Taylor Swift's twelfth studio album dropped early this morning, and the entire internet is abuzz with theories about the lyrical meanings. The Life of a Showgirl is a relatively short album for Taylor, whose last album, The Tortured Poets Department, featured 31 songs. For this album, the singer condensed her many thoughts into 12 songs, but that doesn't mean the conversation is any smaller. One of the most talked about songs on the album is "Elizabeth Taylor." The album's second track is named after an actress who died 14 years ago.
But why did the multi-Grammy award winning artist name drop Elizabeth Taylor? Well, major fans of the singer know that this isn't the first time she made mention to the actress in one of her songs. Per Entertainment Weekly, in Taylor's song "Ready for It" she sings "Burton to this Taylor" which refers to Elizabeth's ex-husband Richard Burton. So it's clear that the iconic actress is an inspiration to Taylor.
According to Apple Music, "Elizabeth Taylor" was the first song Taylor wrote for the album. It starts with Taylor singing the actress' name, then she asks: "Do you think it's forever?" Elizabeth, while a legendary actress with five Oscar nominees and two wins, is best known for her active love life. The late actress was married to seven different men throughout her life. She even married, divorced, re-married, and re-divorced Richard Burton in the '70s.
The story of Elizabeth's life is that of a woman in the spotlight for her high-profile relationships, leading to an incredible amount of media-scrutiny. It's unsurprising that Taylor resonates with the late actress. During her 20-year-career, the "Opilate" singer has routinely made headlines for her many relationships. Taylor has dated Harry Styles, Joe Jonas, John Mayer, Joe Alwyn, and Matty Healy – and that's just a few. And her new music is often analyzed for which famous man it may be referencing.
Taylor has long written about her love life and her relationship to fame. She has an entire album called Reputation, with lyrics consistently referencing her feelings on being noticed and misunderstood. "Elizabeth Taylor" is not even the only song on The Life of a Showgirl that depicts her tenuous relationship with fame. On the album's tenth track, "Cancelled", Taylor sings: "It's easy to love you when you're popular/ The optics click, everyone prospers/ But one single drop, you're off the roster."
Her dissection of fame and womanhood continues in "Elizabeth Taylor." Throughout the song, Taylor makes references to the actress in more than just her name. In the first verse, she mentions the Italian city, Portofino, which just happens to be where Richard Burton proposed to Elizabeth in 1964. Taylor later sings: "When you called me at the Plaza Athénée," which is a reference to the Parisian hotel where Elizabeth and Richard once stayed.
The chorus of "Elizabeth Taylor" starts with the line: "I'd cry my eyes violet." After Elizabeth's acting career waned, she launched a fragrance brand called Violet Eyes. Further into the song, Taylor sings: "Babe, I would trade the Cartier for someone to trust," which is a reference to the actress's jewelry collection. She also sings about the "best booth at Musso & Frank's," which just happens to be a Los Angeles restaurant that Elizabeth frequented.
"Elizabeth Taylor" shows listeners that Taylor is a cultural critic and student, and that she is all too aware of what the media thinks of her love life.