TAYLOR SWIFT'S THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL

ACTUALLY ROMANTIC: The self-proclaimed Anti-Hero has remained on top of the industry for the better part of the twenty-first century by remaining one step ahead of the curve. Editor / Publisher Michael McDowell takes an academic look at The Life Of A Showgirl, the all new Republic label album by composer, vocalist and Pennsylvania native TAYLOR SWIFT below (Click on above image to enlarge).

ROOTING FOR THE ANTI-HERO:

A CLOSER LOOK AT

TAYLOR SWIFT'S

THE LIFE OF A SHOWGIRL ALBUM

By Michael McDowell

"A Hard Day's Night? Never heard of it!"

The above reaction comprised more than ninety percent of the responses to a question posed by Blitz Magazine - The Rock And Roll Magazine For Thinking People in a recent informal survey directed towards the presumed intended target demographic of this album. The multi-part question cited several of the 1964 motion picture's signature lines, with the survey participants then polled on their level of familiarty with that dialogue, the film's cast and the film itself.

True to form, that response brought more than a few self-aggrandized reactions from the participants in a concurrent Blitz inquiry. The focus group in this case was a cadre of seasoned musicologists and record collectors. Perhaps not so surprisingly, more than ninety percent of the respondents (pretty much all of whom regarded the likes of A Hard Day's Night as an indispensible component of their own mission statements) summarily dismissed the album with this generic assessment: 

"I don't listen to new music".

To be certain, that dichotomy speaks to a larger issue than just a cultural impasse. While the general lack of familiarity among one group of the impact of a landmark cinematic moment on an entire generation suggests the need for that group to have done a better job of paying it forward, it is also within reason to assert that the generation doing the paying may have had greater success in that respect had they not approached their charges with an out of hand dismissal of that group's own spheres of interest. 

Meanwhile, as the rank and file continues to debate the peripheral issues, the artist gets the job done. 

Since making her recording debut in 2006, composer, vocalist and West Reading, Pennsylvania native Taylor Alison Swift has never bowed the knee to the demands or expectations of the lowest common denominator. Blessed with a gift for a unique turn of phrase, Swift composes with the candor and savvy of the most seasoned veterans. That attribute is arguably a key factor behind her ability to sustain her extraordinary momentum at the highest levels. 

The Life Of A Showgirl is a marked departure from Swift's two most recent releases  (Midnights and The Tortured Poets Department) in terms of general atmosphere. While those two earlier outings both espoused an overall moodiness that was in part borne of the various impasses and unrelealized visions articulated therein, The Life Of A Showgirl maintains a relatively more upbeat outlook. That change in perspective is reflected impeccably via judiciously constructed verse, chorus and bridge templates that underscore each piece accordingly. 

To wit, the Shakespearean opening track, The Fate Of Ophelia augments its minor key variations on Colbie Caillat's Falling For You with a matter of fact proclamation of, "If you'd never come for me, I might have drowned in the melancholy". Swift takes that candor to the next level in Actually Romantic, in which she confronts  unresolved issues with a decisive, "Like a toy chihuahua barking at me from a tiny purse, that's how much it hurts". 

In turn, the relatively pensive Eldest Daughter offers a more vulnerable tidbit of introspection than suggested in her previous two releases: "I have been afflicted by a terminal uniqueness, I've been dying just from trying to seem cool". Swift brings that wisdom borne of experience full circle in the closing title track, in which she is accompanied by Sabrina Carpenter (whose utterly stupendous, tongue in cheek Manchild single is likewise a fitting testimony to lessons well learned).

That said, one caveat herein remains a potential point of concern between the two aforementioned demographics. As was the case with Midnights and The Tortured Poets Department, The Life Of A Showgirl finds its lyrical content interspersed with copious amounts of what Ephesians 4:29 referred to as "corrupt communication". That assessment will no doubt resonate to a degree among those with first hand experience of the rank and file reaction upon the release of the likes of the Kingsmen's Louie Louie and the MC5's Kick Out The Jams. 

However, among the aforementioned target demographic, such vernacular has long been in widespread, general use and is not regarded in that manner. As such, it remains an issue that is up to the discretion of the individual listener. 

On the plus side, Swift has overlooked no detail in maximizing the impact of this project. Just as the sports card industry has long benefitted from the pursuit by its hardcore audience of the so-called chase card, The Life Of A Showgirl was released in a wide variety of high demand limited editions, including the So Glamorous Cabaret Version, the Life Is A Song Acoustic Version, the Dressing Room Rehearsal Version and the Alone In My Tower Acoustic Version. 

"I can't tell you how proud I am to share this with you", Swift said.

"An album that feels so right. If you thought the big show was wild, perhaps you should come and take a look behind the curtain".

And once again, the self-proclaimed Anti-Hero has built upon her End Game by turning The Albatross into more fuel for her already formidable Reputation.