Unless you’ve been living under a very dull rock, you will have heard that Taylor Swift has released a sparkly new album, Life of a Showgirl. As an extra treat for her dedicated Swifties, Taylor has simultaneously unleashed an 89-minute film, Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, feeding the fandom with behind-the-scenes footage and lyric videos for the album.
After experiencing withdrawal symptoms from the Eras tour, fans have been waiting with bated breath for the pop star’s next move and [drum roll], it was far from disappointing. The film was made up of behind-the-scenes footage of the making of The Fate of Ophelia’s music video as well as lyric videos and explanations for each song on the album. The details usually haphazardly pieced together by fans were given straight up instead, giving the full, brilliant picture. Rumours were confirmed, debunked and cheekily avoided and we heard it all straight from the showgirl’s mouth.
"You had to make your own sunshine, but now the sky is opalite."
The film felt like the era when Taylor would hand-select fans and invite them into her home for an exclusive first listen to her new songs. With her now being a global icon, The Official Release Party of a Showgirl is the next chapter in Swift’s relationship with her fans. Singing and dancing was encouraged, muffled giggles at the innuendos were unavoidable and collective respect for Taylor and her directing skills was solidified.
From Shakespeare to sourdough, numerology to nostalgia, Taylor’s new era proves there’s no such thing as an accident in her world. If you missed out on tickets, we’ve got you covered with everything we learnt from the film.
Switching up Shakespeare
For her first track, Taylor said she felt she needed to save yet another Shakespeare woman from her fate, joking that ”this is now the second song where I’ve gone back in and been like, yo, what if they survive?”. This time, Ophelia gets a rewrite: “She drowned because Hamlet messed with her head - all the men were gaslighting her until she drowned”. In Taylor’s version, Ophelia lives. And as for the knight in shining armour? We’ll let you guess who that might be.
Clumsy or clever?
After appearing with an orange plaster on her finger (a result of a run in with broken glass), Taylor may have been doing more than hinting at clumsiness. Was this a nod to CANCELLED!’s lyric “Shattered glass is a lot more sharp”? Knowing Taylor, we can bet on symbolism over accident.
A treasure trove of lyrics
Taylor revealed the lyric vault she keeps locked away in her phone; and yes, we all want the passcode. It ranges from “the dumbest thing I’ve ever written” to the inspiration for the first track. The list is long and, of course, a little weird.
Sourdough star
Taylor’s love of baking is immortalised in The Fate of Ophelia music video, where her sourdough is quite literally put on a pedestal. Lovingly baked to perfection, Taylor gushes over her loaf like a proud mum.
You know how to ball… now I kind of do too
In The Fate of Ophelia music video, Taylor slips in a sneaky reference to her football-star fiancé singing: “pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes”. Owning up to the fact sports are not her speciality, she nails a catch while gliding through a hotel corridor on a trolley. Was this a glimpse into the couple's off-screen downtime? We will take it.
A cat cameo
It wouldn’t be a Taylor Swift production without a mention of her feline friends. Eagle-eyed fans will have seen a statue of her cat, Benjamin Button in the Ophelia painting scene. Cute.
Opals are so in
Explaining the meaning behind her song Opalite, Taylor said: “I’ve always loved opals and my mum’s always loved opals…it’s one of our things.” The songwriter revealed that opalite, a man-made gemstone, is a metaphor for choosing your own path. “Sometimes you have to make your own happiness”. Healthy truths from our crystal queen.
Keeping it 100
The lyric “keeping it 100” ties into Taylor’s more niche interest: numerology. On the New Heights podcast, she shared that as Travis’ chief's jersey number is 87 and her lucky number is 13, they become 100 together. Could it be more perfect? We then see the final sequence of the music video taking place in the hotel room number 87, another subtle nod to her new muse.
Songwriter to songwriter
A lover of alliteration, Taylor shared that George Michael’s Father Figure inspired her song with the same title. She repurposed, saying she “thought it would be cool to use the line as a creative prompt and make it about power”. While speculation swirls about its subject, Swift only revealed she can relate to both characters – the protégé and the mentor. She even reached out to the George Michael estate to ask for permission, saying: “I know how sacred songwriting is. It’s really important to honour that when someone has written something so brilliant”. Somewhere, George is bopping to TS12.
Wood
Wood is about superstitions…that’s it.
Attention is affection
Taylor’s unbothered era is in full swing. Speaking about Actually Romantic, she called it “a love letter to someone who hates you”. While no confirmation for the Charli XCX rumours was made, she laughed: “As I’ve gotten older, I’m just like, oh my gosh you did so much with this, that’s so flattering. I don’t think about you, but thank you for all the effort. It’s very sweet of you to think about me this much”. She closed with: “In this industry, attention is affection and you’ve given me a lot of it so…mwah.”. Iconic.
Nostalgic nods
After a break from writing about her high school experience, Taylor returned with Ruin the Friendship, a song about letting go and taking risks. She reflected on how, back then, ”everything is just so intense, like everything would be ruined if you put one foot out of line” but now realises that “it would have been fine to take chances”. Though no one was named in the film, fans believe the track nods to her high school friend who passed away at 21.
Sabrina is the ultimate Showgirl
Taylor revealed as soon as she had finished the final track of the album, she thought: "I want Sabrina to sing on this so bad. She is so good at moving through backlash or criticism, or people just being unfair to her, or picking her apart. She has the temperament to pivot and use it as fuel and I really feel like she’s got the same mentality as what this song sings about.”
When asked, Carpenter’s reaction was: “Are you kidding? I’m dead. Yes, of course,’”. Marking her commitment, she was on tour in Sweden and took her days to record. Taylor ended: “And that is a showgirl for you.”
