{"id":2065926,"date":"2025-10-03T05:28:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-03T05:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2065926"},"modified":"2025-10-03T05:28:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-03T05:28:09","slug":"taylor-swifts-new-album-is-as-sickly-sweet-as-a-barbara-cartland-fever-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/taylor-swifts-new-album-is-as-sickly-sweet-as-a-barbara-cartland-fever-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"Taylor Swift\u2019s new album is as sickly sweet as a Barbara Cartland fever dream"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div data-article-body=\"true\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Taylor Swift\u2019s new album, <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/music\/news\/everything-we-know-about-taylor-swifts-new-album-release\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:The Life of a Showgirl;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\"><em>The Life of a Showgirl<\/em><\/a>, has received more than five million \u201cpre-saves\u201d on Spotify, making it the most in-demand new album of the streaming era. So let\u2019s get the basics over first. It is a fine album \u2013 a witty, literate, mellifluous collection of overwhelmingly romantic singer-songwriter-style pop songs about the triumph of love, almost certainly spelled L-U-R-V-E. But for all its sophistication, <em>Showgirl <\/em>showcases Swift at her least dramatically intense.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Swift, 35, is <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/music\/news\/taylor-swift-engagement-travis-kelce\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:newly engaged to her American football star boyfriend Travis Kelce;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">newly engaged to her American football star boyfriend Travis Kelce<\/a>, and she wants everyone to know it, tossing out images of her beau \u201cdancing through the lightning strikes\u201d (<em>Opalite<\/em>) to rescue her from \u201cthe melancholy\u201d (<em>The Fate of Ophelia<\/em>), breaking her spinster curse with his \u201cmagic wand\u201d (<em>Wood<\/em>), wrapping around her like \u201ca chain, a crown, a vine\u201d in a world of super-rich brand name luxury (<em>Elizabeth Taylor<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It is not for the cynical, but before you can say \u201cpass the sick bag\u201d, its 12 songs are all perfectly formed, smoothly sung and sweetly delivered in pastel musical shades, elegant melodies perked up by clever turns of phrase, with a tang of spikiness and raunch occasionally breaking through to remind us <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/music\/news\/taylor-swift-sabrina-carpenter-pop-princess\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Swift is a 21st-century woman;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Swift is a 21st-century woman<\/a> and not a superannuated Disney princess.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">b&#8217;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8216;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Parents of young Swifties might be alert to <em>Father Figure<\/em>, one of the album\u2019s four interesting outliers (which bears only a tangential relationship to George Michael\u2019s far superior song of the same name), on which she takes on the character of a sinister Svengali and boasts \u201cI can make deals with the devil \/ Cause my d&#8212;\u2019s bigger\u201d \u2013 not something I ever thought I\u2019d hear Swift sing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">On the tart pop punk of<em> Actually Romantic<\/em>, she sarcastically puts someone down who we can guess is probably fellow pop star <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/music\/news\/brat-bootylicious-charli-xcx-pop-changed-english\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Charli XCX;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Charli XCX<\/a>. Swift claims the song\u2019s subject calls her \u201cboring Barbie\u201d when made brave from drug use, then gleefully proclaims the insult \u201cAdorable \/ Like a toy Chihuahua barking at me from a tiny purse \/ That\u2019s how much it hurts\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">On the boldest song, <em>CANCELLED!<\/em>, Swift delivers her smartest satirical lyrics, cautioning her showbiz peers to \u201cbeware the wrath of masked crusaders\u201d, and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/us\/politics\/2025\/09\/18\/maga-free-speech-warriors-changed-tune-cancel-culture\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:identifying herself with the \u201ccancelled\u201d;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">identifying herself with the \u201ccancelled\u201d<\/a> because \u201cwe\u2019re the ones with matching scars\u201d.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The closing title track, a duet with fellow pop superstar <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/music\/news\/sabrina-carpenter-mans-best-friend-review\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Sabrina Carpenter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">Sabrina Carpenter<\/a>, is a witty portrait of the against-the-odds rise of a hard-working showgirl (\u201csequins are forever\u201d) that aspires to the epic but could really do with a dash of Queen-style panache to rise above the level of Broadway pastiche.