Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ is packed with Easter eggs—here’s what they really mean and who they’re aimed at.NN
Taylor Swift is the queen of dropping Easter eggs in her work, so it’s no wonder her new “The Life of a Showgirl” album — which debuted Friday — is riddled with hidden surprises.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am to share this with you, an album that just feels so right,” the singer wrote on Instagram after her latest project was released. “A forever thank you goes out to my mentors and friends Max and Shellback for helping me paint this self-portrait.”
The songwriter confirmed one theory that fans got right, which is that the album’s song titles, when lined up along the center, create the same shape as the Eras Tour stage.
“That was a real one. That was one that it took a while for them to discover, and then finally they figured it out and it was really fun,” Swift said on the “Elvas Duran Show” Friday, noting elsewhere, “There are definitely some theories that are based in absolutely nothing close to reality.”
From lyrics about her fiancé, Travis Kelce, to jabs at her critics, keep reading for all the Easter eggs we found peppered throughout one of Swift’s most soul-bearing records yet.
Travis Kelce references
Swift delighted romantics by throwing Kelce some love throughout her lyrics.
On track No. 9, “Wood,” the singer not so subtly gives a shout-out to Travis’ “New Heights” podcast, singing, “Seems to me that you and me we make our own luck / New Heights of manhood / I ain’t gotta knock on wood.”
Travis dropped an Easter egg of his own to unsuspecting fans back in July when he captioned a slideshow of Instagram photos featuring Swift, “Had some adventures this offseason, kept it 💯.”
Fans were quick to note that his caption aligned with the lyrics to Swift’s opening track of the album, “The Fate of Ophelia,” in which she laments, “You dug me out of my grave and saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia / Keep it one hundred / On the land, the sea, the sky / Pledge allegiance to your hands / Your team, your vibes.”
Swift also praised the Kansas City Chiefs tight end for making the first move back in summer 2023.
“I heard you calling / On the megaphone / You wanna see me all alone,” lyrics read in part. “And if you’d never come for me / I might’ve drowned in the melancholy.”
Meanwhile, “Opalite” — the third track on “TLOAS” — is a complete dedication to their relationship.
Kelce, born on Oct. 5, 1989, is a Libra, making his birthstones opal and tourmaline.
“My Mama told me / It’s alright / you were dancing through the lightning strikes,” Swift sings. “Sleepless in the onyx night / But now the sky is opalite.”
The lyrics suggest that she was feeling hopeless about finding love in her past relationships, but that Kelce came along and everything changed.
In the same song, Swift also appears to throw shade at Kelce’s ex-girlfriend Kayla Nicole, whom he dated on and off for five years until 2022.
“You couldn’t understand it, why you felt alone / You were in it for real, she was in her phone / And you were just a pose,” Swift’s lyrics read, hinting at Kelce’s toxic romantic past.
Internet sleuths resurfaced an old video of Kelce telling Nicole to “get off your phone” — leading social media users to double down on their theory that the song was about the content creator. Nicole, for her part, has frequently discussed her past relationship with Kelce on her podcast.
Other songs that give a nod to the NFL player include “Eldest Daughter,” “Wi$h Li$t” and “Honey.”
Addressing the critics
Aside from her love life, Swift also savagely includes Easter eggs about her haters.
In her song “Actually Romantic,” for example, Swift sings, “Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face / Some people might be offended / But it’s actually sweet / All the time you’ve spent on me.”
Some fans are convinced that the song is a diss track about Charli XCX, who opened for Swift on her Reputation tour back in 2018. The “360” singer is also friends with Swift’s ex Matty Healy, whom the Grammy winner dated before Kelce.
“High-fived my ex and then you said you’re glad he ghosted me,” Taylor sings. “Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face / Some people might be offended / But it’s actually sweet.”
Charli, who is married to Healy’s The 1975 bandmate George Daniel, released her song “Sympathy is a Knife” in 2024, which sparked speculation that she was throwing shade at Swift.
However, Swift seemed to put the feud rumors to rest when she commended Charli’s lyrical abilities in a 2024 interview with New York magazine. Charli also stated at the time that her successful “Brat” album did not feature any “diss” tracks.
