Swifties, who would like to join me in the countdown to Life of a Showgirl?

[Everlore]

I woke up this morning to a slew of messages from excited Swiftie friends telling me about the new album, I hadn't dared to hope it would be here so soon and now I am ridiculously excited and have my vinyl copy pre-ordered already!
My husband, also a Swiftie, had warned me not to get my hopes up ahead of the release of TTPD last year as he couldn't see how it could possibly live up to her previous albums, fortunately he was completely wrong and I consider it to be among her finest work, one of the best albums I've ever heard! I therefore have no reservations about getting excited about the new album. It will also be the first album since our baby was born, though I THINK she's more of a folklore and evermore girl so she may not be quite as enthused by the possibility of more Max Martin and Shellback collaborations as we are.
Even though we won't be getting Reputation TV now, I hope the vault tracks still see the light of day, when you consider the quality of the 1989 vault tracks just imagine what the Reputations ones must be like! I have high hopes that this new album might have been inspired from work that had already begun on Reputation TV.
Anyway, just wanted to come on here and share my excitement with other Swifties. What are you hoping or expecting from TS12?

I really love the line "be my NY when Hollywood hates me".

Interesting parallel with 'I'm New York City / I still do it for you babe' from False God, I thought...

Aaargh, this is not getting my essay written 😂

Thank you

I got the Burton/Taylor reference in "Ready for it" but hadn't thought at all about the eight times married etc. I had expected that song to be more of a career reference.

there's a lot of brilliant essays on here. Definitely some Taylor Swift PhD candidates!

Believe me, I've already vowed to work a Taylor Swift reference into my entirely-unrelated doctorate if it kills me 🤣

Yeah I also think it’s mostly about the focus on Elizabeth Taylor’s relationships over her body of work… but also, I think a bit that it’s also about aging as in, as she got older it was all about how beautiful she used to be and how dare she be a woman aging in Hollywood and famous women aging is something Taylor’s touched on in songs before as well.

I've always loved that lyric from False God, it's one hell of a song which for some reason doesn't seem to get mentioned enough!

Lovely atmosphere at the cinema release party yesterday evening.

A lot of sniggering at the lyric changes. Unlike the Amazon Music accompaniments, she played her intro to Wood with a pretty straight bat as if it was purely about superstitions (although a slight smirk right at the end was a ‘blink and you miss it’ hint that there was more to it).

I loved seeing behind the scenes of the Ophelia video. The Busby Berkeley swimming pool/1930s lido setting is just gorgeous.

Now watching as the words from each city’s orange door build to see what’s coming there!

I just wanted to chime in on the Elizabeth Taylor discussion, which is one of my favourites on the new album and I love the lyrics too.
Somebody has already beaten me to the ...Ready For It? reference, but, in TS' own words, Elizabeth Taylor has long been an icon of hers and she has noticed some paralels between their lives.
I was also musing on this song's significance in relation to Clara Bow, one of many highlights from TTPD. Clara Bow is a song where TS muses on the transitory and simultaneously almost immortal nature of different types of fame, as well as the way in which famous and iconic women, in particular, are compared to and played off each other. In Clara Bow she references the eponymous actress, Stevie Nicks and, in the masterful final verse, places herself in the pantheon of female icons, as the latest hot property who will, herself, one be superceeded and used as a bench-mark to hold young female performers up against. I think TS is very aware of her position as icon, global superstar, an almost mythical construct, not quite a real person. Recognised by most of the world but only really known by a precious few close to her, existing as a legend and a real person simultaneously. She has explored the chasm between her public image, or the image the public wishes to project on to her, and her authentic self before. Miss Americana is another meditation on her role as a public figure and I think that Elizabeth Taylor is another entry in this category, looking at the same subject from a different perspective.

Hearing False God for the first time was one of my 'oh my god, Taylor Swift is actually completely fucking amazing' lightbulb moments on my Swiftie journey.

My husband and I went to see the film at a baby cinema club with our DD yesterday and loved it, the songs sounded terrific on the cinema speakers and learning about the making of The Fate Of Ophelia video was really interesting.
We were also amused by the sanitised lyrics, though I understand why it was necessary for an audience which would doubtless include younger children. I found it a little odd, however, that they substituted "sweat" for "wet" in Actually Romantic and "skies" for "thighs" in Wood but apparently left "whored around" intact in the title track, or maybe I'm misremembering that. I'm blind so my husband described TS' wink at the end of the seemingly innocuous intro to Wood, just in case anyone missed the extremely subtle subtext!

Everyone was crying with laughter at Wood the screening I went to yesterday and at TS straight face when she introduced it. I loved seeing the film, it really helped the album bedding with me, is it my favourite album of all time? At this stage almost definitely not, but it’s a worthy addition to the Canon.

I like a bit of everything really. I like a couple of TSs like Love Story and Shake It Off , Bad Blood, Look What you made Me Do, We are never getting back together, You Need to Calm Down, etc

Ah I was asking more so I could recommend on vibes tbh, as there’s a fair bit of variety in albums, I mean, they’re all pop or pop adjacent but they are different from each other.

