Was The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore That Bad?
On September 23, 2026, just two days before it would be released, Taylor Swift announced The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore. The official announcement followed cryptic hints that began two weeks before at the 2026 Primetime Emmys and a two hour countdown on her website that left fans feverishly theorizing about what was to come. Swifties were expecting a new “Taylor’s Version” album, either for reputation (2017) or her self-titled debut (2006), so when fans received an extension of an album released a year ago, many were left puzzled. The Encore features four new songs: “Patient Zero,” “Cleveland!,” “Pink Clouding,” and “Babylon.” As a Swiftie, I tried to keep an open mind, but in the end, The Encore is an addition that left me with very polarizing feelings.
Jumping into the deluxe album, “Babylon” is a clear highlight. Its lyricism is reminiscent of Swift's best songwriting, with lines such as “And you hate this song / But you wake up on the train with your headphones gone / Then that melody is all you want." She uses this train ride as an analogy, a plea to return to a time she's escaped. Swift’s lyrics shine when creating a gut-wrenching story, with “Babylon” sounding like it would fit right in on folklore (2020) or evermore (2020). She masterfully balances whimsy and sadness into her descriptive lyrics over catchy pop production that stands out as the strongest of the four tracks. This is the only song on the album that truly sounds like a Taylor Swift song.
“Patient Zero” and “Pink Clouding” are memorable at best. While neither are unlistenable, they don’t have the same charm as “Babylon.” A strength these songs share is that they both tackle fascinating and extraordinary concepts. In “Pink Clouding,” she describes feeling sorry for how she ended a short relationship. “Patient Zero” instead focuses on her desire to help other women who were hurt by the same man she once dated. While these topics aren’t typical for Swift, the sound and lyrics are anything but unique or revolutionary. These songs’ issues are reflective of The Life of a Showgirl as a whole; Swift’s new tracks are enjoyable, but on an album, many feel like they exist only to take up space.
If “Babylon” is the album’s peak, then “Cleveland!” is its rock bottom. While the others have their strengths, “Cleveland!” seemingly has none, and may be the worst she’s ever written. While the song is clearly supposed to be playful and happy, especially due to its connection to Taylor’s husband, Travis Kelce, the songwriting sounds like her below par throwaways. The lyrics consist of various criticisms that have been thrown at her throughout her career, such as “‘And with all of that money, why’s she dressed like trash?’ / ‘When she smiles, it’s annoying, and have you seen her.’” The chorus is a theatrical declaration of what her husband likes about her, with Swift singing, “Something we all can agree on / But my baby likes what he likes, oh-woah, oh-oh / He already took me to Cleveland / And showed me The Heights, so hate all you like / This is the love of my life, hey, hey, hey.” These lines emphasize how overjoyed she is and how much he is truly in love with her, as she is with him. The concept of her husband loving the parts of her personality that others criticize is nice in theory, but it's told in a childish way that completely falls flat.
Beyond these criticisms, the deluxe album’s greatest weakness is ultimately its randomness. While not every song in this edition should sound exactly the same, these songs don’t even sound like the original album, which leads to a lack of cohesiveness between each other. Each track sounds like it belongs on a different album from her catalog. “Patient Zero” could have been from The Tortured Poets Department (2024); its lyrical subject, Matty Healy, is the same as that album’s focus. “Babylon” sounds more like the folk-inspired soundscapes of evermore than this album’s poppier direction. It often feels like Swift is trying to give listeners as much music as possible, rather than giving us a smaller group of songs that she truly tried on.
Overall, The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore’s new additions were unnecessary, but not as bad as many listeners claim. While the highs are high, its worst moments bog it down, evening out to a very average selection of songs. I know I speak for many fellow Swifties when I say I’d rather have a more focused project from Swift than meaningless additions to bygone eras–she needs to learn how to move on. In the end, The Encore has some tolerable moments, but ultimately feels more like a shallow addition to Taylor’s ever-growing discography, rather than a fully fleshed-out project.
Rating: INDY
Alexandra Villasmil is a freshman in the CAS planning to study Government & Psychology. (Certified Swiftie)
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