The lyrics in “Cancelled!” read like a letter to those who have been ostracized by the public — just like the pop star herself had been during her 2016 feud with Kim Kardashian and Kanye West.
“Come with me, when they see us they’ll run,” she sings. “Something wicked this way comes / Good thing I like my friends cancelled / I like ’em cloaked in Gucci and in scandal.”
Many netizens believed her mention of the Italian fashion house was an indication that Swift was singing about her close pal Brittany Mahomes, who has faced internet backlash on multiple occasions.
“It’s easy to love you when you’re popular / The optics click, everyone prospers / But one single drop, you’re off the roster / Tone-deaf and hot, let’s f–kin’ off her,” Swift sings.
The sporty reference to “the roster” also hinted at Brittany being the song’s subject as Swift met the WAG through Kelce, who plays on the Chiefs with Patrick Mahomes.
In track No. 2, titled “Elizabeth Taylor,” Swift compares herself to the late Hollywood icon and how they both made headlines for their stylish lives. However, she admits to the hardships of the attention, singing, “Oftentimes it doesn’t feel so glamorous to be me.”
The final song, which is the title track of the album, features Sabrina Carpenter and also addresses the downfalls of fame.
“She said, ‘I’d sell my soul to have a taste of a magnificent life, that’s all mine’ / But that’s not what showgirls get / They leave us for dead,” Swift sings.
Relationships revealed
Throughout “TLOAS,” Swift also addresses the ups and downs of navigating relationships outside of her engagement, including with her family and exes.
In her sixth track, “Ruin the Friendship,” Swift seemingly recalls a former relationship from her youth that didn’t pan out.
“Have fun, it’s prom / Wilted corsage dangles from my wrist / Over his shoulder I catch a glimpse / And see…You looking at me / And it was not an invitation,” she sings. “But as the 50 Cent song played / Should’ve kissed you anyway.”
When Swift first revealed the title of the track, Swifties initially believed the song could be about Blake Lively after the longtime friends had a falling out. But the lyrics about her having a crush on a boy who already had a girlfriend prove otherwise.
“Eldest Daughter,” her fifth track on the album, has been interpreted as a message to her family. Her parents, Andrea Swift and Scott Swift, are also parents to Taylor’s younger brother, Austin Swift, making her the oldest daughter in her family.
“Cause I’m not a bad bitch / And this isn’t savage / And I’m never gonna let you down,” the lyrics read in part. “I’m never gonna leave you out / So many traitors / Smooth operators / But I’m never gonna break that vow.”
As for her song, “Father Figure,” Swift sings about being betrayed by her “protégé.” While it’s unclear who exactly she is referring to, fans believe the song could be about Olivia Rodrigo or Scooter Braun.
The song, an interpolation of late music legend George Michael’s classic song of the same title, was praised by his estate.
A “Showgirl” in the making
Back in August, the pop star, 35, surprised Swifties by announcing the release of her twelfth studio album while making her debut on Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast.
“So I wanted to show you something. This is my brand new album, ‘The Life of a Showgirl,’” she said at the time, holding up the record and revealing the release date and track list.
The new collection of melodies spurred rumors that Taylor would delve into her relationship with the football player, as well as her feud with ex-bestie Blake Lively.
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Taylor produced the album alongside Martin and Shellback, and Carpenter is featured on the last track of her album.
The 14-time Grammy winner delighted fans with several Easter eggs ahead of her long-awaited album release.
Last month, she wore a velvet bodysuit by The Blonds in album artwork for her Target-exclusive “Crowd Is Your King” vinyl. The ensemble is part of the brand’s fall 2023 collection, which drew inspiration from Taylor’s love for jewelry.
Page Six was quick to connect that one of her songs was named after Elizabeth Taylor, and that the singer also famously honors the Hollywood icon’s relationship with Richard Burton in her music videos for “Wildest Dreams” and “…Ready for It?”
Additionally, Taylor hinted that the new project was en route when she wore orange — the same pumpkin hue featured in her album art — during her Eras Tour show in Miami in 2024. She also dropped a special orange cardigan and lipstick shade to get her fans excited for the new era.
The “Bad Blood” singer’s latest release comes just six months after she announced that she had bought back her entire masters.
