Taylor wants an Oscar and scores big at the box office. J. Lo wants an Oscar and experiences the lowest point of her career. A tale of two pop star showgirls.

It was fun and refreshingly retro hitting up an actual record release party this weekend for Taylor Swift’s 12th album, The Life of a Showgirl. In a music landscape where artists scramble for every streaming penny, Swift still manages to feel a step ahead of the game.

True, nobody’s making much cash per stream these days, and vinyl doesn’t move like it did during its glory years. But Swift’s decision to pair her new album with a full-length film is a genius play—especially since most of the opening-weekend-only movie is just the lyrics to 11 of the 12 tracks streaming across the screen, turning each song into a cinematic event.

The lead-off single, “The Fate of Ophelia,” tips its hat to Shakespeare’s Hamlet and gets the deluxe treatment: a big-budget video and a behind-the-scenes look at how it all came together. It’s the standout on an impossibly catchy record.

Some of my other early favorites? I’m loving “Opalite,” the ballad “Eldest Daughter,” the Lenny Kravitz-vibed “Ruin the Friendship,” the Travis Kelce-inspired “Wi$h Li$t,” the Jackson 5-leaning “Wood,” and the gleeful “Honey,” which takes aim at passive aggression. These picks will probably shift and change over the coming months.

https://popculturelunchbox.substack.com/p/the-record-release-party-gets-reimagined

Please use this new megathread to post your thoughts on The Life of a Showgirl, as well as any articles, news or reviews relating to the topic. Separate threads will be created for certain reviews/reactions from notable publications at the mod team's discretion. This will be sorted by new and pinned for a while to allow for further discussion.

Fresh Album Thread

YouTube Visualizers playlist

The Fate of Ophelia Music Video - coming Oct 5th, 7pm EST

Reviews:

• The Guardian: Taylor Swift: The Life of a Showgirl review – dull razzle-dazzle from a star who seems frazzled - 2/5

• The Telegraph: Taylor Swift’s new album is as sickly sweet as a Barbara Cartland fever dream - 3/5

• A. V. Club: Taylor Swift takes the bait on The Life Of A Showgirl - C+

• The Independent: Taylor Swift review, The Life of a Showgirl: As compelling as she’s ever been – the star, the ringmaster and the circus all in one - 4/5

• AP News: On Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’ love and reputation are on the line - 4/5

• Rolling Stones: Taylor Swift Conquers Her Biggest Stage Ever on ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ - 5/5

• Billboard: Taylor Swift Brings the Bangers on ‘Life of a Showgirl,’ But Don’t Call It ‘1989, Pt. 2’: Critic’s Take

• Variety: With ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’ Taylor Swift Has Made Such a Contagiously Joyful Record, Even Her Score-Settling Detours Sound Sunny

• NPR: On 'The Life of a Showgirl,' Taylor Swift feels love's glow and the spotlight's glare

• Teen Vogue: The Life of a Showgirl Album Review: A Taylor Swift Who Is Unafraid to Fail

• The New York Times: On ‘Showgirl,’ Taylor Swift Has a Lust for Love (and Her Foes)

• The Atlantic: Taylor Swift’s Fairy Tale Is Over: The singer has everything she ever wanted—her new album suggests that it’s all sort of a drag

Track Reviews:

• Pitchfork: Actually Romantic | Thread

• Pitchfork: Father Figure

Written Interviews:

• The Telegraph: Taylor Swift: I thought I had to be sad to write songs

Radio Interviews:

• Hits Radio

• Heart Radio

• Capital FM

• BBC Radio 1

• Magic Radio

• This Morning

• Elvis Duran Show

(Thank you r/taylorswift for compiling these for easy copying for us)

TV Interviews:

Taylor Swift Shows Off Her Engagement Ring | The Graham Norton Show (Sneak Peak)

Articles:

• The Guardian: Taylor Swift’s Charli xcx hit job misses the point – and underscores her tedious obsession with conflict - Opinion piece by Laura Snapes

• Vox: Taylor Swift is done pretending she doesn’t absolutely love this life

• Teen Vogue: Ophelia Explained: Why Taylor Swift Reimagines Shakespeare in The Life of a Showgirl

• The Telegraph: Taylor Swift is settling some scores: The Life of a Showgirl decoded

• Stereogum: Premature Evaluation: Taylor Swift The Life Of A Showgirl

• New Yorker: Why Does Taylor Swift Think She’s Cursed?

Podcast Episodes:

• NYT's Popcast: Breaking Down Taylor Swift's 'The Life of a Showgirl'

Megathread I | Megathread II (You're here!) | Megathread III

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