The first music video of Taylor Swift’s showgirl era is here, and it’s full of starry moments, because, baby, that’s show business for you.
The video for “The Fate of Ophelia” — the debut single off of the 14-time Grammy winner’s 12th studio album The Life of a Showgirl — premiered Friday as part of an exclusive release event only in theaters.
But Swifties around the world who couldn’t make the three-day theatrical engagement were able to catch up with “Ophelia” on Sunday evening, when the video dropped on YouTube. “The Fate of Ophelia” opens on the cavernous and baroque lobby of an ornate theater. A lone janitorial worker mops up after the evening’s festivities, and the camera — helmed by Swift in director mode — pivots to a take on artist John Everett Millais’ famous painting of the titular Shakespearean damsel sinking into the waters that claim her life.
Of course, here, Ophelia is played by Swift — and she isn’t going anywhere. In the first of nine costumes, Swift, clad in a long, Renaissance-style white muslin gown and sporting Speak Now era long, straight hair, sits up as the pastoral scene is literally pulled apart by stagehands, revealed as nothing more than show business trickery.
The rest of “The Fate of Ophelia” is edited to appear like a single take, cycling in and out of various scenes, each of which stage Swift in full leading lady mode as the star.
A Wagner-esque “Ride of the Valkyries” style scene aboard a ship depicts Swift in a long and wavy copper-colored wig, stealing a sword from a pirate to fight off his henchmen aboard a clipper ship. In another vignette, Swift is part of a Supremes-like girl group entertaining a speakeasy full of jovial patrons. She twists and shouts in a straight black wig and gown stitched together from dozens of black diamond patches.
Ever the Easter-egg planter, Swift ends the video partying in a hotel room with the full company from dancers from the preceding showgirl shorts. The camera cuts into the bathroom where Swift lies partly submerged in the tub — another nod to Ophelia, but also to the album’s aqueous cover.
taylor swift/Youtube
The title of the track itself, of course, refers to the character of Ophelia in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In the drama, Ophelia is a young noblewoman of Denmark, the daughter of Polonius, who falls in love with Prince Hamlet. When Hamlet kills her father, Ophelia goes mad with grief and ultimately dies by drowning.
Swift’s song, then, tells the tale of how a new lover (presumably, Travis Kelce) stepped into her life in the nick of time and saved her from the titular fate of Ophelia.
As part of the theatrical event, dubbed the The Official Release Party of a Showgirl, behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the music video itself was also revealed. The 89-minute “film” also included the brand-new lyric videos for the entire album, as well as cut-by-cut explanations of what inspired the songs.
The album itself, of course, debuted Friday as well. The record was previously announced by Swift when she joined now-fiancé Kelce and his brother Jason’s New Heights podcast on Aug. 13 to tell all about the new 12-track work, including song titles, collaborators, and the cover.
taylor swift/Youtube
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At the time, Swift also described the sound of album, which she promised would be full of “bangers.” Travis also added his two cents, telling viewers, “They’re all 12 bangers. It’s a lot more upbeat and it’s a lot more like fun pop, like excitement. And so I think it’s a complete 180 from a lot of the songs on Tortured Poets for sure.”
As for Showgirl’s theme, Swift said, “I would say it’s everything that was going on behind the curtain [of the Eras Tour],” and her goals for the album are “melodies that were so infectious that you’re almost angry at it and lyrics that are just as vivid but crisp and focused and completely intentional.”
