Taylor Swift imitates one of William Shakespeare’s most tragic characters for her “The Fate of Ophelia” music video.
The song, which is the opening track on her new “The Life of a Showgirl” album, references the “Hamlet” heroine. In the tragic play, Ophelia dies by drowning after heartbreak, but in Swift’s song, someone saves her from a similar fate.
In the video, the pop icon appears in a painting similar to John Everett Millais’ famous work that is brought to life. From there, she dons a platinum blond wig and seemingly channels Marilyn Monroe in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” before nailing some choreography. She continues to travel through different time periods, embodying a “showgirl” in each one, before the video ends with a raging party in a hotel room and a somber conclusion.
Swift revealed that “The Fate of Ophelia” was getting a music video when she announced her “Life of a Showgirl” theatrical event: an 89-minute showing of the music video, behind-the-scenes footage and lyric videos for the album.
A couple days after fans saw Swift transform into Ophelia in theaters, the music video arrived on YouTube Sunday, Oct. 5.
Here’s what to know about the music video, the only one announced so far off Swift’s 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl.”
How to watch ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ music video
Swifties watched “The Fate of Ophelia” music video as part of “The Official Release Party of a Showgirl” in movie theaters. Swift announced that she was turning her album release into a theatrical event on social media Sept. 19.
“I hereby invite you to a *dazzling* soirée, The Official Release Party of a Showgirl: Oct 3 — Oct 5 only in cinemas!” she wrote. “You’ll get to see the exclusive world premiere of the music video for my new single “The Fate of Ophelia”, along with never before seen behind-the-scenes footage of how we made it, cut by cut explanations of what inspired this music, and the brand new lyric videos from my new album The Life of a Showgirl.”
The in-theaters experience started Oct. 3 and ends Oct. 5. Despite its short theater run, Variety reported that the film is already a success, earning $33 million domestically and landing at the top of the box office charts.
If you couldn’t make the theatrical event, never fear. “The Fate of Ophelia” joined Swift’s archive of music videos on YouTube. The music video, as well as the lyric videos for the album, were released on the platform on Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. ET.
What happens in ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ music video?
“The Fate of Ophelia” music video had its world premiere Oct. 3 at 3 p.m. ET in theaters. Swift herself directed the video, and for it, she invited back all the stage performers who joined her on “The Eras Tour,” like Jan Ravnik and Kam Saunders, as well as the tour’s choreographer, Mandy Moore.
The video has Swift in character as various showgirls — the glamorous ones who are feathered and bejeweled for the stage, and the tragic ones who meet their agonizing fates. The video’s final shot evokes the Shakespearean Ophelia, with Swift submerged in a bathtub, a nearly identical shot of “The Life of a Showgirl’s” album art.
The video’s production meets the high bar Swift has set with her previous videos. Footage from behind the scenes, shown in theaters to folks who attended the release party, follows Swift and her team going through weeks of rehearsals and performing on immaculate soundstages.
Minutes after the video debuted on YouTube, Swift posted a message on X that read, “Writing, rehearsing, directing and shooting the music video for ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ was the thrill of a lifetime because I got to be reunited with my Eras Tour family!! I wanted each one-take scene to feel like a live performance and remind us all of how it felt to be at those shows together. Making every moment count.”
She added that “The Fate of Ophelia” is “a journey through the chaotic world of show business. I loved working with Rodrigo Prieto, Ethan Tobman and Mandy Moore to dream up these visuals. A huge thank you to this massive cast who kept it (one hundred) and also kept the secret of this video even existing.”
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