With the release of another album comes yet another poignant Track 5, destined for repeated listens.
Following the official release of The Life of a Showgirl at 12 a.m. ET on Friday, devoted Swifties immediately began scrutinizing the lyrics of every single song on the 12-track pop sensation. Unsurprisingly, the album’s much-anticipated fifth track, “Eldest Daughter,” drew considerable attention.
Dating back to when Red was released in 2012, fans of Taylor Swift began observing her pattern of consistently positioning a deeply emotional song as the fifth track on her albums. Several album cycles later, she validated her fans’ observations. In a 2019 Instagram Live, she explained, “I didn’t realize I was doing this, but as I was making albums, I guess I was just kind of putting a very vulnerable, personal, honest, emotional song as Track 5. So because you noticed this, I kind of started to put the songs that were really honest, emotional, vulnerable, and personal as Track 5.”
Prior Track 5s feature Red‘s iconic breakup anthem “All Too Well,” Lover‘s openly reflective ballad “The Archer,” and THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT‘s sorrowful farewell “So Long, London.” The complete list is provided underneath:
- Taylor Swift: “Cold As You”
- Fearless: “White Horse”
- Speak Now: “Dear John”
- Red: “All Too Well”
- 1989: “All You Had To Do Was Stay”
- reputation: “Delicate”
- Lover: “The Archer”
- folklore: “my tears ricochet”
- Evermore: “tolerate it”
- Midnights: “You’re On Your Own, Kid”
- THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: “So Long, London”
Within The Life of a Showgirl, “Eldest Daughter” appears to reference the concept of “eldest daughter syndrome,” which has recently garnered considerable attention across platforms like TikTok and others. Although not a clinical diagnosis, this syndrome denotes a commonly observed tendency where the firstborn female in a family is burdened with excessive responsibilities and significant emotional demands. Such experiences can manifest in enduring challenges related to perfectionism, anxiety, people-pleasing behaviors, burnout, and other mental health difficulties.
As Taylor’s sole sibling is her younger brother, Austin, she is, in fact, an eldest daughter. However, the song seems to draw a deeper connection to her metaphorical role as an “eldest daughter” within the music industry and the impact this public identity has had on her personal connections. She sings, “Every eldest daughter was the first lamb to the slaughter. So we all dressed up as wolves and we looked fire.”
Nevertheless, the central theme of “Eldest Daughter” appears to revolve around a romantic relationship—presumably with her now-fiancé Travis Kelce—where Swift has finally found a sense of security and wishes to prevent past insecurities from jeopardizing their bond. She sings, “I have been afflicted by a terminal uniqueness. I’ve been dying just from trying to seem cool. But I’m not a bad bitch. And this isn’t savage. But I’m never gonna let you down. I’m never gonna leave you out. So many traitors, smooth operators. But I’m never gonna break that vow. I’m never gonna leave you now, now, now.”
She seemingly takes it further by referencing Travis’ position as the youngest child in his family, singing, “Every youngest child felt they were raised up in the wild. But now you’re home.”
Beyond a direct declaration of devotion to Kelce, the song might also be interpreted as a testament of faithfulness to her unwavering fans and her enduring passion for music. Taylor, after all, is known for her fondness for double entendres.
