“Not even out a week omg the desperation”: Netizens react as Taylor Swift announces 4 new acoustic variants of ‘The Life of a Showgirl’

Taylor Swift has announced four new CD editions of her 2025 album The Life of a Showgirl, each featuring two acoustic bonus tracks. According to a report by Variety on October 4, 2025, Taylor Swift re-recorded eight songs from the album in acoustic form. These tracks were inspired by her “favorite moments from the tour”, the acoustic surprise sections of her live shows.

Each CD edition also features new cover art, several drawn from the photo shoot for her new The Fate of Ophelia music video, released in theaters over the weekend and on YouTube on Sunday night, according to Variety.

The four new CDs are available through Taylor Swift’s webstore “for 24 hours or while supplies last” and are priced at $7.99 each. Sales from these editions are expected to contribute to The Life of a Showgirl’s first-week totals if they ship in the coming week, according to Variety.

Reactions on social media have been mixed, with some users saying that the release of the additional acoustic tracks seems "desperate."

Some social media users have also alleged that Taylor Swift is trying to get fans to spend more on the album release and is trying to compete with Adele's record.

More about the four acoustic editions

As reported by Variety, each of the four limited-edition CDs includes two acoustic recordings. All four editions feature their own cover imagery and production variations.

The Life Is a Song Acoustic Version features Opalite (Life Is a Song Acoustic Version) and Ruin the Friendship (My Advice Version).
The Dressing Room Rehearsal Version adds Wi$h Li$t (Settled Down Acoustic Version) and The Life of a Showgirl (Dressing Room Rehearsal Acoustic Version).
The Alone in My Tower Acoustic Version contains “The Fate of Ophelia (Alone in My Tower Acoustic Version)” and “Eldest Daughter (Now You’re Home Acoustic Version).”
The fourth edition, So Glamorous Cabaret Version, includes two versions of “Elizabeth Taylor”: one titled “So Glamorous Cabaret Version” and another taken directly from Swift’s original songwriting voice memo.

According to the report by Variety on October 4, 2025, these editions were made available just one day after The Life of a Showgirl sold 2.7 million copies on its first day of release. That total reportedly gives the album the second-highest single-week sales figure in SoundScan/Luminate history, behind Adele’s 25 in 2015.

Adele's "25" sells a record-breaking 3.38 million copies (Image via Getty)

Taylor Swift breaks new records with The Life of a Showgirl

As reported by Billboard on October 4, 2025, The Life of a Showgirl sold 2.7 million copies in the United States on October 3, 2025 its first day of release. The total includes both physical and digital album purchases and marks Taylor Swift’s biggest single-day sales week ever. The figure positions Showgirl immediately behind Adele's 2015 album 25, which opened with 3.378 million copies sold.

According to Billboard, the new album also broke the modern-era record for vinyl sales, with 1.2 million copies sold on wax in a single day. Taylor Swift previously held that record with her 2024 album The Tortured Poets Department, which sold 859,000 vinyl copies in its first week.

The Tortured Poets Department album on display at the Taylor Swift "Songbook Trail" photocall at The V&A on July 24, 2024, in London, England. (Image via Getty)

Luminate data, which powers Billboard’s charts, shows that Taylor Swift’s one-day total for Showgirl already makes it the top-selling album of 2025 in the U.S., surpassing The Weeknd’s Hurry Up Tomorrow, which sold 520,000 copies through September 25, 2025. Final first-week sales are expected on October 12, 2025, once the tracking period ends on October 9, 2025.

If the album debuts at No. 1, it will mark Taylor Swift’s 15th chart-topping release, dethroning Drake and JAY-Z for the most No. 1 albums among solo artists, as reported by Billboard.

According to Billboard, The Life of a Showgirl is available in 23 physical formats, including 12 CDs, eight vinyl LPs, two deluxe boxed sets with branded apparel, and a cassette. Four of these editions were exclusive to Target, while the rest were sold through Taylor Swift’s webstore.

On digital platforms, The Life of a Showgirl was released in both standard and iTunes-exclusive versions, with the latter including a short bonus video. No tracks from the album are available for individual download, according to Billboard.

About the author

Devangee Halder is a Food and Pop culture writer at Sportskeeda. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and a Master's Degree in International Studies. A bibliophile and foodie, her academic background, with the intersection of history and cultural studies, has deepened her love for reading and writing.

With over a year of experience, including an internship at Indian Express, which she landed through correspondence with editor Raj Kumar Jha, she transitioned into her current role at this company.

When not working, she enjoys cooking and reading, alongside her newfound interest in weightlifting. Among her favorite personalities are Sarah Todd and Vikas Khanna, and she admires the late chef Jock Zonfrillo for his work on indigenous food habits and ingredients.

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Edited by Devangee