To all of those who have fallen in love with Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl, we decided to create what in our minds is the perfect ranking of this exceptional album.  We had to consider not only the lyrics of each song, but the specific music, pace, background vocals, additive technological spins, and the overall feel of each song.  After pondering over how to make this impossible decision, we decided that the only way to truly and correctly rank music is by how “addictive” each song is.  Which songs on this album can be played on repeat without us getting sick of them?  Those are the songs that are ranked the highest.  Thank you, and we hope that you appreciate The Ranking of a Show Girl.

1. Elizabeth Taylor: “Elizabeth Taylor” is not only a catchy song, but a song that shocks you to your core upon the first listen. What appears to be slow turns into powerful, striking unexpected, yet captivating, chords. The lyrics of this song were another reason for it being ranked first. The main line of this song, “cry my eyes violet, Elizabeth Taylor,” alludes to the fact that Elizabeth Taylor, one of the most famous actresses of all time, had violet eyes. Taylor Swift relates her own dealing with fame to the infamous Elizabeth Taylor, expressing the pain that comes along with fame throughout generations.
2. The Fate of Ophelia: This song manages to capture the true essence of show girls throughout all of time. The music video for this song was definitely a factor in ranking this song so high, as it showcases all of the different showgirls, their differences, and their similarities. Taylor Swift alludes to Shakespeare’s Hamlet and the fact that she was saved from the fate of Ophelia, who was driven to madness by her family. Instead of family driving Swift to madness, her family saved her from the madness of her fame.
3. Opalite: “Opalite” is one of the most upbeat songs on the album. It’s the type of song that makes you want to get up and dance. Additionally, opalite is a man-made glass infused with an iridescent, opal-like glow, which is Taylor Swift’s favorite gem. The intricate metaphors hidden behind the catchy lyrics of this song, along with a beat that is truly addicting, is what led us to rank this song at third overall.
4. Wi$h Li$t: This song touches on how Swift doesn’t care about her money and prioritizes her relationships with her loved ones, especially her fiancé. In the lyrics, she allows herself to be relatable, singing, “Got me dreaming ‘bout a driveway with a basketball hoop.” She demonstrates how she cares about the simplicity of life with the one that she loves, not caring about luxury.
5. Father Figure: “Father Figure” was ranked high due to the message beneath the words. A theory that we both have regarding this song is that it is about the man who stole the rights to Swift’s original songs from her. This is a man who she spent a large amount of time with, eventually growing close. Swift sings of a betrayal, feeling she was a mentor to a man who had no respect for her achievements. This song was a genius way to encapsulate her disappointment in his disloyalty.
6. Actually Romantic: Similar to “Father Figure”, “Actually Romantic” speaks of disloyalty towards Swift. This song is thought to be about singer Charli XCX, who has spoken about her disliking Taylor Swift.. Taylor spins this hatred into a genius love story, showing how she is able to turn any negative commentary about herself into something that has people falling in love with her music. 
7. Ruin the Friendship: “Ruin the Friendship” differs from the other songs on the album as it is a reflection on Swift’s career during high school. The song explores themes of friendship, regret, romance, innocence, and growing up. Many Swifties believe that this song is about an old friend from high school who passed away in his early twenties. The song emphasizes that while time is fleeting, you never know when it will be too late to do something life changing. 
8. Wood: Wood is an extremely catchy song despite its unfiltered lyrics. The beat is addicting and it’s hard not to find yourself singing along when this song comes on. When Swift spoke about this song, she stated that it started as a song simply about superstitions. Despite the original innocence, over time the song obviously grew to symbolize  something else. 
9. Honey: Listeners find themselves melting at this song due to its honest and relief-filled lyrics. “Honey” is Swift’s attempt to reclaim affectionate nicknames. Since Swift is constantly in the public spotlight, she has been subject to a lot of mean judgement. She is often called “honey” or “sweetheart” passive-aggressively, rather than genuinely. Now that Swift has Travis Kelce in her life, she allows herself to melt into these nicknames as forms of love and affection. Swift attempts to explain the depths to which she values sincerity regarding her relationship with her fiancé.
10. CANCELLED!: “CANCELLED!” is about judgment in the music industry, especially among female artists. The song is thought to be somewhat reminiscent of the era of album Reputation, since Swift sings of finding companionship in those who have similar experiences and have supported her through hard times. In the short time the song has been out, it has become an anthem for anyone who has faced public criticism. Despite its interesting message, “CANCELLED!” is not quite as addictive as the other songs on the album.
11. The Life of a Showgirl (ft. Sabrina Carpenter): While this song is catchy, we do not feel that this song encapsulates Swift’s idea of constantly being in the spotlight to the same level showcased by the other songs. It unfortunately lacks musical and lyrical depth, and doesn’t contain as many metaphors or allusions compared to the rest of the album. The song repeats the same themes expressed throughout the album, but lacks creative genius.
12. Eldest Daughter: “Eldest Daughter” is an attempt by Swift at vulnerability. It explores the theme of learning to let love in after shutting it out for a long time. Swift sings about how as an eldest daughter, she carried many responsibilities and emotional pressures. Despite Swift’s vulnerable approach, the lyrics are disjointed and the song uses a lot of outdated slang. The song has been heavily criticized and is ultimately the reason why we chose to rank it last.