There’s been a lot of discussion about the lyrics on Taylor Swift’s latest album, “The Life of a Showgirl.” Since the song was released on Oct. 3, fans and critics alike have been quick to point out (pun intended) the singer’s “millennial nastiness” and catchphrase-filled prose.
No song seems to have garnered as much criticism as the album’s fifth song, “Eldest Daughter.” The song delves into the concept of being the eldest child in a family and the responsibility that comes with portraying a “tough guy” exterior. And while many people point fingers at this song as one of the worst songs on the record, I’m confident that it’s my favorite and, dare I say it, Swift’s best work yet.
“I’m the oldest daughter in the family, and talking to other oldest daughters, I find that you all have very similar experiences with the world, and fear and feeling like you have to do it all,” Swift said of the song during a scene from Taylor Swift: Showgirls Official Release Party.
“It’s about peeling back the façade that we put in front of ourselves and just saying, ‘Yeah, I’m not what we want culturally to be.'” Sometimes you want connection, softness, and honesty, and that’s okay. ”
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As the eldest daughter, I agree with Swift. The role requires her to live up to all the goodness that comes with being the “perfect daughter” while also having a somewhat toxic, self-inflicted innate perfectionism and independence. You need to be tough and self-sufficient, but never too crude or brash. Be successful, but don’t ask for too much help. You need to be a steward and a leader without being too brazen.
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The song itself has a simple melody, just Swift and the piano, representing her versus herself, so to speak. An homage to internet culture, the song’s first verse (“All the jokes are just trolls and memes/Sad but indifference is hot”) feels almost infantile in its word choice and simple rhythm.
“This whole first verse was me trying to assimilate what the culture is supposed to be like for us,” Swift said in an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “Sometimes I use certain words to satirize.”
That’s the secret to this whole song – the lyrics have a sickening undertone, but that’s because it’s meant to be. The entire song is satirical, and Swift’s main point is to be intentionally disgusting. It’s tiresome to act like you know what you’re doing and have it all together when in reality no one does. And the more you try to portray to the world that you are this martyr who can really do everything, the more one-dimensional and confused you seem.
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“All the firstborn daughters / We were the first lambs to the slaughter / So we all dressed like wolves and looked like fire,” Swift sings in the song’s second half. She bravely explained that as the eldest daughter, she had to disguise herself as a predator rather than discreet prey, but thought she looked so cool and effortless while doing so.
She adds another cringe-worthy element with the phrase “It looked like she was on fire,” reminding the listener that this is all an act, a performance that is making fun of herself and the dishonesty she feels she has to hide, a character she feels forced to play.
The chorus brings everything to a climax. The constantly debated lyrics, “But I’m not bad —- / And this ain’t barbaric,” are meant to poke fun at internet culture, as well as the way we try to make ourselves perceived by others online and offline through made-up and inauthentic personas.
Culturally, we have gone from being a “girl boss” to being a “bad guy” and from being a “feral child” to being a “savage.” Their archetypes have never changed, nor have the names we have given them. In a way, it’s like Swift throwing her hands in the air and saying, “I don’t want to be like this!”
But then she goes into the next part of the chorus, which for me is the pinnacle of the whole song. “But I’m never gonna let you down/I’m never gonna leave you behind,” she says. This encapsulates everything about being the eldest daughter.
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No matter how much your public persona is a mask to hide deep feelings of fear, loneliness, and not being good enough, your eldest daughter will always have an unavoidable need to protect those she loves. Sure, you may have your flaws, but the best thing about pretending to be fearless is that you are a rock that everyone else can trust.
“How do you talk about it to explain how much you don’t care when the truth is everyone cares about something?” Swift told Lowe about the song in an Apple Music interview. “I have a distaste for actually seeming to need anything.”
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Swift may be talking to her loved ones, but I would argue she’s talking to herself. Even if everyone else leaves, I will never abandon myself; that is my eldest daughter’s job. It’s a feeling that’s hard to explain until you experience it and realize that the quest to please others and feed your emotions continues well into adulthood.
It’s a strange idea to put into words, but as the eldest daughter, I’m glad Swift did it.
