{"id":22956,"date":"2025-10-08T00:00:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-08T08:00:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/?p=22956"},"modified":"2025-10-22T13:41:53","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T21:41:53","slug":"baby-thats-show-biz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/baby-thats-show-biz\/","title":{"rendered":"Baby, that\u2019s show biz"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The cover for Taylor Swift\u2019s newest studio album, \u201cThe Life of a Showgirl.\u201d | Photo from @taylorswift on Instagram<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Oct 8 2025 | <\/span>Jaylin Emond-Har<\/span>din | Entertainment Editor<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If there\u2019s one thing singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is known for, it\u2019s the Easter eggs surrounding her work. The lead-up to the release of her 12th studio album, \u201cThe Life of a Showgirl,\u201d was no different. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Aug. 11, 2025, the Instagram account @taylornation \u2014 run by Swift\u2019s management team \u2014 posted a series of photos captioned \u201cThinking about when she said \u2018see you next era\u2026.\u2019\u201d 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\u2019s official website, counting down to 12:12 a.m. Eastern time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the timer ended, a sneak peek of Swift on the Aug. 13 episode of the \u201cNew Heights\u201d podcast \u2014 hosted by her partner, Travis Kelce, and his brother, Jason Kelce \u2014 announced that she would be releasing a new album titled \u201cThe Life of a Showgirl.\u201d In this sneak peek, however, Swift had blurred the cover to keep suspense for the podcast\u2019s release. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the \u201cNew Heights\u201d episode aired, it broke the record for most concurrent viewers on YouTube, with 1.3 million viewers tuning into the livestream. Swift\u2019s Spotify also created a playlist titled \u201cAnd, baby, that\u2019s show business for you,\u201d with songs from \u201creputation,\u201d \u201cRed\u201d and \u201c1989\u201d highlighting the sound the album would take. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the album was released Oct. 3, it immediately broke records. In just the first 11 hours of its release, \u201cThe Life of a Showgirl\u201d was streamed on Spotify by 1.2 million users, becoming the most-streamed album in a single day in 2025. Track one, \u201cThe Fate of Ophelia,\u201d is the album\u2019s single and currently sits as the most-streamed song. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each song carries its own unique sound, which was created with the help of producers Max Martin and Shellback \u2014 who have previously collaborated with Swift on albums \u201cRed,\u201d \u201c1989\u201d and \u201creputation.\u201d The songs that the duo produced from these albums were included on the \u201cAnd, baby, that\u2019s show business\u201d playlist on Swift\u2019s Spotify. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now that the album has made its dazzling debut, it\u2019s time to take a closer look at the songs that make \u201cThe Life of a Showgirl\u201d one of Swift\u2019s most ambitious eras yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Fate of Ophelia\u201d <\/strong>\u2014 The album\u2019s single is the first song that clearly alludes to her relationship with Travis Kelce. Using imagery relating to Ophelia from William Shakespeare\u2019s play \u201cHamlet,\u201d the synth beat evokes a dreamlike feel while Swift sings of being saved from the fate of Ophelia. In Shakespeare\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cElizabeth Taylor\u201d \u2014 <\/strong>This isn\u2019t the first time Swift has referenced actress Elizabeth Taylor in her work. In the music video for her 2014 hit \u201cWildest Dreams,\u201d 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 \u201cCleopatra.\u201d The song talks about the downsides of fame, with lyrics that could apply to Swift or Elizabeth Taylor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOpalite\u201d \u2014 <\/strong>Most Swifties know that Swift\u2019s favorite gemstone is an opal, which means the fact that Kelce\u2019s birthstone is an opal is even sweeter. \u201c(An opalite) is a man-made opal and happiness can also be man-made,\u201d Swift said during an interview with Capital FM Breakfast. \u201cThat\u2019s what the song is about. The juxtaposition of those two.\u201d Swift speaks of this \u201cman-made happiness\u201d in previous relationships for both her and Kelce, but suggests that now that they are together, \u201cthe sky is opalite.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFather Figure\u201d \u2014 <\/strong>Fans are convinced that \u201cFather Figure\u201d is about Scooter Braun, Swift\u2019s former manager. After Braun sold the rights to Swift\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEldest Daughter\u201d \u2014 <\/strong>Swift has referenced marriage multiple times in previous albums, with track five following the trend. The line \u201cwhen I said I don’t believe in marriage, that was a lie,\u201d seemingly alludes to Kelce and their recent engagement. She also criticizes the apathy of internet culture, and \u201cEldest Daughter\u201d is the most vulnerable track on the album.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRuin the Friendship\u201d \u2014 <\/strong>While most assumed that track six would address Swift\u2019s apparent feud with actress Blake Lively, it actually speaks of a high school friend who passed. Her friend Abigail, who is referenced in \u201cFifteen\u201d from Swift\u2019s 2008 album \u201cFearless,\u201d does receive a mention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cActually Romantic\u201d \u2014 <\/strong>While the title suggests romance, the lyrics are actually far from romantic. Many interpret this track as a response to singer Charli XCX\u2019s track \u201cSympathy is a Knife,\u201d 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWi$h Li$t\u201d \u2014 <\/strong>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, \u201ca couple of kids\u201d and to just settle down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWood\u201d \u2014 <\/strong>Another song about Kelce, this track is for sure the sexiest on \u201cThe Life of a Showgirl.\u201d The steamy lyrics reference Swift\u2019s intimate relationship with Kelce, going so far as to allude to his manhood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCANCELLED!\u201d \u2014 <\/strong>While most thought \u201cRuin the Friendship\u201d would be about Blake Lively, it is in fact track 10 that addresses their relationship. The track defends multiple members of Swift\u2019s friend group who have been under fire at some point \u2014 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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHoney\u201d \u2014 <\/strong>The fifth and final song on the album about Kelce, \u201cHoney\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Life of a Showgirl\u201d \u2014 <\/strong>Featuring Sabrina Carpenter, the album\u2019s 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. \u201cThe Life of a Showgirl\u201d focuses heavily on meeting one\u2019s idols and being warned about following in their footsteps, but still doing it anyways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Life of a Showgirl\u201d is now streaming on Spotify and Apple Music. 
Contact the author at howlentertainment@wou.edu<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If there\u2019s one thing singer-songwriter Taylor Swift is known for, it\u2019s the Easter eggs surrounding her work. The lead-up to the release of her 12th studio album, \u201cThe Life of a Showgirl,\u201d was no different.  On Aug. 11, 2025, the Instagram account @taylornation \u2014 run by Swift\u2019s management team \u2014 posted a series of photos […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1094,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Baby, that\u2019s show biz","_seopress_titles_desc":"Taylor Swift releases 12th studio album \u201cThe Life of a Showgirl\u201d","_seopress_robots_index":"","_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22956","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entertainment"],"modified_by":"saragerrick","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22956","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1094"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22956"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22956\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23459,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22956\/revisions\/23459"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22956"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22956"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wou.edu\/westernhowl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22956"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}