABETH TAYLOR!”
People keep asking me what my favorite song is. “Probably The Fate of Ophelia.” Then it’s Father Figure. “Oh wait, no – CANCELLED!” Actually I think my favorite is The Life of a Showgirl. Okay, okay. My favorite song is:
The Fate of Ophelia
Elizabeth Taylor
Opalite
Father Figure
Eldest Daughter
Ruin the Friendship
Actually Romantic
Wi$h Li$t
Wood
CANCELLED!
Honey
The Life of a Showgirl.
Because really – it’s a no-skip era.
RD on the Run 