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">b&#8217;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"relative\"><img alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"591\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/I5d0oSb76UFfyG.AP2SHVg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU5MTtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/the_telegraph_258\/242e6c7744da8aa4addea6f2bf2be64d\"\/><button aria-label=\"View larger image\" class=\"group absolute bottom-3 right-3 size-10 md:size-[50px] lg:inset-0 lg:size-full lg:bg-transparent\" data-ylk=\"elm:expand;itc:1;sec:image-lightbox;slk:lightbox-open;\"><span class=\"absolute bottom-0 right-0 rounded-full bg-white p-3 opacity-100 shadow-elevation-3 transition-opacity duration-300 group-hover:block group-hover:opacity-100 md:p-[17px] lg:bottom-6 lg:right-6 lg:bg-white\/90 lg:p-5 lg:opacity-0 lg:shadow-none\"><svg viewbox=\"0 0 22 22\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"size-4 lg:size-6\" width=\"22\" height=\"22\"><path d=\"M12.372.92c0-.506.41-.916.915-.916L21 0l-.004 7.712a.917.917 0 0 1-1.832 0V3.183l-6.827 6.828-1.349-1.348 6.828-6.828h-4.529a.915.915 0 0 1-.915-.915M1.835 17.816l6.828-6.828 1.349 1.349-6.829 6.827h4.529a.915.915 0 0 1 0 1.831L0 21l.004-7.713a.916.916 0 0 1 1.831 0z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/button><dialog aria-label=\"Modal Dialog\" aria-modal=\"true\" class=\"fixed inset-0 z-4 size-full max-h-none max-w-none bg-white hidden\"\/><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8216;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Indeed, that\u2019s what I feel about the whole production. <em>Showgirl <\/em>was written and recorded during Swift\u2019s world conquering <em>Eras <\/em>tour, in sessions with Swedish super producers Max Martin (who worked with Swift on her poppiest albums, <em>1989 <\/em>and <em>Reputation<\/em>) and his colleague Karl Johan Schuster (AKA Shellback). So I am surprised at how lacking in earworm hooks and edgy pop flourishes it is. Built around pianos and acoustic guitars, with lots of strings and harmonious backing vocals, it feels sleek but self-contained, akin to a Carole King album glossed up for modern listeners.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The overwhelming emotional mood is relief. It pervades the songs, a self-soothing blanket of gratitude that she has been rescued from solitude by a man characterised with all the depth of a cartoon fairy tale Prince Charming.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">After 13 very public romances and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/music\/news\/taylor-swifts-albums-ranked-best\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:11 albums;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">11 albums<\/a> about her turbulent love life, <em>Showgirl <\/em>represents 35-year-old Swift\u2019s happy ending. It is a long way from <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"link \" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/music\/interviews\/taylor-swift-first-manager-rick-barker-interview\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:her persona as a modern everywoman;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\">her persona as a modern everywoman<\/a>, forensically dissecting the affairs of her battered heart. No one could begrudge her happiness, but Swift\u2019s new album has all the bite, realism and piercing psychological acuity of a Barbara Cartland fever dream.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.telegraph.co.uk\/customer\/subscribe\/01doysa\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \"><b>Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Taylor Swift\u2019s new album, The Life of a Showgirl, has received more than five million \u201cpre-saves\u201d on Spotify, making it the most in-demand new album of the streaming era. So let\u2019s get the basics over first. It is a fine album \u2013 a witty, literate, mellifluous collection of overwhelmingly romantic singer-songwriter-style pop songs about the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2065927,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[49217,348935,23084,343132,190738],"class_list":["post-2065926","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-elizabeth-taylor","tag-mert-alas","tag-taylor-swift","tag-the-life-of-a-showgirl","tag-travis-kelce"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Taylor-Swifts-new-album-is-as-sickly-sweet-as-a.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2065926","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2065926"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2065926\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2065928,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2065926\/revisions\/2065928"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2065927"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2065926"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2065926"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2065926"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}