You may have heard that Taylor Swift released a new album called “The Life of a Showgirl” earlier this month, and the public’s general reaction to the record might have also come across your algorithm.
But in case you missed it, one of the biggest conversations following the release of “TLOAS” was how much some of the tracks seemingly sounded like other songs, particularly “Wood,” which was immediately likened to the Jackson 5’s “I Want You Back,” and the album’s title track, which features Sabrina Carpenter.
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In fact, the song “The Life of a Showgirl” went viral almost instantly after its release because of its similarity to the Jonas Brothers’ 2019 hit “Cool,” with one person even joking that “Cool” by the Jonas Brothers was the best song on the album.
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Listeners argued that the first lines of each chorus are sonically identical, as if different words are being sung to the exact same tune.
You can check out a popular TikTok video that plays the choruses back to back here.
Neither Swift nor the Jonas Brothers reacted to the claims at the time; however, Joe Jonas might just have subtly alluded to the discourse in the band’s new interview with Esquire.
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For what it’s worth, Swift and Jonas briefly dated in 2008, with Swift famously exposing him for dumping her in a “25-second phone call” shortly after their split.
Earlier on in the profile, Jonas admitted to the publication that he is “extremely online” and sees pretty much everything that goes down on social media, which appears to set the framework for his subsequent comments about his ex’s new album.
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When asked if he had listened to “The Life of a Showgirl,” Jonas said: “I’ve heard some of it. I think she’s obviously the biggest artist out there, and I think it’s good.”
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He then pointedly added: “Everybody’s got an opinion about it, but from what I’ve heard, there are some catchy melodies.”
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