After a week off, I am waltzing back to another #threetunetuesday post sponsored by 
Our main goal on this Saturday morning was to spend some money that my wife had gotten from a local group for the school where she works. They initially wanted to donate coats to her, but she reached out to them and let them know that everyone donates coats, they have so many that never get used. What she actually needed was regular clothes that the kids could change into when they fall in the mud on the playground or mess themselves. They agreed to just give her the money as long as she provided them receipts, and off we went.
Eventually, we ended up at Target and though it hadn't been on my radar, my mind immediately remembered a couple "very important" things. First, Taylor Swift had just come out with a new album on Friday (which I had already listened to about a dozen times), and she usually releases an exclusive version of the album via Target.
It was like fate had reached down and placed a magnificent jewel right in my hand.
So in case you haven't figured it out yet, the theme of this weeks post is Taylor Swift's new album "The Life of a Showgirl". This album was written while she was on her massively successful "Eras" tour. I didn't get to see her on that tour, but my nieces did and they said it was amazing. I would have loved to, but they initially weren't interested in going, so I didn't try to hard to get tickets. It wasn't until much later they decided to go with their friends and I can't really blame them. Though
I actually wasn't going to open the record right away, but I wanted to get some photos for you to view in this post. As I said, she wrote the majority of the songs on the Eras tour hence the title The Life of a Showgirl. Personally, I think it is a really good album, but it's also kind of typical Taylor Swift. I don't say that as a bad thing either, it's just a consistent album that sounds and feels a lot like her other stuff. The production is on point, the songwriting is superb, the vocals are all Taylor (like it or hate it). It's just a good solid offering.
Taylor really likes to make a new record an experience like artists used to back in the day. She included a lot of goodies in the album like the mini poster you see above and a nice booklet. I remember the days when the liner notes used to be the coolest part of an album. All the little inside jokes and stuff that the artists would throw in along with the song lyrics and stuff like that.
"Opalite" is probably my favorite song on the album right now. It's a real update tune and totally gives "Bejeweled" vibes from the Midnights album. I was having a conversation with a guy who is also a Taylor Swift fan and his comment was that it was nice to have an album full of "bangers" again kind of like 1989. After Folklore and Evermore which were so mellow and slow, it is nice to have some more upbeat songs. Tortured Poets Department was also kind of mellow with a few upbeat songs sprinkled in there. Opalite is just an awesome song with a good beat that gets you moving.
"The Fate of Ophelia" is the opening track from the album and I think it gives you a good idea of what the album is going to be about. Taylor knows all too well (see what I did there), the toll that fame can take from you. I am sure there are a lot of upsdies, but there are also a growing amount of downsides. I think this album fully encompases all of that.
Okay, I have to admit, the more I listen to this song, the more I am really loving it. Maybe even more than Opalite. The chorus has such a sick hook that it's likely going to be stuck in my head for the rest of the day.
That's the actual record in the photo above. While I don't usually buy pink stuff, I am confident enough in my masculinity to not have a problem with it. In fact, the pink record is part of what made this Target exclusive so special. I'm not sure when I will get around to actually spinning it. I don't really spend a lot of time down in the basement to fully appreciate my record player like I used to, which is kind of a dang shame.
I think part of the problem is I like to play my music loud and if
Finally, it's only right that I should share the title track with you "The Life of a Showgirl". Even back to the album RED Taylor was talking about the pitfalls of fame (check out "The Lucky One"), and I think those songs really are some of the most insightful that she writes. I've always said that Taylor seems to be able to write lyrics that are well beyond her years. It's almost like she is able to tap into the past lives that she may have lived and put all that down into song from.
If you haven't listened to the full album yet, you definitely should. There are a lot of great songs on it and I am finding new favorites every day. I'm really looking forward to the expanded version when it most assuredly comes out because those songs from the vault are usually magic.
I think The Life of a Showgirl is continued proof that Taylor can write more than breakup songs and she still has a bright career ahead of her.
All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or
