Taylor Swift's announcement of her album The Life Of A Showgirl on fiancé Travis Kelce's podcast took us all by surprise. It was quick to be pre-saved on Spotify by many, myself included.

The morning that it came out, the internet was full of reviews, all contradicting. I'm here to tell you which songs are good and which ones are... not so great.

Track 1

The album starts strong with "The Fate Of Ophelia," the title being a reference to Shakespeare's character in Hamlet. It's a very lyrical song; Taylor telling a story at her finest. She draws parallels between herself and the character of Ophelia, all while having a fun, pop beat behind it.

It perfectly sets the mood for the album. This one is a BOP!

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Track 2

Admittedly, I was jump-scared by Taylor practically yelling "Elizabeth Taylor!" in my ear. The vocals on this song were not the best, just a bit too shouty for my taste. It had major Reputation vibes, but overall, the lyrics just felt kind of boring, like an already used concept.

It also had a sort of noir mystery vibe (that might just be me, I don't know). I definitely liked parts of it, but others just weren't as good as they could've been. Sorry, but this one was a FLOP for me.

Track 3

Now this is how you do a harmony! "Opalite" was so fun and joyous; I just loved it, and the vocals throughout the song were so cheerful, fitting the instrumental perfectly. Like I said before, the harmony at the end of the bridge was amazing. It's the kind of song that makes you want to get up and dance, which I really liked. This is definitely a BOP!

Track 4

"Father Figure" was not what I expected. I really thought there would be a lot more of the George Michael song incorporated, and at first, I was a little disappointed, honestly. But as the song went on, I started to enjoy it more and more. This was a prime example of Taylor's storytelling capabilities, capturing attention in just a few minutes. Yet another BOP! (I just had to use a George Michael GIF for this)

Track 5

As an eldest daughter myself, this song resonated. In all honesty, I first listened to the album on a school trip, and I was genuinely holding back tears while listening to this. I absolutely loved it. While some lyrics weren't great ("I have been afflicted by a terminal uniqueness," sorry), it was more than made up for by the raw feel of the song.

I liked the use of just vocals, piano and guitar, so that it didn't sound too manufactured. Also, this bridge! Absolute perfection.

Couldn't have done it better. It was an emotional punch, but a BOP nonetheless!

Track 6

"Ruin The Friendship." Yet another emotional attack, because what do you mean he DIED?! I gasped. I actually gasped the first time I listened to this. It reminded of "Invisible String" a little bit, with all of the reminiscing, but overall, it was really good.

There's really not much I can think to say about it, apart from the fact that I really liked it. Taylor was definitely going all in with the stories on this album. A BOP!

Track 7

"Actually Romantic" is one of my new favourite songs. A diss track about a diss track being a love letter? I'm absolutely here for it.

This track has come with a lot of speculation about who Taylor was laying into (most likely Charli XCX), and this was so comedic and satirical. "Like a toy chihuahua barking at me from a tiny purse, that's how much it hurts" is some of my favourite delivery in a song, because it's just so funny and light. This is another BOP!

Track 8

I had mixed feelings on my first listen to "Wi$h Li$t." I just wasn't sure if I enjoyed it, it felt a little boring. But when I listened again, I found myself enjoying it more.

This might be a really niche reference, but it reminds me of a song called "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" from a show called Smash, which is basically a celebrity couple saying, "F*** you, paparazzi, leave us alone," which is absolutely what this song is. May take a little warming up to, but a BOP!

Track 9

Here we are. "Wood." I'm not going to dwell on this for too long, because I honestly didn't like it. It was full of innuendo, and I just found myself thinking "Did I really need to know that?" It felt like a parody of a Sabrina Carpenter song more than anything; I just hated it. This one was a FLOP.

Track 10

Coming back strong from this is "CANCELLED!" It definitely sounds like it could've been on Reputation, and I really like it.

Once again, some lyrics are lacking ("Did you girlboss too close to the sun?"), but overall, I love the dark, mysterious feel of it. One of my favourites on the album for sure, a BOP!

Track 11

Alright, nearly done. Now, we're on to "Honey." I didn't dislike this song; it just felt quite generic and forgettable to me. I liked the sentiment behind it, a cute love song about feeling wanted, but it just didn't have any standout features on it. Sorry to say this, but it was a FLOP for me.

Track 12

Finally, the titular track itself, "The Life Of A Showgirl." Once again, I like the storytelling on this one, and Sabrina and Taylor's vocals mix together so well throughout the song.

It was another upbeat sounding song that had these really deep lyrics when you think about it, very reminiscent of "I Can Do It With A Broken Heart" in the way it talked about dedication. This one was well and truly a BOP!

Conclusion

Well, we made it through. I must say, I was dangerously close to running out of Taylor Swift GIFs on this and was crossing my fingers that there'd be enough (hence the George Michael one from earlier).

This album was definitely a success, and I personally think it's one of Taylor's better albums. I loved the light feel of it, and how it stayed (mostly) cheerful, even on the sadder songs.

These are just my opinions, I know not everybody is going to feel the same, but I really think this one was great. It was a fantastic start to a very long coach journey that I was on at the time. Driving through London in the morning?

Traffic is not fun. Overall, loving the return of pop-princess Taylor, instead of the melancholia from TTPD. This whole entire album was a BOP!