She is back. She is different. She is “The Life of a Showgirl.”

Taylor Swift’s 12th studio album was released on Friday, Oct. 3, re-entering the artist into the pop music realm and surprising fans with her “new” style. An album needs to be digested through multiple listens before an opinion is made on it, and that certainly proved true with “The Life of a Showgirl.” Below, is a ranking of the songs–from worst to best–giving the ins and outs on why this album could be revolutionary for Swift’s newest era of music.

12. “Eldest Daughter:” With so much potential, “Eldest Daughter” was set up to be Swift’s latest hit, and yet it feels like it took all of the wrong turns. Lyrically, the song fails to encapsulate the complex feelings of eldest daughters. The lyrics are so heavily millennial-coded that it’s hard to listen to without wanting to turn the song off entirely, and at this point, it doesn’t matter how it sounds because the lyrics are so bad.

11. “Honey:” “Honey” is probably one of the most forgettable songs on the album. With lyrics like, “Who’s the baddest in the land? What’s the plan,” it’s hard to imagine they were written by the same artist who wrote songs like “Marjorie” and “The Archer.”  

10. “Actually Romantic:” This song feels like an unnecessary diss track that has no place on this album. Aside from the fact that this Charli XCX beef seems to be one-sided, Swift doesn’t have the music style that would be appropriate for a song of this nature. Not to mention lyrics like, “Wrote me a song saying it makes you sick to see my face,” makes it seem like Swift blew Charli XCX’s words out of proportion.

9. “Father Figure:” Inspired by George Michael’s song with the same name, Swift’s take on “Father Figure” means heavy instrumentals, reminiscent of the production of the original. It almost doesn’t seem like a Swift song, which seems to be the case for a lot of the songs on this album.

8. “Wi$h Li$t:” “Wi$h Li$t” doesn’t do much for the audience, but it’s one of the sonically stronger tracks on the album.

7. “Ruin the Friendship:” The song hits deep with its lyrics, which were refreshing given that this album lacked Swift’s typical lyrical genius; the line, “Staying friends is safe, doesn’t mean you should,” hits like one of Swift’s old songs, and that is a win for many fans.

6. “Elizabeth Taylor:” This song isn’t a hit or a miss. While “Elizabeth Taylor” had potential, it didn’t match the nature of the real Elizabeth Taylor.

5. “Wood:” Swift is in love with her man and she wants everyone to know it. It’s a great tune, and while suggestive, the lyrics are not all bad compared to the other songs. At the same time, it feels odd to have Swift sing about something more explicit than she normally does, especially with lyrics like, “His love was the key that opened my thighs.”

4. “The Life of a Showgirl:” Above all else, it’s catchy and has many earworm-worthy melodies. It’s the “1989” upbeat vibe that so many fans love and grew up with.

Plus, the track also featured popstar darling Sabrina Carpenter. She sounds absolutely killer, almost too good next to Swift. To be honest, Carpenter outshines her on this track.

3.“CANCELLED!:” This song feels like Swift wants to have her “Reputation” moment again, but this time the backlash she’s receiving is more warranted.

While the lyrics are painfully millennial, this song makes you feel like you can strut into a room and be the hottest one there.

2. “Opalite:” “Opalite” is representative of a pattern this album where fans expected more meaningful songs than Swift delivered. But, it might not be a bad thing because this song is so fun.
Just because this song doesn’t have a deep, complex meaning, doesn’t automatically make the track skippable. This song has been on repeat for many.

1. “The Fate of Ophelia:”  Without a doubt, “The Fate of Ophelia” is the best track on this album. Not only is it sonically beautiful, but the lyrics in this song are what many were expecting from this album. This isn’t Swift’s best album lyrically, but in “The Fate of Ophelia,” she undoubtedly pulled through with lyrics like, “No longer drowning and deceived, all because you came for me.” 

Not to mention the song’s catchy tune. Simply, this is a song made for dancing.

All in all, the hate toward this album is unnecessary. Every listen, the album gets better. It’s not her best album, but it is not her worst.