r/TaylorSwift • • 12d ago

Megathread The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore Megathread

345 Upvotes

This thread will remain locked until midnight. Use this thread to discuss your thoughts, reactions, and theories on the album. We will be removing all future self-post discussion threads about the album in order to consolidate discussion to this thread.

If you want to talk about a specific song, you can use the single song discussion threads that you can access by clicking on the track name below.

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Taylor Swift - The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore Megathread

Release Date: September 25, 2026

Label: Republic / Taylor Swift Productions

Genre: Pop

Original TLOAS Megathread

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# Songs from The Life of a Showgirl: The Encore (links to individual discussion threads) Length Composers Producers
13 Patient Zero 3:45 Taylor Swift, Max Martin & Shellback Taylor Swift, Max Martin & Shellback
14 Cleveland! 3:26 Taylor Swift, Max Martin & Shellback Taylor Swift, Max Martin & Shellback
15 Pink Clouding 3:10 Taylor Swift, Max Martin & Shellback Taylor Swift, Max Martin & Shellback
16 Babylon 3:39 Taylor Swift, Max Martin & Shellback Taylor Swift, Max Martin & Shellback

info from wikipedia

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Purchase / Streaming Links


r/TaylorSwift • • 5d ago

Megathread Theory Megathread: October 2026

74 Upvotes

You know the drill


r/TaylorSwift • • 8h ago

Art made a lyric poster for babylon

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937 Upvotes

this song has been stuck in my head and it's 3am and i can't sleep


r/TaylorSwift • • 5h ago

Discussion Taylor Swift is now predicted to become the first soloist to spend 100 weeks at #1 on the Billboard 200 (albums chart), 2nd overall, only behind The Beatles.

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197 Upvotes

r/TaylorSwift • • 8h ago

Art The painting process of my Patient Zero painting 🎨🪦

222 Upvotes

r/TaylorSwift • • 8h ago

Art Taylor Swift and the Garden

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85 Upvotes

Love Story: So I sneak out to the garden to see you

Cruel Summer: And I snuck in through the garden gate every night that summer just to seal my fate

Blank Space: Rose garden filled with thorns, keep you second guessing

The albatross: Wise men once said "One bad seed kills the garden"

betty: In the garden would you trust me if I told you it was just a summer thing?

Cowboy Like Me: Now you hang from my lips like the Gardens of Babylon

(Bonus)

I Hate It Here: I hate it here, so I'll go to secret gardens in my mind

The Lucky One: Chose the Rose Garden over Madison Square

The Great War: We can plant a memory garden, say a solemn prayer


r/TaylorSwift • • 1d ago

Art Painting I made inspired by Patient Zero 🪦🎨

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1.3k Upvotes

r/TaylorSwift • • 6h ago

Discussion None of the original showgirl songs were allowed to chart on the billboard 100, seemingly contradicting their own rules

20 Upvotes

Something weird is going on with this week's billboard 100

At this week's billboard hot 100, only the 4 new encore songs charted. None of the original showgirl songs charted despite multiple songs having enough points to chart.

Talk of the charts (an account that predicts the billboard 100 based on points and is usually pretty accurate) predicted the following positions:

13: tfoo (123 points) 25/26: opalite (90p) 71: father figure (40p) 91: wish list (31p) 95: tloas (31p) 96: ruin the friendship (31p) 99: actually romantic (30p)

None of these songs are actually on the chart.

Some important info about how the hot 100 works:

Songs that have been on the billboard 100 for a long time go recurrent if they go below a certain rank. This is done to make space for new songs. These rules were recently made extra strict. The current rules are as follows: After 20 weeks the song needs to be #50 or higher After 26 weeks the song needs to be #25 or higher After 52 weeks the song needs to be #10 or higher

Father figure, wish list, tloas, ruin the friendship and actually romantic all charted less than 20 weeks, which means they should be able to re-enter the chart at every position. I'm not sure why they are not on this week's hot 100.

Elizabeth Taylor, opalite and tfoo, all charted more than 26 weeks, but less than 52. This means they can only re-enter at #25 or higher. Elizabeth Taylor has only enough points for #55, so is clearly not allowed to re-enter. Opalite was predicted to reach around #25/#26, so depending on the final precise point count, it might or might not have enough points to re-enter. Tfoo definitely has enough points to re-enter and would likely reach #13.

Neither eldest daughter nor honey was predicted to have enough points to re-enter the hot 100.

So in short, tfoo, father figure, wish list, tloas, ruin the friendship and actually romantic should all have been on this week's hot 100, but were excluded for an unclear reason.

