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Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl Steals the Spotlight Post-Release

BY RIVER EISENKRAMER

OCTOBER 17, 2025, 10:30 AM

To a non-Taylor Swift fan, October 3rd was just a regular day. But for those who binge every song on repeat, it was a celebration like no other. At midnight EST, Swift released her 12th studio album, The Life of a Showgirl, which broke streaming records and brought shimmering melodies and lively percussion to her evolving discography.

Within its first week, the opening track “The Fate of Ophelia” surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify, and its music video gained almost 30 million views on YouTube. This fan favorite marked Swift’s return to the Shakespearean, tragedy-turned-romance style—reminiscent of Love Story from her second album Fearless. Swift sang, “You saved my heart from the fate of  Ophelia,” an allusion to the doomed character from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, who was driven insane and drowned. In this case, a lover of the narrator—presumably Swift’s fiance, Travis Kelce—rescued her from heartbreak and pain.

EBHS Sophomore Zach Searle shared his thoughts on the project as a whole: “The Life of a Showgirl is such a cohesive album…one of her best. It’s so fun and danceable, and I love it”. Tracks such as “Opalite” and “CANCELLED!” featured lively drum beats, while tracks like “Wood” and “Actually Romantic” showed Swift’s growing comfort with exploring themes of intimacy in her music. Some listeners who remembered Swift as a young country singer with a guitar were disappointed by her more provocative lyrics. However, the new album reflected  Swift’s artistic growth —from heartfelt country ballads to pop hits, tortured poetry, and sparkles.

Another fan favorite was “Opalite,” with uplifting lyrics about perseverance and self-made joy. Sophomore Abby Schorr said, “‘Opalite’ is such a fun song and definitely my favorite on the album. It’s such a mood lifter and proved her pop game is still strong!”

The music video for “The Fate of Ophelia” depicted Swift across different eras of showbiz history—from a muse for paintings, to a Roaring Twenties flapper girl, to a burlesque dancer, and beyond. These visuals highlight the performative nature of fame and the multifaceted roles celebrities adopt in the public eye. Through The Life of a Showgirl, Swift reclaims the showgirl persona, transforming it into a symbol of empowerment and self-expression.