“The Life of a Showgirl,” Taylor Swift ’s maniacally anticipated 12th album, is an exhilarating peek behind the curtain, blazing with high-gloss ruminations on what it’s really like to be the most famous showgirl on Earth. Turns out results may vary — at least she’s in love!

The album, recorded between stadium spectacles as Swift wrapped her record-smashing “Eras Tour ” last year, nods to classic Hollywood glamor (“Elizabeth Taylor”), tragic Shakespearean maidens (“The Fate of Ophelia”) and her new fiancé Travis Kelce , who it appears has given the mega-star the storybook romance she’s been pining for since “Love Story” (2008).

Stories by Bobby Olivier

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