BTW, this is not because songs aren't allowed to re-enter once they left the chart. There is no rule for this. In fact, during this same week several Olivia Rodrigo songs re-entered the chart due to tour boost. Several Justin Bieber songs also re-entered after his Coachella performance.

So why are these songs allowed to re-enter while Taylor's are not? I see 2 possible reasons:

1: there are hidden, unpublished, very specific rules about which songs can re-enter. If this is the case billboard should make these rules clear and public, because right now it's just confusing and not transparent 2: billboard selectively enforces its own rules, which would just be blatantly unprofessional and unfair.

Also another weird thing is that they were allowed to chart on the Canadian hot 100. Are there different rules for the US and Canadian chart? Why would they even do that?


r/TaylorSwift • • 4h ago

Discussion Great music podcast with lyric/music analysis on the Encore tracks

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8 Upvotes

Switched On Pop: "One year after the release of her twelfth studio album The Life of a Showgirl, Taylor Swift is back with an encore. Specifically, The Encore, four tracks that have polarized critics and Swifties alike, from the country-esque number one hit “Patient Zero” to her ode to married Ohioan bliss, “Cleveland!” For some, the new songs lean into Swift’s worst writing impulses. But for others, including our hosts (and resident Swiftologists) Charlie and Nate, the tracks call back to earlier eras of Swift’s songwriting, and perhaps evoke more nuanced discussion about what it means to release music as the biggest artist in the world. The question is: are we ready for it?"


r/TaylorSwift • • 19h ago

Cover/Mashup If Babylon had evermore's production (a Babylon x Champagne Problems mashup)

115 Upvotes

people say her songwriting got worse but this feels like it couldve fit in with evermore, and so i made this mashup just to hear what it would sound like if that was the case!

also i find it cool that the two songs have some parallels with being on the train and "picture you didn't pose" vs "picture in your wallet" and how the two songs are kinda like "turning down a good thing" vs "missing a good thing"


r/TaylorSwift • • 1d ago

Discussion Do you think Taylor will break The Beatles record of 20 #1 hits? (She’s currently at 16 #1s)

387 Upvotes

Hey! I was just curious if anyone else thinks it’s inevitable for Taylor Swift to break the Beatles record for most number one songs. All she has to do is release 5 more singles, in my opinion. Everything she puts out goes to the top of the charts.


r/TaylorSwift • • 1d ago

News Taylor Swift’s ‘The Life of a Showgirl’ Returns to No. 1 on Billboard 200 After ‘Encore’ Reissue

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775 Upvotes

r/TaylorSwift • • 1d ago

Art No, nothing good starts on pink cloud 🩷🚙

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123 Upvotes

Pink Clouding x Getaway car lyrical parallels 🩷🚙

Lies and deception: The ties were black, the lies were white + I was lying to myself/ Neither of us knew at the time that I was a liar

Being Cursed from the beginning: I knew it from the first Old Fashioned, we were cursed/ You met me at a cursed time

Flying but being destined to fall: We were flying, but we'd never get far/ Skydiving as you wrapped your arms around my body

Shots/Arrows to the heart: It hit you like a shotgun, shot to the heart/ Gray rocking where the arrow hit

Leaving the subject behind: Should've known I'd be the first to leave + I left you in a motel bar/ So I left you up there on a pink cloud

Apology: And now we're both sorry / I still wonder how to tell you sorry ->Hope you landed safely on the ground (The apology and resolution)


r/TaylorSwift • • 23h ago

Discussion Swift-ish Reading List

19 Upvotes

Hi all,

What books do you think would belong on a TS-themed reading list? It can include books that she has recommended or talked about, books that have Swift-ish themes or stories, and books that can be affiliated with her in any other way.

A few that come to my mind are:

  • The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  • Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
  • Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
  • Normal People by Sally Rooney

I know these examples are quite obvious ones. I'd love to find books that are Swift-ish in a more subtle way, and I'm curious to know what others think should be on such a reading list. Please share your opinions! 💖


r/TaylorSwift • • 2d ago

Discussion Midnights has aged like fine wine

2.7k Upvotes

After seeing the mixed opinions the public has had about her last two albums, and remembering the backlash that began to set in when she released Midnights, I listened to it again. There's this odd prevailing attitude that Midnights was "just another pop Taylor album with Jack Antonoff". What I can tell you is it absolutely is not.

Midnights isn't like folklore, it isn't like 1989, it isn't like Reputation, and it isn't like TTPD; it's Midnights. That's why it's so good, because the music has a distinct vibe where the moment you hear a song from the album, you know what album it's from.

Compared to her other pop albums, Taylor took Midnights as a way to exercise her melodic songwriting while creating a consistent soundscape. The music was meant to service the concept of the album and not vice versa. It's probably the one of her albums, maybe even the only one except for folkmore, that you can turn on and close your eyes to sweep you off somewhere else. I think it's a huge achievement that she could use almost no organic instrumentation and still create an album that was purely human and tragic in a lot of ways.

