TLOAS: The Encore - Taylor Swift (Review)
Hey everyone! Never thought I'd be saying this, but today I'll be taking a look at Taylor Swift's new deluxe edition for The Life of a Showgirl. I reviewed the standard release of the album about a year ago, and I've had a lot of time to reflect on my feelings for the project. If you want to know about how I think that review has aged, all you need to know is that I sometimes wake up in a cold sweat when I remember I said, "I wouldn't rank this as her worst album". Yeah, that was crazy work.
Intro
Let's not beat around the bush- The Life of a Showgirl has become the embodiment of everything the general public dislikes about Taylor Swift- and I can't say it's unjustified. This sentiment is shared by many people, even among some of her biggest fans. Flashback to a couple of years ago, when everyone and their mom was calling themselves a Swiftie, to now, where admitting you're a Taylor Swift fan almost feels like a public humiliation ritual. All of this is to say that this project has done a number on her perception, and now everyone seems to forget what made Taylor Swift so great in the first place.
I'll admit that there are still some songs I sometimes listen to from the standard edition, but that's not nearly enough to save this album for me (or anyone else, for that matter). So color me surprised when Taylor sends out an announcement for a deluxe version- essentially doubling down on the project that's served as the catalyst for the dismantling of her character. It's an... interesting move, to say the least. But I held my judgment, because there was a sliver of hope. In that announcement, she shared that these tracks were created after the album's release to celebrate its success (but really, she means its commercial success). After I heard th,t- I had hopes that maybe she would have taken the criticism from the original album and use it to make something better. Maybe she could retroactively save this project and deliver something that met our original expectations? You can probably guess, but that's not quite what happened.
This deluxe edition only covers four tracks, so I'll be taking a look at them individually to see what the deal is. Lets get on with it..
Patient Zero
Honestly, this song was a somewhat promising start. One of the critiques I made in my initial review was that the production throughout the album lacked drama, considering it was supposed to be showgirl themed. This song kind of delivers on that initial promise with its swelling string arrangement, even if the rest of the production is only a standard pop affair. The strongest aspect of this song is its hook, which features an incredibly infectious chorus. It's the kind of hook that buries deep in your brain, even among those who don't find the song particularly good. The writing is pretty innoffensive- the song is basically about reconnecting with people who were also wronged by your ex after you've parted ways. It's not a new concept, so there's not a lot to say about it on that front. One problem I have with this song is the bridge- it is just way too wordy and clunky. She's trying to do that 'talk-singing' thing she's done in past songs, but it's executed really poorly here. It's not enough to make the song unlistenable, but it's disappointing to think about how much better this song could have been if she had just spent more time ironing out the kinks.
Cleveland!
If you've already listened to this song and seen the discussion surrounding it, you already know where this is going. This song ruins any chance this deluxe edition had of 'fixing' this project- it's just more of the same disappointing songwriting that was present on the standard edition. I'm sure you can find a better takedown of this song elsewhere, so I'll try not to dwell on it too long here. Starting with the production, this song sounds like a Kidz Bop version of Christmasas song- it's just really grating to the ears. To make things worse, this song is just another retread of old ground- 'my haters ain't shit, and I love my man'! That fact alone doesn't bother me; it's just that Taylor has proven she can't write about this topic in a way that yields any interesting lines of thought. You could figure as much just by listening to the original album- songs like Eldest Daughter, Wi$h Li$t, and CANCELLED! all convey a very similar sentiment, but none of them offer a very compelling argument. Unfortunately, this song follows that same trend and serves as another reminder of some of the worst this project has to offer.
