<\/p>\n
For better or worse, \u201cThe Life of a Showgirl,\u201d Taylor Swift\u2019s 12th studio album, is unlike anything the megastar has done before. <\/p>\n
On the 12-track album, which dropped Friday to mixed critical reception<\/a>, Swift is uncharacteristically risqu\u00e9 and, for possibly the first time, indulges her inner theater kid without reservation. In that sense, much of the pop record is daringly new. <\/p>\n Still, on each track are sonic echoes from the 14-time Grammy winner\u2019s decades-spanning discography \u2014 from the verve of \u201cReputation\u201d to the romantic whimsy of \u201cLover.\u201d <\/p>\n Swifties are sure to be playing \u201cThe Life of a Showgirl\u201d on repeat today. But if that gets a bit tiresome after the 13th time, here is a list of Swift sister songs to try instead, based on your favorite track from the new album. <\/p>\n (Some song pairings are based on sound, while others are based on shared themes.) <\/p>\n \u201cShowgirl\u2019s\u201d opening track has a sultry groove and low pulse that could easily be the soundtrack to a flirty nightcap or the series finale of a dark comedy.<\/p>\n Find the same alluring melody with an extra dash of spice in \u201cI Can See You,\u201d a vault track from 2023\u2019s \u201cSpeak Now (Taylor\u2019s Version).\u201d<\/a> And for bonus points, head to the music video<\/a> for a dose of the Swift-signature theatricality dripping from \u201cThe Life of a Showgirl.\u201d <\/p>\n This allusive track boasts the album\u2019s most sweeping chorus, anchored by Swift\u2019s mesmeric alto and a masterfully orchestrated rhythm that uses moments of quiet to its advantage. <\/p>\n \u201cReputation\u2018s\u201d slow-burn hit \u201cDon\u2019t Blame Me\u201d follows a similar playbook, using a killer choral backing to achieve the same hymnal quality that complex vocal layering creates on \u201cElizabeth Taylor.\u201d <\/p>\n Plus, both songs share a secret weapon: Swift\u2019s irresistible enunciation of the word \u201cbaby.\u201d<\/p>\n An immediate inductee into Swift\u2019s \u201cGlitter Gel Pen\u201d song<\/a> Hall of Fame, \u201cOpalite\u201d is for dancing around your kitchen with a glass of orange wine in hand. <\/p>\n Fuel that infectious joy with the most twirl-worthy \u2014 and arguably most underrated \u2014 track of Swift\u2019s career, \u201cSweeter Than Fiction.\u201d Swift released this shimmering tune in 2013 for the \u201cOne Chance\u201d film soundtrack, and true to its title, it is sweet as a peach. <\/p>\n Honorary <\/i>m<\/i>ention: If you prefer a tambourine to a synth, try \u201cLover\u201d B-side \u201cPaper Rings,\u201d perhaps more suitable for kick-stepping than spinning but nonetheless another \u201cOpalite\u201d lookalike.<\/i> <\/p>\n The natural choice here would be \u201cThe Man,\u201d another song wherein Swift adopts a masculine persona to prove just what a boss she is. <\/p>\n But I have no more sage advice than to head to George Michael\u2019s original \u201cFather Figure\u201d (1987), which recently got a streaming boost after being featured in the 2024 erotic thriller \u201cBabygirl.\u201d Swift used an interpolation of Michael\u2019s song in her track of the same name \u2014 with a gleeful sign-off from the late singer\u2019s estate. <\/p>\n \u201cWhen we heard the track we had no hesitation in agreeing to this association between two great artists and we know George would have felt the same,\u201d George Michael\u2019s estate wrote Thursday on his official Instagram<\/a>. <\/p>\n It doesn\u2019t feel entirely fair to compare these two \u2014 especially given one of them has Phoebe Bridgers and the other one has the line \u201cI\u2019m not a bad b\u2014, and this isn\u2019t savage\u201d \u2014 but \u201cEldest Daughter\u201d and \u201cNothing New (Taylor\u2019s Version)\u201d share the same grief for a younger self that a woman in her 20s knows best. <\/p>\n If you need a good cry, these two are here for you. <\/p>\n Speaking of debilitating nostalgia, this one might feel a bit out of place in this album\u2019s universe, but it\u2019s a heartrending gem nonetheless. <\/p>\n For a similar remorseful trip into the past, minus the boppy bass line, try \u201cWe Were Happy,\u201d a vault track from \u201cFearless (Taylor\u2019s Version)\u201d about young love lost. <\/p>\n While this alleged Charli XCX diss track<\/a> may be more scathing than usual for Swift, the singer is no stranger to shade, as evidenced in \u201cReputation\u201d B-side \u201cThis Is Why We Can\u2019t Have Nice Things\u201d \u2014 a perfect pairing for \u201cActually Romantic.\u201d <\/p>\n In both songs, Swift is unapologetically petty, offering her foes a metaphorical bouquet of flowers thick with thorns. <\/p>\n These tracks aren\u2019t everyone\u2019s speed, but every misfit has its fans. And in the case of \u201cActually Romantic,\u201d Nicki Minaj<\/a> seems to be one of them. <\/p>\n Showcasing this album\u2019s gentler side, \u201cWi$h Li$t,\u201d which Swift said may be her personal favorite<\/a>, is a tender tribute to her fianc\u00e9 Travis Kelce, backed with ethereal synth sounds and soft vocalization from a clearly smitten showgirl. <\/p>\n\u201cThe Fate of Ophelia\u201d<\/h3>\n
\u201cElizabeth Taylor\u201d<\/h3>\n
\u201cOpalite\u201d<\/h3>\n
\u201cFather Figure\u201d<\/h3>\n
\u201cEldest Daughter\u201d<\/h3>\n
\u201cRuin the Friendship\u201d<\/h3>\n
\u201cActually Romantic\u201d<\/h3>\n
\u201cWi$h Li$t\u201d<\/h3>\n