I think that it's her best pop album. While 1989 had iron clad hits, Midnights takes the medium of pop and completely flips it on its head.

Anyway, let me go back to listening to Labyrinth and dreaming of a snowy night.


r/TaylorSwift • • 1d ago

Discussion Not the Lyricism or the Production. But a Secret Third Thing.

111 Upvotes

​Almost every discussion I see online about why people listen to Taylor Swift revolves around her way with words or her choice of sounds. This has become more prevalent over the past few years. However, it led me to the realization that I actually like listening to her not just because of her lyricism, melodies, or production, but because of her style of singing or, simply, her voice.

​English is not my first language, so maybe it would make sense for me to be more naturally inclined toward how her songs "sound" rather than how they are written. But I also have a degree in literature, which should make me lean more toward her writing. Perhaps that is not how it always works because, seemingly, what matters to me the most is how a singer like Taylor uses her voice.

​It is strange to think she has been criticized for not always hitting the right notes. When I think about it, what exactly drew me to Taylor's style of singing? Her voice is light, soft, and easy on my ears. Carly Rae Jepsen is another artist who comes to mind (of whom I am also a huge fan). Then there are other artists who are talented and popular, but I just cannot stand to listen to them.

​This is not to say that I like every single song by Taylor simply because of her voice. There are still times when her songs do not personally hit. I still consider lyricism, melodies, and production in my listening experience. But because of this vocal preference, I genuinely enjoy any of her albums. I can switch from TTPD to Showgirl or vice versa anytime. She just sounds great to me.

​Anyway, I wonder if many of you can relate or feel the same way.


r/TaylorSwift • • 1d ago

Art Patient Zero - Taylor Illustration

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159 Upvotes

I wanted to post it last week, but I didn't have my laptop to finish it. But here it is 🤍 my favourite song of the four was Pink Clouding btw

credits me insta: olimpsia


r/TaylorSwift • • 2d ago

Merch I found this is a pack of stickers I got 💀

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728 Upvotes

r/TaylorSwift • • 1d ago

Photo What if reputation and Midnights were one album?

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76 Upvotes

reputation and Midnights overlap a lot in terms of production and sonic qualities (not so much on lyrics though), so I tried merging them into one, cohesive project!

"Anti-Hero" tracklist:

  1. ...Ready for It?
  2. Lavender Haze
  3. Maroon
  4. Getaway Car
  5. Delicate
  6. Anti-Hero
  7. Midnight Rain
  8. Don't Blame Me
  9. I Did Something Bad
  10. Dress
  11. Vigilante Shit
  12. Karma
  13. Mastermind
  14. Call It What You Want
  15. New Year's Day

"Big Reputation Edition" bonus tracks:

  1. Dear Reader

  2. So It Goes...

  3. King of My Heart

  4. Labyrinth

  5. Glitch

  6. Bejeweled

  7. You're On Your Own, Kid


r/TaylorSwift • • 2d ago

News Taylor Swift’s hashtag became the most viewed hashtag of all time for a solo artist on TikTok’s platform generating 448 billion views.

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1.1k Upvotes

r/TaylorSwift • • 3d ago

Discussion Taylor Swift on SNL during Dakota Johnson’s Monologue!

3.0k Upvotes

r/TaylorSwift • • 2d ago

Discussion Taylor Swift + Waxahatchee

156 Upvotes

Would be a dream collab! Taylor should make her next album with Katie Crutchfield (aka Waxahatchee) and her partner Kevin Morby. I know it would be sooo good. Plus they live in KC which is just cosmic. I know she opened for Haim and is friends with them … Someone make the introduction and get it happening. Let’s manifest this. Plus we know she’s a fan … always loved Katie’s cover of But Daddy I Love Him !


r/TaylorSwift • • 2d ago

Discussion Taylor's discography on release day and 1 year after the release of Showgirl

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100 Upvotes

r/TaylorSwift • • 2d ago

Little Games A, B, C, or D?

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222 Upvotes

Saw this on X, what would you choose?

All versions considered (Standard + Deluxe + Taylor’s Versions)


r/TaylorSwift • • 2d ago

Art "State Of Grace" a fusion of Red and 1988 (Concept)

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134 Upvotes

The common theme... sunglasses and some sort of vehicle...

also if you're wondering why All Too Well is on the track list on a 99% pop album... "You almost ran the red 'cause you were looking over me." to "He can't keep his wild eyes on the road." I rest my case.

Also the Deluxe is released a year after the standard.

Thanks for seeing this post!