This is just my opinion - other people would probably categorise them differently and there’s always a few songs on each album that are outliers as well… but…

Her first self titled album is very country pop, fearless, speak now and red all gradually move more to pop with less country until you get to 1989 which is synth pop. Reputation is a bit darker and she plays with EDM beats a bit, then Lover is a bit of a mix of bubblegum pop and anxious love songs, Midnights kind of blends all of them, which to be fair makes sense as the concept was looking back at sleepless nights and it was probably re-recording her old stuff that kind of started it.

IMO, Folklore, evermore and the tortured poets department are separate from most of her albums in that they’re very much not her normal style - there are lyrical links to her other albums and the same storytelling and wordplay are there, but they’re much more indie and folk influenced. But the first two were written during Covid and the last was because she said she needed to write to process… so it kind of makes sense that they’re not as poppy.

Dunno if any of that helps you pick where to start tbh 😂

IMO if you’re a music over lyrics person go with 1989 or reputation

If you’re a lyrics over music person start with Folklore

Or, there’s always just start at the first album and work your way through.

Okay, so I've just seen the video for the first time

I do love it, but I can see why you need to watch it on a big screen!

Part video, part cryptic crossword / escape room. I'm constantly looking for Easter Eggs with that woman.

Great to see the Eras dancers again and the American football catch was cute.

@Thissickbeat i'm terrible at spotting Easter eggs

No sign of my CD.

em I'm looking for Easter Eggs, not necessarily finding them mind you 😁. I'm sure the 'exit' signs are something though, there's one in the video and one in the green-ish promo photo. Things are only there because she wants then to be there.......

I hope your CD appears today.

I think she’s maybe heard the “Taylor Swift is turning into a trad wife” “Taylor Swift is anti feminist for wanting to get married” nonsense and wanted to clear it up.
On the Scott Mills show he asked if this was her last album (maybe a slightly planted question?)
TS “what? No.”
SM “oh some of your fans are worried that you’ll get married and have children and so this will be the last album”
TS “that’s shockingly offensive. That’s not why people get married, so that they can quit their job!”

And then she went on to talk about how Travis loves how fulfilled she is by making music.

Her Showgirl being named Kitty Finlay basically makes it her mum’s Great Dane 😂 no clue if it means anything it is just a silly joke because I’m rubbish at the Easter eggs.

But Finlay is her mum’s maiden name and kitty is definitely the dog.

I do find some of those comments completely outrageous when applied to a woman in 2025, surely people don't still believe that all women have to choose between career and marriage, I suppose the internet does allow people to share their views, no matter how stupid and that doesn't mean we have to dignify them with any kind of response, but it's extremely irritating and offensive. I really don't blame TS for being frustrated by it! I am so pleased that Taylor seems to have finally found a man who loves her and is so obviously proud and supportive of her work, that appears to be what she's needed and the lyrics on the new album seem to indicate she's in a really happy and fulfilled place and a really healthy andpositive relationship.
My husband actually pointed out the other day that marrying a sports star would probably help facilitate her balancing work and family life since professional sports careers, by their nature, are usually of relatively short duration, and it is probable that Travis may retire from playing in the next few years and perhaps go into coaching, commentating or, maybe even do a bit more acting. This would mean he might have more availability and could be more of a stay at home parent if and when they have kids, allowing Taylor to continue to make music knowing there's always someone keeping an eye of things at home. I know they will be able to afford an army of nannies but it would still be natural for at least one of them to want to be nearby most of the time!
I realise I am very over-invested in the life of someone I have never and will never meet, but such is the nature of being a Swiftie! I feel like I've been through all her Love Stories and break-ups through her lyrics, been with her while she fell in love and had her heartbroken, listened to her sing about her hopes and dreams of romance so I am delighted that she finally seems to be getting a happy ending! Again, I don't know her, but a study of her lyrics over the nineteen years would suggest that marriage and kids, or at least a permanent and lasting love affair has always been her End Game!

I was wondering who Kitty Findlay was. The TS13 clues are probably all laid out in front of us aren't they.

I've not listened to any of her new interviews actually. I might catch the Jimmy Fallon highlights as he's always fun. It's a pity she doesn't appear (yet) to have recorded a new Radio 1 live lounge session.

I always enjoy it when she's on Jimmy Fallon's show - particularly when she fails to recognise her own tune! 😂

No sign of My CD. Still just them saying that the parcel has been "advised".

I'm not here tomorrow, so I'm quite worried about what will happen to it.

me and a neighbour have rescued five parcels that were just left lying around the development or in a bush today! Looked like Evri and Post Office. Hoping DPD will be more responsible.

I think I read that she’s doing an extended interview as the only guest on Jimmy Fallon’s show tonight.

I’m now getting really cross about our cardigans. The tracking hasn’t updated since the number was generated so yodel deny knowledge. I emailed universal today and they have so far been absolutely shit in resolving it. My friends order came with Royal Mail no issue but if yodel are involved naturally stuff disappears. Really infuriating, I’ve ha£ a shit day anyway as has my daughter and just didn’t need this additional disappointment. I know there won’t be any to replace them if they’ve fucked it up. Just so disappointing when I told her I’d ordered them.

When I bought one of the older cardigans it took an absolute age to come. I’d forgotten about it when it turned up.

The speak now one took ages but that was production delays. I know what this is. It’s inefficiency or dishonesty. Either way it’s not what we needed!