Swift is a great writer, undisputedly. She is, also, a great commercial success. But this lack of evolution, which I have been charting since 2022’s Midnights, is causing her brilliance to be lost in the sea of her other brilliant work. In fact, calling the addendum The Encore is rather fitting, because the whole concept of the encore is an additional performance harkening back to whatever the performer has just played. The audience loves it so much, they want it again.
In the case of Showgirl, the encore is Swift’s M.O. to a T. It plays the victim (“Cleveland!”), makes a very late apology (“Pink Clouding”) and, of course, every song has a great bridge. But that’s the thing. It’s static.
Whenever I talk about folklore and evermore with fellow Swift fans, the opinions are divided. But whether or not you think they’re good, per se, isn’t really the point. It’s proof that Swift knows how to evolve, how to dare, how to do things differently—and do them extraordinarily well. And I’m really hoping that her foray back into country for Toy Story 5 is an indication that maybe an evolution is coming. But for now, it’s time to put away the feather boas and dim the spotlight.
