Contents
- 1 The Greatest Showman, Michael Gracey (2017)
- 2 Funny Girl, William Wyler (1968)
- 3 La La Land, Damien Chazelle (2017)
- 4 The miscellaneous Elizabeth Taylor oeuvre … let’s just say Cleopatra, Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1963)
- 5 The Last Showgirl, Gia Coppola (2024)
- 6 There’s No Business Like Show Business, Walter Lang (1954) and/or The Prince and the Showgirl, Laurence Olivier (1957)
- 7 Showgirls, Paul Verhoeven (1995)
- 8 The Greatest Show on Earth, Cecil B. DeMille (1952)
- 9 Circus World, Henry Hathaway (1964)
On August 12 at 12:12 a.m., Taylor Swift announced the title of her new album, The Life of a Showgirl, replete with sparkles and confetti. Based on a playlist she put out on Spotify titled “And, baby, that’s show business for you,” TS12 will be a poppier album, drawing on the sound from more upbeat hits on 1989, Reputation, and Red. It wouldn’t be a Swift album without a deep bench of references embedded in her lyrics. The Life of a Showgirl is a naturally cinematic title, and given Swift’s work toward her still-forthcoming feature film, this feels like her most cinematic album in a minute. But which showbiz movies will play a part in TS12? While Swift is a self-professed cinephile, there are only so many hours in a day. Below, a few possible influences on The Life of a Showgirl, ranked from most to least likely to pop up on her forthcoming album.
The Greatest Showman, Michael Gracey (2017)
Has she seen it? Of course. Almost everyone alive has seen this movie, and Swift is friends with Hugh Jackman and Zendaya. It was completely inescapable, and lyricists Benj Pasek and Justin Paul were also responsible for her bestie Emma Stone’s 2017 film, La La Land.
Who would she have seen it with? This feels like a slam-dunk Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds outing.
What’s she rating it on her secret Letterboxd? Four stars.
How might she reference it? Jenny Lind, a Swedish opera singer, played by Rebecca Ferguson in the movie, feels ripe for a Swiftian reference. “I’m like Jenny Lind, traveling with the wind” — something like that.
Funny Girl, William Wyler (1968)
Has she seen it? Definitely. She is our Babs, for better or worse, and she sings “Why’d you have to rain on my parade?” in “This Is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things.”
Who would she have seen it with? If Swift was referencing it on her 2016 album, she had to have seen it before then. Feels like a cozy movie-night watch with the sisters Haim and possibly also Tom Hiddleston.
What’s she rating it on her secret Letterboxd? Four-and-a-half stars.
How might she reference it? Maybe she’ll call some clandestine affair a “Ziegfeld folly.”
La La Land, Damien Chazelle (2017)
Has she seen it? Yes, duh! Emma Stone is in it. She’s seen every Emma Stone movie multiple times.
Who would she have seen it with? Emma Stone at a secret friends-and-family screening.
What’s she rating it on her secret Letterboxd? Five stars and a heart!
How might she reference it? This actually feels like it might be more of a visual point of reference for Swift than lyrical — bright colors, bright lights, the artifice of a movie set.
The miscellaneous Elizabeth Taylor oeuvre … let’s just say Cleopatra, Joseph L. Mankiewicz (1963)
Has she seen it? Given how often Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton get mentioned in Swift’s songs and videos (“Ready for It?,” “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?,” “Wildest Dreams”), it’s hard to think of one of their films that she hasn’t seen at this point.
Who would she have seen it with? Maybe on an early date with Joe Alwyn.
What’s she rating it on her secret Letterboxd? Three-and-a-half stars — she likes it but acknowledges its slightly problematic casting decisions and reflections of ancient Egypt.
How might she reference it? Maybe she’ll wear a black wig in a music video but not, like, in a Katy Perry way.
Click here to preview your posts with PRO themes ››
The Last Showgirl, Gia Coppola (2024)
Has she seen it? Maybe — Swift has had a busy year finishing up the Eras Tour, writing and recording this latest album, and jet-setting around with boyfriend Travis Kelce. If ever there was a time she wasn’t caught up on newish releases, it would be now. That said, the movie that launched the Pam Anderson-naissance is undoubtedly relevant to her interests. Maybe they sent her a screener link to watch on her jet.
Who would she have seen it with? Travis, probably, but he fell asleep.
What’s she rating it on her secret Letterboxd? Four stars.
How might she reference it? Her friend Lorde already cornered the market on (bizarrely and repeatedly) referencing Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee. Most likely Swift might poach the idea of being sad in Las Vegas as a visual theme or lyrical motif.
There’s No Business Like Show Business, Walter Lang (1954) and/or The Prince and the Showgirl, Laurence Olivier (1957)
Has she seen them? These two Marilyn Monroe–starring films are toss-ups — they’re not the most well-known entries in Monroe’s relatively abbreviated career. It’s far more likely that Swift, who has kind of indirectly referenced Monroe in “Style,” has seen Some Like It Hot or Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. But maybe she went back to visit these two in preparation for the album. It seems more likely she’s seen There’s No Business Like Show Business because it’s a comedy-musical.
Who would she have seen it with? Either of these seem like nice movies she could watch with her parents.
What’s she rating them on her secret Letterboxd? Three stars for There’s No Business Like Show Business, and three and a half for The Prince and the Showgirl (Monroe’s better in the latter).
How might she reference it? In There’s No Business Like Show Business, Monroe sings a sexed-up cover of “Heat Wave” by Irving Berlin. “The can-can she dances will make you cry” already sounds like it could be a Swift lyric.
Showgirls, Paul Verhoeven (1995)
Has she seen it? This is the biggest question mark on the list. Verhoeven’s once-maligned and now-reclaimed drama about Las Vegas showgirls feels a little too edgy and mean for Swift’s proclivities, but she is also an adult woman in her 30s, and seeing Showgirls with your friends on a big TV is a millennial rite of passage.
Who would she have seen it with? The best answer is Andrew Scott; the worst answer is Matty Healy.
What’s she rating it on her secret Letterboxd? She’s logging it but not doing a rating.
How might she reference it? Maybe she and rumored featured guest Sabrina Carpenter can riff on frenemies-slash-romantic interests Nomi Malone and Cristal Connors. No — that’s too crazy. Maybe she’ll just do her version of the John Early and Kate Berlant re-creation. The former was in the “Anti-Hero” video, so it seems possible she’s at least seen their version.
The Greatest Show on Earth, Cecil B. DeMille (1952)
Has she seen it? Probably not —it’s long and only very okay at best.
Who would she have seen it with? She’s asking her dad to summarize it for her in case it comes up.
What’s she rating it on her secret Letterboxd? N/A
How might she reference it? It would be cool if she did a trapeze stunt in one of her new videos.
Circus World, Henry Hathaway (1964)
Has she seen it? Probably not — it’s relatively obscure, and Swift is most likely not incredibly interested in a John Wayne vehicle, even if Rita Hayworth is in it.
Who would she have seen it with? N/A
What’s she rating it on her secret Letterboxd? N/A
How might she reference it? Rita Hayworth wears an orange bodysuit in it! She already has referenced it!
