Pop music lovers everywhere are buzzing. Taylor Swift’s 12th album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl’, is just weeks away from hitting shelves. Fans are already diving deep into its lyrics, trying to guess the hidden meanings behind what will surely be a string of new hit songs.
Swift, who is 35 years old, shared the big news about her new record on Wednesday, August 13. She made the announcement on the ‘New Heights’ podcast, which is hosted by her boyfriend, Travis Kelce. She told them she wrote the album while she was on the European leg of her ‘Eras Tour’ in 2024.
"I would play three shows in a row, then I’d have three days off," Swift explained to Travis, who is also 35, and his brother, Jason Kelce. "I’d fly to Sweden, then I’d fly back to the tour. By this point in the tour I was physically worn out, but mentally I was so energized and so excited to be creating."
Swift teamed up with Swedish producers Max Martin and Shellback for this new album. She had worked with them before on her albums ‘Red’ and ‘Reputation’.
The Grammy winner shared how much this creative experience meant to her. "We knew we had to bring the best ideas we’ve ever had," she said. "I also know the pressure I put this album under by saying that, but I don’t care, because I love it so much and I’m so proud of it. It just comes from the most infectiously joyful, wild, dramatic place I’ve been in my life. So that excitement comes through on this record."
Travis Kelce himself hinted that ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ tracklist would be packed with "bombshells." This got dedicated Swifties busy trying to figure out what Swift’s songs would be about before they even heard them. Here’s a look at what they’ve come up with:
‘The Fate of Ophelia’
Swift mentioned on ‘New Heights’ that this song is based on Ophelia, a character from William Shakespeare’s play Hamlet. Ophelia, the main prince’s love interest, has a sad story. Men in her life used her as a pawn. She eventually drowned in a "weeping brook," surrounded by flowers and branches.
Swift seemed to recreate Ophelia’s final moments for the ‘Life of a Showgirl’ album cover shoot. She posed in a bathtub, partly underwater.
"This represents the end of my night, like, when I’m on tour, I have the same day every single day," Swift said. "My show days are always the same. I’m just in a different city, and my day ends in a bathtub — normally not in a sparkly dress."
‘Elizabeth Taylor’
Many fans pointed out that actress Elizabeth Taylor was a kind of "showgirl" in her own right. Swift had already referenced her in the song "Ready for It" from ‘Reputation’. In that song, she sings, "And he can be the jailer / Burton to this Taylor." She played on her own last name and Taylor’s.
Beyond that, fans are drawing a connection between the two "Taylors." One social media user on X wrote, "Elizabeth Taylor: celebrated child star in the 40s & even bigger superstar in the 50s. Tay rose to fame at 16 & got even bigger ten & twenty years later. [Elizabeth] married seven times. Tay could address this with the media’s perception of her & her partners throughout her career."
‘Opalite’
Most Swifties seem to agree that "Opalite" is inspired by Travis Kelce. This is because opal is his birthstone. ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ is set to come out on October 3, which is just two days before Travis turns 36.
Opalite is a shiny, man-made version of opal. It’s also linked to spiritual and emotional healing. People believe opalite can make communication better, boost intuition, and bring emotional balance, inner peace, and calm. Swift once hoped to give her partner "peace" in a song on her album Folklore. So, this new song could connect to the happiness she’s found with Travis, if these romantic theories are true.
Fans also noticed that Swift had already linked Elizabeth Taylor to the gemstone. Swift’s friend, Keleigh Teller, bought the singer an oval-shaped ring for her 34th birthday.
"This is amazing, Keleigh, opal and blue topaz," Swift said, amazed, in a social media video shared in 2023. "This is like a gift for Elizabeth Taylor, not me." Keleigh, who is married to actor Miles Teller, then said Swift is "my Elizabeth Taylor."
‘Father Figure’
One X user pointed out that "Father Figure" might be "symbolizing masculinity" as the fourth song on the album. Others guessed the song could use bits from George Michael’s song of the same name from 1987. That song recently became popular again in the movie ‘Babygirl’, starring Nicole Kidman and Harris Dickinson.
An X user excitedly wrote, "’Father Figure’ being the name of a song on ‘The Life of A Showgirl’. Taylor Swift and George Michael, together to create the boldest album of the decade."
