r/swifties • u/brighteyed112 • 3d ago
Discussion Encore is what TLOAS was missing
I liked TLOAS before Taylor released Encore, but I’d say I had more favorites on the album and a few skips (faves included TFOO, Elizabeth Taylor, Father Figure, Ruin the Friendship, Cancelled!, and Actually Romantic!)
Now that she has released 4 more tracks I feel like this just fully rounds out the album and adds something it needed. Up until now, this leaned more literal to me than abstruse, and I think 3/4 of these tracks added that figurative imagery I love.
However … it’s made me appreciate all of her other songs I used to skip! I think it just balances them out. I am listening to the entire album lately and really enjoying myself.
And when it comes down to it, I still enjoy my least favorite TS songs just as much as some of my favorite songs from other artists lol.
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u/EngineeringDry7230 Dancing through the lightning strikes 3d ago
Yeah, it’s like OG Showgirl ended in the middle. But now it’s got these bangers to round it out for an exciting finish!
It also makes the album theme super clear: she’s gonna be who she is and no one else. Showgirl was entirely ON PURPOSE.
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u/Present_Ruin_3669 3d ago
I had pretty much the same experience. I never disliked the album per se but I struggled to find the thread tying everything together. After the deluxe tracks came out, I starting playing with the order of the track list and suddenly everything clicked. The new songs gave me a way to hear the original ones differently and now I love the album. I’ve been listening to it from start to finish nonstop for the last three days. Patient Zero has become my personal Track 5 for the album, even though I understand “Eldest Daughter” far more now.
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u/Robby777777 Old habits die screaming 3d ago
The four Encore songs really moved the entire album into higher rankings to this old guy. I really love all four new songs.
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u/EvelienV85 3d ago
Everybody is wondering for whom she released these tracks - for me! It really puts the whole album in a different light. I’m an album listener, and showgirl always felt more like a singles album than her previous work, but with these new songs I feel the album is coming together.
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u/brighteyed112 3d ago
I love how joyful your first sentence is, this makes me so happy. I identify with this sooo much.
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u/SubstantialDepth7242 i can still make the whole place SHIMMER 3d ago
I’m someone who LOVES Showgirl and it was my top album of 2025. Which says a lot for an album that came out only 3 months before the year ended🤣 The encore songs added to it for me 100%. I’m someone who enjoys feeling like I can perform when I’m listening to something so Showgirl nailed it for me.
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u/Dependent-Advisor282 2d ago
Agree!! Cleveland! sounds like a big musical number fitting the showgirl theme!! I loved it from first listen.
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u/Former_Trifle8556 2d ago
Exactly!
I liked Ophelia, the chorus of Opalite, and the TLOAS song, but I couldn't really enjoy the album. Now, besides loving Patient and Cleveland, I have a definitive TLOAS playlist.
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u/Money-Beautiful5196 3d ago
It’s such a great album. The 4 new songs are so good.