Oct 8 2025 | Jaylin Emond-Hardin | Entertainment Editor
If there’s one thing singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is known for, it’s the Easter eggs surrounding her work. The lead-up to the release of her 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” was no different.
On Aug. 11, 2025, the Instagram account @taylornation — run by Swift’s management team — posted a series of photos captioned “Thinking about when she said ‘see you next era….’” with the fire heart emoji. Each photo in the carousel featured an orange outfit Swift wore during the sets of her Eras Tour. That same day, a timer appeared on Swift’s official website, counting down to 12:12 a.m. Eastern time.
When the timer ended, a sneak peek of Swift on the Aug. 13 episode of the “New Heights” podcast — hosted by her partner, Travis Kelce, and his brother, Jason Kelce — announced that she would be releasing a new album titled “The Life of a Showgirl.” In this sneak peek, however, Swift had blurred the cover to keep suspense for the podcast’s release.
When the “New Heights” episode aired, it broke the record for most concurrent viewers on YouTube, with 1.3 million viewers tuning into the livestream. Swift’s Spotify also created a playlist titled “And, baby, that’s show business for you,” with songs from “reputation,” “Red” and “1989” highlighting the sound the album would take.
Alternate covers were posted to @taylornation the same day, and highlighted the showgirl aesthetic that the album was meant to take, complete with feathers, oversized jewels, fishnet stockings and kitten heels. The 12-song track list was announced the following day, Aug. 14.
When the album was released Oct. 3, it immediately broke records. In just the first 11 hours of its release, “The Life of a Showgirl” was streamed on Spotify by 1.2 million users, becoming the most-streamed album in a single day in 2025. Track one, “The Fate of Ophelia,” is the album’s single and currently sits as the most-streamed song.
Each song carries its own unique sound, which was created with the help of producers Max Martin and Shellback — who have previously collaborated with Swift on albums “Red,” “1989” and “reputation.” The songs that the duo produced from these albums were included on the “And, baby, that’s show business” playlist on Swift’s Spotify.
Now that the album has made its dazzling debut, it’s time to take a closer look at the songs that make “The Life of a Showgirl” one of Swift’s most ambitious eras yet.
“The Fate of Ophelia” — The album’s single is the first song that clearly alludes to her relationship with Travis Kelce. Using imagery relating to Ophelia from William Shakespeare’s play “Hamlet,” the synth beat evokes a dreamlike feel while Swift sings of being saved from the fate of Ophelia. In Shakespeare’s play, Ophelia famously went mad after the death of her father, Polonius, and being rejected by Hamlet, whom she loved deeply. The imagery in the song suggests that Kelce saved Swift from meeting the same fate.
“Elizabeth Taylor” — This isn’t the first time Swift has referenced actress Elizabeth Taylor in her work. In the music video for her 2014 hit “Wildest Dreams,” Swift dresses as the Hollywood icon and falls in love with her co-star on set, just like Elizabeth Taylor and her ex-husband Richard Burton did on set for the 1963 film “Cleopatra.” The song talks about the downsides of fame, with lyrics that could apply to Swift or Elizabeth Taylor.
“Opalite” — Most Swifties know that Swift’s favorite gemstone is an opal, which means the fact that Kelce’s birthstone is an opal is even sweeter. “(An opalite) is a man-made opal and happiness can also be man-made,” Swift said during an interview with Capital FM Breakfast. “That’s what the song is about. The juxtaposition of those two.” Swift speaks of this “man-made happiness” in previous relationships for both her and Kelce, but suggests that now that they are together, “the sky is opalite.”
“Father Figure” — Fans are convinced that “Father Figure” is about Scooter Braun, Swift’s former manager. After Braun sold the rights to Swift’s masters without her permission, a years-long battle to reclaim them ensued. The song tells the story from the perspective of the father figure, and suggests betrayal and a lack of loyalty.
“Eldest Daughter” — Swift has referenced marriage multiple times in previous albums, with track five following the trend. The line “when I said I don’t believe in marriage, that was a lie,” seemingly alludes to Kelce and their recent engagement. She also criticizes the apathy of internet culture, and “Eldest Daughter” is the most vulnerable track on the album.
“Ruin the Friendship” — While most assumed that track six would address Swift’s apparent feud with actress Blake Lively, it actually speaks of a high school friend who passed. Her friend Abigail, who is referenced in “Fifteen” from Swift’s 2008 album “Fearless,” does receive a mention.
“Actually Romantic” — While the title suggests romance, the lyrics are actually far from romantic. Many interpret this track as a response to singer Charli XCX’s track “Sympathy is a Knife,” as well as addressing the brief and unconfirmed fling Swift had with The 1975 frontman Matty Healy. Charli XCX is married to George Daniel, who is currently the drummer for The 1975.
“Wi$h Li$t” — Track eight might have dollar signs in the name; however, the song rejects material culture and luxury goods. Instead, Swift speaks of what she really wants: Kelce, “a couple of kids” and to just settle down.
“Wood” — Another song about Kelce, this track is for sure the sexiest on “The Life of a Showgirl.” The steamy lyrics reference Swift’s intimate relationship with Kelce, going so far as to allude to his manhood.
“CANCELLED!” — While most thought “Ruin the Friendship” would be about Blake Lively, it is in fact track 10 that addresses their relationship. The track defends multiple members of Swift’s friend group who have been under fire at some point — without actually naming them. Some lyrics have allusions to Lively, while others seem to defend Brittany Mahomes, wife of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“Honey” — The fifth and final song on the album about Kelce, “Honey” talks about how pet names were always used passive-aggressively until their relationship began. The song is sugary and sweet, giving more bubblegum pop vibes.
“The Life of a Showgirl” — Featuring Sabrina Carpenter, the album’s titular song talks about the ups and downs of life as a celebrity. This is the first time Carpenter and Swift have collaborated on a song, even though Carpenter opened for the Eras Tour. “The Life of a Showgirl” focuses heavily on meeting one’s idols and being warned about following in their footsteps, but still doing it anyways.
“The Life of a Showgirl” is now streaming on Spotify and Apple Music.
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu
