Day 23 of fashion month, and Vogue’s two Gen Z editors are barely hanging on. The only thing keeping us going through our sleep-deprived haze? Taylor Swift—our musical idol—dropping her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl.
We’re still exhausted, but with only four days of shows left, we might just survive. Join us as we share our thoughts on each of the album’s 12 tracks.
Irene Kim: It’s 5:30 a.m., and being awake feels wrong, but here I am live-blogging the Loewe show. (Congrats to Jack and Lazaro, by the way!) This is Florence and my second time reacting to a Taylor Swift album together, and while it’s fun, waiting for each other to listen is a pain!!! Earlier, while scrolling TikTok before Loewe started, I caught a 30-second clip of one of her songs and literally threw my phone across the room!
Florence O’Connor: I’m in London, and waiting for Irene to wake up so we can listen to this album is one of the toughest things I’ve ever done. But I do it for my bestie (Irene) and for all of you.
“The Fate of Ophelia”
O’Connor: OMG, I’m already loving the beat. What a bop! I’m looking up the lyrics so I can follow along—don’t want to miss a thing!
Kim: My brain’s still foggy, but I love it. I can’t really process the lyrics right now—I’ll save that for later when I’m off work. But the chorus is really nice.
O’Connor: I have to confess, Ophelia is high on my list of baby names, but everyone says it’s too tragic because of the story. Not sure if this song helps or hurts my case!
Kim: Omg, lol. Ophelia is such a pretty name!!!!!
O’Connor: Okay, this album is clearly about Travis (no surprise there), but the line “pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes” is a dead giveaway. Go Chiefs! Do football players have walk-out songs like in baseball? They should start, so Travis can come out to a Taylor track.
Kim: That last line is adorable: “You saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia.” Insert 100 crying emojis here!!
“Elizabeth Taylor”
O’Connor: Can’t wait to scream “Be my NY when Hollywood hates me” with you, Irene, when we’re in LA for Vogue World: Hollywood later this month. (Everyone, mark your calendars for October 26!)
Kim: I’m already emotional over the line, “Ooh, oftentimes it doesn’t feel so glamorous to be me/ All the right guys promised they’d stay under bright lights/ They withered away, but you bloom.” It’s so Travis.
Kim: This song reminds me of an Emily Henry book I read this summer, Great Big Beautiful Life! One character is like a starlet—Elizabeth Taylor or Taylor Swift—super famous with a string of exes, so it really resonates. But that book had a happy-ish ending, so Taylor, I’m wishing you the happiest ending ever!!!
O’Connor: If “You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby”… Taylor, you’re absolutely on fire!
“Opalite”
O’Connor: So, the rumor is this song is about Keleigh Teller, since she gave Taylor an opalite ring and then they went from inseparable to never seen together. Lyrics like “And all of the foes, and all of the friends (Ha, ha)/ They’ve seen it before, they’ll see it again (Ha, ha)/ Life is a song, it ends when it ends” definitely give those TikTok theories some weight.
Kim: Teaaaaaaaaa. The ring was pretty, though.
O’Connor: “This is just a storm inside a teacup”… I’m actually drinking tea from a teacup right now. I’ve never felt more connected to Taylor.
“Father Figure”
O’Connor: This song is how the entire Vogue staff feels…When it comes to fashion month, Irene is the one who “protects the family.” We can absolutely trust her with everything. And let me tell you, fashion publicists definitely “know her name out there.” I feel sorry for anyone who underestimates her kindness and ends up with their “card cancelled.” This empire belongs to Irene Kim.
Kim: That’s the kindest thing anyone has ever said to me. I’m in tears!!!!!
O’Connor: “You know, you remind me of a younger me. I saw potential.” Ooh, who do we think this is about? Sabrina Carpenter? Gracie Abrams? Or maybe Olivia Rodrigo?
Kim: It could be all of them!!! She’s like the mother (in a good way) to all the pop girls. And the line “I protect the family” has such a mafia, New Jersey vibe!!
“Eldest Daughter”
O’Connor: This might be a hot take, but this sounds like it could be from a musical. I love it. It could fit in Dear Evan Hansen, maybe?
Kim: Oh my god. Is Taylor Swift heading to Broadway soon?! Or doing a Vegas residency?!?
O’Connor: I mean, we’re definitely only a few years away from The Life of a Showgirl, the musical version! Sabrina Carpenter could play her!
Kim: That’s such a father figure move for sure!!
O’Connor: The melody of “But I’m not a bad bitch, and this isn’t savage” is the same as “’Cause I’m not your princess, this ain’t a fairytale” from White Horse. Chills.
Kim: The line “so many traitors, smooth operators” is something Donna Kelce should remember when she’s on Traitors next season, especially around the housewives and former Survivor cast.
“Ruin the Friendship”
O’Connor: Immediately googles where Gallatin Road is It’s in Tennessee. Interesting.
Kim: The 50 Cent shoutout is killing me!!!! Two icons, honestly.
O’Connor: Oh, I guess this is about an old high school fling? She mentions Abigail, second period, and a corsage.
Kim: Interesting, I thought it would be about an alleged ex-friend from the song title. But as always, Taylor Swift exceeds our expectations.
O’Connor: This song just took a turn I wasn’t ready for: “Abigail called me with the bad news” and “But I whispered at the grave, ‘Should’ve kissed you anyway.’” Well, that’s sad!
Kim: As Florence knows, my childhood friend told me he liked me this summer, and now Taylor Swift is advising me to ruin the friendship instead of regretting it forever? (He doesn’t subscribe to Vogue, so the chances of him reading this are slim!!!)
O’Connor: Wow, Irene is getting real here. (Maybe too real??) We really risk it all for a good story. Thank God for the paywall, right?!
Kim: Yay, paywall!
“Actually Romantic”
O’Connor: At least Irene is in good company because Taylor is being REAL in this song. Sorry, Charli XCX, but I’m always team Taylor.
Kim: Oh my god, this song. The lyrics. I’m screaming at how savage Taylor is being. “Boring Barbie” is really funny, I can’t lie.
O’Connor: Seriously, step aside, Kim K, Taylor has a new villain. Irene, should we write a diss track? Wouldn’t you all love to know who it would be about!
Kim: Florence and I could easily whip up a diss track if Vogue locked us in a conference room for an hour. We might need to borrow Taylor’s band, though.
Kim: How does Taylor Swift make her diss tracks sound sweet? If you weren’t paying attention to the lyrics, you’d think it was just a regular song.
O’Connor: I’m afraid ours wouldn’t be nearly as subtle.
Kim: Yeah. But good for you, Taylor! Clapping back through her album!
“Wi$h Li$t”
O’Connor: Irene and my birthdays are coming up (they’re four days apart…we’re truly twin flames), so I asked Irene what she wanted, and she said nothing. So Irene can’t relate to this song.
Kim: I love us!! To be fair, when I asked Florence the same thing, she also said nothing. But then she said she wanted a sweatshirt!!!!! (It sounds like it’s a cute one from Cherry LA!) We both…I need to dream bigger—like a house on the water or something similar, because a house with a basketball hoop in the driveway isn’t my dream. (That was my reality growing up, so I can’t relate to Taylor Swift in this case!)
O’Connor: I guess I also want to “have a couple kids,” but mine will all be named Ophelia!
Kim: And if your kids keep your last name, they could be Ophelia O’Connor. If you give them a middle name starting with O too, they’d have the amazing initials “OOO,” which is my favorite email subject line to receive!
O’Connor: See, this is why we all need an Irene in our lives. Genius.
“Wood”
O’Connor: This song is saucy! I’m so relieved we’re not listening to it in a work conference room right now.
Kim: Thank God!! It seems NSFW. But being friends with Sabrina Carpenter has really encouraged Taylor Swift to be a bit more cheeky. I love it.
“CANCELLED!”
O’Connor: Omg, is this about Blake Lively? “Good thing I like my friends cancelled/ I like ’em cloaked in Gucci and in scandal.”
Kim: Omg. So are they still friends or not? I need answers now!!!!!! But back to the song, this is extremely Reputation-coded. I love how vulnerable and vengeful Taylor is getting.
O’Connor: Now that is TEA! Also, am I crazy, or could “something wicked this way comes” be an easter egg for the second Wicked movie coming out later this year? I would die to see a Taylor Swift cameo in Oz!
Kim: That would be amazing if Taylor made a cameo in Wicked.
O’Connor: I need to hear her sing “Defying Gravity” ASAP.
“Honey”
O’Connor: Ugh, so happy to hear another cute Travis-coded song. I love their love. Irene, you can call me honey!
Kim: Yes, me and Luke!!! (That’s Florence’s boyfriend, who gets a shoutout in almost every Florence article! Because we love Luke!)
O’Connor: Throuple alert!
Kim: LOL! We can share our house with the driveway and basketball hoop! It’s more financially smart if we split the home three ways, in this economy!
Kim: Who would ever tell Taylor Swift to back off? I’d let her take my man any time!
O’Connor: She can join our relationship. Quadruple alert!
“The Life of a Showgirl”
O’Connor: OMG. My sister’s name is Kitty… I’m so jealous. She is, in fact, being a showgirl in a play on the West End right now!!
Kim: Between the tea and the Kitty mention, it’s like this album was written for you, Florence.
O’Connor: I’m so mad. I’m so jealous that my parents named her Kitty and not me. This is so unfair. And she’s the oldest daughter.
O’Connor: I only just realized Sabrina Carpenter is also on this song. Iconic.
Kim: Me too—I honestly forgot about the Sabrina feature! Their voices are a match made in heaven, though. Our favorite two showgirls!
O’Connor: We too are “married to the hustle” and recently received lots of “lovely bouquets” (courtesy of our boss, Chloe Malle, whose office turned into a florist for two weeks).
Kim: Best week of my life! We were going home with flowers every other day!
Kim: The outro really gives the vibe that Taylor’s about to do a Vegas residency. I will spend my entire paycheck to go watch this live.
O’Connor: No notes. Can’t wait for the show! (This is also our formal plea to any brands who would like to send us! We will love you forever!)
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of helpful and concise FAQs about Vogues article on Taylor Swift fans and the track The Life of a Showgirl
General Beginner Questions
Q What is The Life of a Showgirl
A Its a new unreleased track from Taylor Swift that recently surfaced online generating a lot of discussion among her fans
Q Where can I listen to the song
A As its an unreleased track its not officially available on streaming services like Spotify or Apple Music It has been shared unofficially on platforms like YouTube and social media
Q Why is Vogue writing about a Taylor Swift song
A Vogue often covers major moments in pop culture They featured this story to highlight the fan reaction and analyze the songs significance within Taylors career and its connection to her public persona
Q Is this song part of a new album like The Tortured Poets Department
A No it is not part of any officially announced album It appears to be a vault track or an unreleased demo from a previous era
Fan Reaction Song Analysis
Q What is the general fan reaction to the song
A According to Vogue fans are excited and deeply analyzing the lyrics Many see it as a raw and honest look at the pressures of fame from Taylors perspective
Q What are the main themes of The Life of a Showgirl
A Based on fan interpretations the song explores themes of performance the exhaustion of constant public scrutiny the gap between a public persona and a private self and the sacrifices of a life in the spotlight
Q Which of Taylors past albums does this song sound like
A Fans speculate it has sonic and lyrical similarities to the 1989 or reputation eras given its focus on fame and a more synthpop or theatrical production style
Q What does the term vault track mean
A A vault track is a song that was written and recorded during the sessions for a specific album but was ultimately cut and not included on the final release Taylor has been releasing these from her rerecorded albums
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