“The Life of a Showgirl” looks like it’s going to have nine lives and then some, when it comes to variant editions with different album cover images and vinyl color schemes. Only Taylor Swift and her team know how many different versions of the album will go up for pre-sale before all the variants get shipped for the official Oct. 3 release, but it looks like it will be a lot, given the pace at which the singer has already been issuing limited editions that immediately sell out.
The latest variant, which went on sale at 4 p.m. ET Monday, is the “Tiny Bubbles in Champagne Collection,” two different LPs with the same cover image but very different vinyl colorings.
With this new image of Swift, on social media, there has been a positive response that has been a common reaction to nearly all the alternate/variant covers so far: “SHOULD’VE BEEN THE ALBUM COVER BUT OK.”
Each of her limited editions has arrived preceded by a countdown clock, and the promise that the variant would be on sale for 48 hours or “while supplies last.” The latter has definitely applied, as most of these have sold out within about an hour.
But for the sake of historical record-keeping, if not necessarily a guide to products you can still purchase, here is Variety‘s regularly updated look at all the previous editions of “The Life of a Showgirl,” in reverse chronological order. Note: all of these prior versions were described as one-time-only pressings and are no longer available, except for the orange-glitter version, which apparently counts as the standard edition.
Aug. 25: The Tiny Bubble in Champagne Collection (two vinyl variants)
With this week’s new variants being as colorfully described as ever, one of the fresh editions comes in “under bright lights pearlescent vinyl,” and the other is offered in “red lipstick & lace transparent vinyl.” As always, the front cover logo has coloring to match what will be thrown onto the turntable.
For now, Swift is back to being pictured alone in his glittery guise, versus the previous collection’s group shot. The closeup of her face may, for Swifties, recall a lyric from not that long ago: “Draw the cat eye sharp enough to kill a man.”
Aug. 21: The Baby That’s Show Business Collection (two vinyl variants)
This edition was available in two different color variants: “lovely bouquet golden vinyl” (above, left) and “lakeside beach blue sparkle vinyl.” The cover of this one was arguably the biggest crowd-pleaser of the different cover images to date, portraying Swift as part of a Vegas-y chorus line. As with other vinyl variants so far, the color of the lettering on the front cover matched the color of the LP inside.
The blue edition sold out first on Swift’s website, in about a half-hour, while it was about an hour before the golden version was marked as no longer available. The latter was apparently restocked at some point, but quickly was unavailable again, according to fan accounts.
Aug. 18: The Shiny Bug Collection (two vinyl variants)
These were the first alternate LP versions to go on sale. The colors for the vinyl were officially dubbed “violet shimmer marbled vinyl” and “wintergreen and onyx marbled vinyl.” Both LP editions shared the same cover photography of Swift in (of course) a showgirl outfit, with variations in the coloring of the title logo. They both sold out in her webstore in about an hour, marking the first time that Swifties became aware of just how short the window of availability could be for these items.
The cover for this edition was perhaps her most controversial to date, with some finding her leaning against a wall to be sexually suggestive, while others protested that it looked either more weary or just stretchy than sensual. In any case, it was the cover image that launched a million memes, mostly of Swift holding various things up, like the leaning tower of Pisa.
Aug. 18: It’s Beautiful, It’s Rapturous and It’s Frightening Editions (three CD variants)
Before Swift got around to her series of alternate vinyl editions, she put three deluxe CD versions up for sale all at once, each of them with a completely different cover photo.
The “It’s Frightening” cover had her straddling a row of chairs and looking ready for action, in a pose some liked to Spider-Man, albeit a lot leggier. “It’s Rapturous” had her doing a dimly-green-lit “peek-a-boo” with her hands covering her face but not her eyes. And the “It’s Beautiful” photo was basically a contest between how much skin and how much bling could compete for dominance in a single pose.
Aug. 13: The standard edition
The shot of Swift mostly submerged in a bathtub suggests both glamour and the rigor and tiredness in a behind-the-scenes comedown. This was the first cover revealed and, for now, at least, looks to be the only one set to be perpetually on sale. It’s also the only version of the album available in all formats — vinyl, CD, cassette, digital download and streaming.
The LP will arrive in “sweat and vanilla perfume portofino orange vinyl,” and the cassette comes with the same description. The CD version comes with a poster. All of these are available in her webstore and presumably will be indefinitely, as well as in retail stores come Oct. 3.
Swift’s longtime brick-and-mortar partner, Target, is said to have its own unique color for its version of the vinyl, per alleged stickers for the release that leaked and may or may not be legit.
The photography for all of Swift’s album imagery this time around is jointly credited to Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott.
Unlike the alternate versions of Swift’s last album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” which were marked by different bonus tracks as well as different covers, all of the editions of “The Life of a Showgirl” will contain the same 12 songs, with the singer having said on a podcast with Travis Kelce that she is not doing bonus tracks this time around.