Taylor Swift is one of pop music’s most successful and talented singer-songwriters. She has solidified herself as multifaceted in the music industry, conquering multiple genres with quality lyricism and production.
After the record-breaking "Eras Tour,” where Swift performed 149 shows in 21 months while also navigating a breakup and the physical toll of performing, a break from songwriting seemed inevitable.
Quality art normally requires time and recovery, but Swift never took a break and released her 12th album, “The Life of a Showgirl," on Oct. 3. Sadly, it quickly became clear a break would’ve been the better option. Sonically, the album shines, but lyrically and stylistically, it falls short. The mood Swift teased doesn’t match the music, creating a disconnect and making “TLOAS” Swift’s weakest and most uninspired project yet.
When Swift announced “TLOAS” in August, she described it as “catching lightning in a bottle,” saying it was a project she felt proud of and connected to. She promised a project with poetic depth of “folklore” and the upbeat energy of “1989,” all while exploring the highs and lows of show business.
Sadly, “TLOAS” treads familiar ground and fails to meet or exceed Swift’s standards, as if it was made under pressure rather than passion. The storytelling, emotion and lyricism Swift is known for are muted on this album.
More importantly, the lyrics of “TLOAS” don’t meet the lyrical standard Swift has built her career on, which is poetic, emotional and clever. Even albums not meant to be “deep” were held to this same standard, which is why the flat lyricism of “TLOAS” is surprising.
The use of memes and references in “TLOAS” takes away from the timelessness of Swift’s lyricism. In the track “CANCELLED!,” she sings “Did you girlboss too close to the sun?” followed by “Good thing I like my friends cancelled / I like 'em cloaked in Gucci and in scandal.”
Similarly, in the song “Eldest Daughter,” she sings, “Everybody's cutthroat in the comments / Every single hot take is cold as ice,” and refers to herself as a “bad bitch.” These lyrics feel awkward, relying on Internet buzzwords instead of meaningful reflections of her career. At 35, Swift built her reputation on emotional intelligence. These cringeworthy, outdated meme references sound lazy and out of place.
Sabrina Carpenter, who was featured on the album, is rising to fame thanks to her songs full of witty and candid lyrics about sex and relationships. Swift, now engaged to NFL player Travis Kelce, attempted the same style, but it comes off as forced and immature.
She sings about Kelce in the album, but not in the artistic loving way fans were expecting. The song “Wood” is a painfully long metaphor for sex with Kelce, where she sings “Redwood tree, it ain't hard to see / His love was thе key that opened my thighs,” followed by, “The curse on me was broken by your magic wand.”
There’s nothing wrong with singing about sex. However, the shift from clever and poetic innuendos for sex to immature quips is a poor stylistic choice.
Swift has written about sex from an “elevated perspective” in other albums, like in “Dress” from her “Reputation” album, where she sings, “Carve your name into my bedpost / 'Cause I don't want you like a best friend / Only bought this dress so you could take it off.” This approach clearly worked. “Dress” has over 475 million streams and was even featured on the viral show “The Summer I Turned Pretty.” The approach to “TLOAS” doesn’t work.
Swift is at a point where she isn’t chasing anything bigger. “The Eras Tour” is over, she’s happily engaged and she finally owns the masters to all her albums. What fans expected to be precise and vulnerable was a rushed, tacky letdown deserving more time and care.
In an interview, Swift questioned, “I used to have this dark fear that if I ever were truly happy and free, being myself and nurtured by a relationship, what happens if the writing just dries up?”
I don’t want to criticize her for being happy in her relationship, but “TLOAS” gives these fears some validity. While the production shines, the vulnerability and world-building I expect are replaced by shallow lyrics and forced sexual humor.
The departure from her signature style on this album is a big misstep, undermining the brand she’s perfected. “TLOAS” shows speed in songwriting can’t replace craft.
Abby Shriver is a freshman studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note the opinions expressed in this column do not represent those of The Post. Want to talk to Abby about their column? Email them at as064024@ohio.edu or on Instagram @abbyshriver_
