Welcome to day two of the 12 to 12 special, and we are now at 11 to 12. This is insane. There are fewer days until The Life Of A Showgirl than there are tracks on the album. Today I'll be discussing the album's second track, titled Elizabeth Taylor.
Elizabeth Taylor has been referenced in Swift's discography before - ...Ready For It? draws a direct connection between the two ("he can be my jailer, Burton to this Taylor" referencing Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor), and Taylor Swift references Elizabeth Taylor's iconic hairstyle in the Wildest Dreams music video:
These may not be an intentional references, but Elizabeth was also known for her seemingly violet-colored eyes, which immediately made me think of the I Think He Knows lyric about "indigo eyes" (although that line isn't referring to Taylor's eyes), and later the Violet Shimmer vinyl edition of The Life Of A Showgirl. Also, Elizabeth Taylor famously portrayed Cleopatra in the titular 1963 film, and Cleopatra has also been mentioned in Taylor's discography, specifically in the song When Emma Falls In Love ("she's the kind of book that you can't put down, like if Cleopatra grew up in a small town").
There are a lot of parallels between Taylor Swift and Elizabeth Taylor - they're both performers, and they've both been unfairly criticized for their romantic lives. I would predict/hope that this means the song will follow a similar narrative structure to The Lucky One or The Last Great American Dynasty, telling Elizabeth's story and drawing parallels to Swift's life. Musically, I would love a return to the sound of The Lucky One. That song feels very glamorous but it has a bittersweet feeling to it, which I think would encapsulate what I think Taylor is going for with a song inspired by Elizabeth Taylor.
Alright, now for the songwriting. Again, none of these will be full songs, as I don't want to give myself too much work or resort to using AI, but I have a short few lines that capture the vibe I'm getting from this title:
"Violet shimmer through the streets
All they know is me
Dating any guy I see
Blinded by the camera gleams
All they see is me
Being who they want me to be
And it's frightening"
Oh, and one more thing... for about every three of these posts, I'll do a sort of double-post where I'll also share predictions or hopes relating to the entire album.
Songs I think will parallel each The Life Of A Showgirl track
So, these are just my hopes, and if this album is nothing like any of these, that's even better. These are just songs I've selected that I could imagine each Showgirl track paralleling, lyrically and/or musically. I've limited myself to only three of Taylor's own songs for this, so nine of these are by other artists.
The Fate Of Ophelia -> -> Taylor Swift - Love Story
Elizabeth Taylor -> -> Sabrina Carpenter - Because I Liked A Boy
Opalite -> -> Benson Boone - Mystical Magical
Father Figure -> -> George Michael - Father Figure
Eldest Daughter -> -> Billie Eilish - Goldwing
Ruin The Friendship -> -> Peggy - Friends To Lovers
Actually Romantic -> -> Camila Cabello - In The Dark
Wi$h Li$t -> -> Lyn Lapid - Producer Man
Wood -> -> Rose - Messy
CANCELLED! -> -> Taylor Swift - This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things
Honey -> -> Olivia Rodrigo - So American
The Life Of A Showgirl (ft. Sabrina Carpenter) -> -> Taylor Swift - Long Live
That's all for now! Byeeeeeeeeee!
