Songs: ‘Elizabeth Taylor’; ‘Eldest Daughter’; ‘Wi$h Li$t’; ‘Cancelled!’;
Artist: Taylor Swift
US chart peak: 3; 9; 6; 10
Release date: October 3, 2025
Writers: Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback
Producers: Taylor Swift, Max Martin, Shellback
Video synopsis: ‘Eldest Daughter’, ‘Wi$h Li$t’ and ‘Cancelled!’ each get a ‘visualizer’, apols. Re ‘Elizabeth Taylor’, it’s a montage video.

Firstly, an apology – sorry! – and secondly an explanation; I just couldn’t muster the energy. The (lack of) US chart rules, mixed with Taylor’s Olympic-level domination of the discourse, meant that after completing six entries for ‘The Life of a Showgirl”s top 10 dominance I just ran out of steam. Life got in the way. Books were being finished. Wars were raging. Pop was moving on. And, perhaps most tellingly, the showgirl lost whatever sparkle she had pretty quickly all things considered.

Obviously, of the four remaining songs, ‘Elizabeth Taylor’ is the one that has any sort of afterlife, after getting a video and being released as a single proper in March this year. Lyrically, it’s also the most interesting, Taylor fusing her own struggles in the spotlight with one of her idols, the titular film icon. Musically there’s a different kind of fusion going on, with the thudding beats feeling very ‘Reputation’, while the softer moments dabbling in the soft-pop, 70s-esque sandpit of the rest of the album.

Elsewhere, the piano-based ‘Eldest Daughter’ never quite recovers from that opening line (“everybody’s so punk on the internet”, in case you needed a Monday morning scare), stumbling around looking for a focus while sounding incredibly middle-aged. ‘Wi$h Li$t’ is pure fiction, a type-A overachiever who would sell their nan for another Grammy pretending they’re completely happy with a man, a basketball hoop and the quiet life. The all-caps ‘Cancelled!’, meanwhile, returns to ‘Reputation’ Taylor once more, and also features another absolute lyrical stinker in the shape of “did you Girlboss too close to the sun?” Oof.