In August, fans freaked out over the release of Taylor Swift’s new album, The Life of a Showgirl, ranging from excitement to curiosity. Now that it’s been released, there has been some speculation and strong opinions about each song, especially Elizabeth Taylor.
This album is a courageous jump from performing a dance in The Fate of Ophelia to duetting with Sabrina Carpenter in the final song! Taylor Swift has always been known for her lyrics, but behind the music, there’s always a hidden meaning. Elizabeth Taylor is no stranger. Now it just begs the question: what lines really pay tribute to the late artist?
“They say I’m bad news, I just say, “Thanks””
This line almost has a double meaning in the song. The first refers to Elizabeth herself. The actress had been married numerous times, so it could be said that it was difficult for her to find the right person. This has generated some publicity for her career, sometimes viewed in a negative way. However, instead of dwelling upon this or making this her whole image, she used humor as a way to keep everyone centered. It really showed how she made light of situations and left behind the public’s views.
To mirror this, Taylor explained how she integrated humor into her songs, as explained on the Jimmy Fallon show. The line itself shows how much celebrities’ public lives can get in the way of their personal lives. It helps the audience to recognise celebrities as people rather than being completely different from them. It allows them to have the space to deny expectations and be themselves. From this song, this feels as something both women have done.
“I’d cry my eyes violet”
The “violet eyes” refers to Elizabeth Taylor frequently wearing eye shadow. This can be seen in her movie, Cleopatra, and in public on the red carpet. Because of this, she’s been constantly recognised by fans for this trait. While not many sources have looked at what the violet eye shadow really means, it could possibly refer to the use of makeup of itself in show business. There’s the ongoing pressure to try to make a good impression. When someone is constantly in the public eye, there’s a need to make a good impression.
With Swift using this line about her “crying [her] eyes violet”, it could refer to a different response to this pressure. It feels as if she’s forced to commit to this role, while Elizabeth Taylor still decided to go through with this. Despite this, it doesn’t minimise either woman’s effort in any way. It just goes to show that even with their similar views, it can lead them to respond differently . This could possibly be due to how different their journeys to fame were based on the change in society.
“Be my NY when Hollywood hates me”
Okay, this line doesn’t get talked about enough for how clever it is. When you think of New York, what comes to mind? Taxis? The Empire State Building? Don’t blame you if Friends came up too. Otherwise, there’s no denying that it’s a very busy city, but it’s also a rather grounded city. You get the opportunity to be a curious tourist, and celebrities can still be part of major projects. To add a bit of contrast, Hollywood is busy but it’s also the mainstream city where people look for stardom. There’s constantly the need to make a good impression or be the center of attention.
When going back to the song, it could be that Taylor sees Elizabeth as “New York” because of this unconventional way of thinking and challenging these expectations. Hollywood sometimes gets a bad reputation for all the gossip and publicity. This line almost has the opposite meaning to encourage people to be who they are and make their own “New York”.
“All my white diamonds and lovers are forever”
Along with being an actress, Elizabeth Taylor also had her own set of perfumes, including White Diamonds. By referring to this, Swift almost starts to show how the real fans relate to her outside of the publicity. It helps the audience to see and respect her as a multifaceted person, presenting femininity and expressionism.
Embracing these different talents is celebrated rather than judged, and encourages them to try new things. However, it may have gotten a bad reputation. It wasn’t necessarily because people wanted to be cruel, but because they were so used to fixating this one role. In this way, this can be a helpful way for celebrities to acknowledge how they want to be remembered rather than sticking to this fixed label of “actress” or “singer”.
What does this mean for a ‘Showgirl’?
Surprisingly, The Life of a Showgirl has received mixed responses. Because this is so outside of Taylor’s original work, some of the work has been respected, while others feel out of the ordinary. Despite this, Elizabeth Taylor really shows an interesting contrast to it all. Not only does it have a catchy beat, but many articles and fans have learned to appreciate the history behind it. The song pays an incredible tribute to the late actress for her work and her easygoing attitude. It really sticks to the album’s title of trying to impress people as a “showgirl”. Whether or not that trend has fully gone away is another story, but this really gives a time for the audience to reflect and understand these differences.
Swift’s lyric creativity in this song really highlights the differences between her and Taylor while also acknowledging the actress’ impact in society. As always, there are always deeper levels to her songs, and sometimes it’s up to hear her end of the story.