Pink Clouding
Thankfully, this song is a decent step up from the previous track. It's about the lasting guilt that comes from playing with someone's feelings. In fact, this song probably has some of the best writing that this deluxe has to offer. If you're unsure of what pink clouding is, it's a term used for those who have recently overcome addiction. It's basically an intense feeling of liberation and euphoria you experience as you enter the early stages of addiction recovery. This song uses pink clouding as a metaphor for overcoming a toxic relationship and quickly moving on to another connection in light of this new liberation you're experiencing. To put it simply, this song essentially acts as an apology to a rebound who didn't deserve to have their heartstrings pulled. I find this metaphor an interesting approach to the subject matter, which helps prevent the song from feeling redundant compared to songs that convey the same message. The production isn't as interesting, but Taylor plays with key changes and clashing notes to create a lingering sense of unease, creating that kind of anxiety you might feel when it's time to own up to something. Similar to Patient Zero, this song kind of fumbles the bridge. I'll admit that it's not egregious in this song, but it makes me wonder whether it's a Taylor problem or a producer issue- because Taylor's bridges used to be really incredible back when she was making music with Jack Antonoff. I don't know, just food for thought.
Babylon
I have complicated feelings about this song. For one, it sounds really pretty and has a really solid hook. On the other hand, I think it's slightly overwritten and takes too long to get to the point. This song is akin to Ruin The Friendship from the original album, which I found to be a standout track on the standard edition. I really do like the tranquil acoustics paired with that slight kick that helps keep the energy going strong. In that same vein, I could also see the argument that this song doesn't have enough variety and is pretty same-y throughout. The lyrics paint a good picture, which gives the song a strong identity- it almost feels like a world contained within a song. But in the process of attempting to paint such a sprawling visual, a lot of lines feel like filler that don't contribute much to the core theme. Speaking of which, this song tells an age-old tale about living in the moment and not taking things for granted. It's a pretty simple message, and yet it still takes a minute for Swift to get there, resulting in a song that feels slightly bloated. I'm also unsure about whether this song fits with the rest of the project. Even though the main project failed to establish that showgirl theme, this song somehow feels even more disconnected from it. I think it would be a better fit for the evermore album or The Anthology edition of Tortured Poets. Regardless, it's a relatively harmless listen and tells an important message that many people can relate to.
Final Thoughts
So there we have it- we've arrived at another polarizing situation. You could argue that this isn't the worst-case scenario, but I feel like that's doing a disservice to the rest of Taylor's discography. Every album cycle up until this point has been very competent, and represents another step in Taylor Swift's career- but this? It's starting to feel like we are moving backward. I'm hesitant to say that her intuition is wearing thin- because I'd like to hold onto my belief that she is still one of the best singer-songwriters of her generation. I'm sure many will get a kick out of that, but if you go back into her discography without any predisposition or bias, you'd probably agree.
This project sets a bad precedent, and I'm hoping that it's just a result of where she's currently at in her life. I mean, if I'd just gotten married, had an endless supply of money, and millions of fans waiting at my command, I might get kinda complacent too. Even though this deluxe doesn't reach the same lows as the standard edition, the material just didn't warrant dragging out this era any further. I believe that's the reason people seem to be even more upset about this release- it's because she doubled down on something that was already beyond saving, and it feels like she's playing in everyone's face.
For now, all we can do is wait and see what Taylor will do next, and hope that she can absorb some of the criticism surrounding this project to create something more enjoyable. I'll leave you with that- thanks for sticking around and reading, I hope you have a great weekend!
"The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore" by Taylor Swift
Song Ratings:
(5/10 being average)
Patient Zero: 6/10
Cleveland!: 2/10
Pink Clouding: 7/10
Babylon: 6.5/10
Overall Rating: 5.5/10
TLDR;
"The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore" makes an attempt to salvage the lost potential from an already polarizing project, but fails to address any of the issues that created that divide in the first place. Despite some noteworthy moments, this extension only manages to be on par with the standard edition in terms of quality, which was already a very low bar to clear. This deluxe tries to build on an already unstable foundation and results in an end product that feels as if it's about to cave at any moment.
Earworm ~-~-~o ♪
Thanks for reading!
-Joey :)
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