‘Eldest Daughter’
Following "Father Figure" is "Eldest Daughter." Fans quickly guessed this song would continue Swift’s trend of deeply emotional Track 5s.
One social media user tweeted, "[She] immediately follows [‘Father Figure’] with what it means to be a daughter/her femininity." Another added, "That ‘Eldest Daughter’ is track 5 is terrifying."
First-born daughters often talk on social media about how hard their family roles and duties are compared to their siblings. They seem moved just by the song’s title. Swift is, in fact, an eldest daughter. Her parents, Scott and Andrea Swift, also have a younger son named Austin.
‘Ruin The Friendship’
Fans believe Swift will sing about a broken friendship in this song. Specifically, many think it’s about Blake Lively. Reports from May said that Swift and Lively, who is 37, had grown apart. This happened after Swift was mentioned in Lively’s legal dispute with the director of ‘It Ends With Us’, Justin Baldoni.
Supposed text messages between Lively and Swift were part of the lawsuit. Baldoni believed Lively used her celebrity connections, like Swift and her husband Ryan Reynolds, to push her version of the movie. Swift was also briefly called to testify by Baldoni’s legal team, but the request was later dropped. Baldoni said he didn’t do anything wrong, and Swift denied being involved.
One fan stated, "I’m CONVINCED ‘Ruin The Friendship’ on Taylor Swift’s new album is about Blake Lively."
Neither Swift nor Lively have spoken publicly about their relationship since ‘It Ends With Us’ came out. The movie used Swift’s song "My Tears Ricochet" on its soundtrack in 2024.
‘Actually Romantic’
With "romantic" right in the title, fans are sure that "Actually Romantic" will highlight Swift’s fast-moving relationship with Travis. Swift even said on ‘New Heights’ that the NFL star is the kind of man she has been writing songs about since she was a teenager.
An X user wrote, "Omg one of the most romantic Taylor Swift songs is coming."
‘Wi$h Li$t’
Swift mentioned on ‘New Heights’ that the "S" in both words was replaced with dollar signs to add a "dramatic flair."
Her fans also believe "Wi$h Li$t" was written about Travis. She used those very words before on his podcast. For those who might not know, Travis went to her Kansas City concert in July 2023. He was upset when he couldn’t meet her afterward to ask her out. Weeks later, he publicly shared his interest on his podcast, which caught Swift’s attention.
Swift joked about what Travis probably thought when he heard her ‘Eras’ song list, saying, "She says: ‘This is just his wish list’."
‘Wood’
Fans spotted a small Pinocchio figure on a wooden shelf behind Swift when she filmed her ‘New Heights’ episode. They think the ninth track might refer to the animated character. Pinocchio, from the 1940 Disney movie, is about a wooden puppet who wished to become a real boy.
‘CANCELLED!’
On ‘New Heights’, Swift mentioned the song title was written in all capital letters with an exclamation mark. Earlier in the episode, she compared her boyfriend to an exclamation point.
"Travis is, simply, an enhancer in the lives of everyone around him. He’s like a human exclamation point," she said. "It’s like when you take a picture with your phone and you push the ‘color enhance’ button. That’s what you do." Swift also said she uses "many more exclamation points" in her text messages since she started dating Travis.
As for the song’s meaning, fans are curious if it talks about public perception. One X user wrote, "She’s SO SMART, from now on when you search ‘Taylor Swift Cancelled’, the song is gonna come up and not anything from 2016." This refers to the time Swift felt she might be "canceled" because of her conflict with Kanye West.
‘Honey’
Fans haven’t yet shared theories about the meaning of "Honey." But they quickly pointed out that Halsey and Mariah Carey both have songs with the same name. Swift herself has an unreleased song from 2003 called "Honey Baby." Also, "Honey" could be a sweet nickname for Travis, as he called her "Sweetie" on the ‘New Heights’ episode.
‘The Life of a Showgirl’
The album’s title track features Sabrina Carpenter, who opened for Swift on the ‘Eras Tour’. This song was written about Swift’s experience during the tour itself.
"I wanted to, in a way, glamorize the different aspects of how that tour felt… getting to the end of the night when all this has happened," she said on her ‘New Heights’ episode. "You won’t be able to sleep until 4 AM after this, but you had to jump 50 million hurdles in the circuit that is your show, and you made it through. ‘You have two in a row left, but you made it through tonight. That’s all that matters now’."