Taylor Swift surprised fans with a number of exciting hair transformations as she debuted her music video for ‘The Fate of Ophelia’ on Sunday.
The clip marked the first music video from the singer’s, 35, latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, which premiered on Friday.
The video is filled with allusions to Ophelia, the tragic former lover of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet who ultimately descends into madness and drowns.
In one scene, the Grammy winner exuded provocative showgirl glamour in a racy dress made of rope and a short brunette wig – a big departure from her signature long blonde hair.
The song and the video also contain a number of nods to Swift’s NFL star fiancé, Travis Kelce, 35, with her even catching a football at one point while singing about pledging ‘allegiance to your team.’
The video opens up with Swift embodying Ophelia in a painting, dressed in a white gown and lying in a stylized brook surrounded by flowers.
Taylor Swift, 35, surprised fans with a number of hair transformations as she debuted her music video for ‘The Fate of Ophelia’, from her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, on Sunday
She croons: ‘I heard you calling on the megaphone / You wanna see me all alone / As legend has it, you are quite the pyro / You light the match to watch it blow.’
The star then gets up and moves to pose in yet another painting.
But quickly, the viewers are transported into yet another scene. Upon opening a door, Taylor finds herself in a short Marilyn Monroe style blonde wig, and wearing a red burlesque bodysuit as she joins a number of similarly dressed dancers backstage.
She sings in the pre-chorus, ‘And if you’d never come for me / I might’ve drowned in the melancholy / I swore my loyalty to me (Me), myself (Myself), and I (I) / Right before you lit my sky up.’
In the next scene Taylor and her dancers take up the stage, with Swift rocking long brunette hair with bangs.
In the chorus, Swift expresses her gratitude to her partner for saving her from the fate of Ophelia.
‘All that time/ I sat alone in my tower / You were just honing your powers / Now I can see it all (See it all),’ she sing.
‘Late one night / You dug me out of my grave and / Saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia (Ophеlia).’
She then makes a reference to the football star, singing, ‘Keep it one hundred on the land (Land), thе sea (Sea), the sky / Pledge allegiance to your hands, your team, your vibes / Don’t care where the hell you’ve been (Been) ’cause now (Now), you’re mine/ It’s ’bout to be the sleepless night you’ve been dreaming of.’
Swift then reemerges with long auburn hair and a sparkling gown to join a group of theater actors performing on a set designed like a ship.
The video is filled with allusions to Ophelia, the tragic former lover of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet who ultimately descends into madness and drowns
It opens up with Swift embodying Ophelia in a painting, dressed in a white gown and lying in a stylized brook surrounded by flowers
Taylor then finds herself in a short Marilyn Monroe style blonde wig, and wearing a red burlesque bodysuit as she joins a number of similarly dressed dancers backstage
In the chorus, Swift expresses her gratitude to her partner for saving her from the fate of Ophelia
‘Late one night / You dug me out of my grave and / Saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia (Ophеlia),’ she croons
As the song continues, the star pops out yet again, now wearing a sparkling blue swim cap and a matching swimsuit
She performs with a group of dancers on a stage with a pool aesthetic
As the song continues, the star pops out yet again, now wearing a sparkling blue swim cap and a matching swimsuit, performing with a group of dancers on a stage with a pool aesthetic.
The scene changes yet again, this time to Swift in the rope dress as a makeup artist is seen adjusting her glam.
She sings: ‘Locked inside my memory/ And only you possess the key/ No longer drowning and deceived/ All because you came for me.’
She is then lifted into the air via her rope dress.
The video then transitions to Taylor in a glamorous orange burlesque bra and underwear as she shows off her toned midriff.
The outfit is paired with a dramatic feather head piece and matching shawl around her shoulders.
Yet again, the clip transitions to Swift now in a sparkling mini dress and a light blue fur jacket as she is pushed forward in a corridor on a table, before catching a football.
The clip ends with an image that is over the superstar’s album cover, which features her a sparkling silver mini dress submerged in a bathtub.
After the video’s release, Swift also shared some behind-the-scenes photos
‘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!!’ she wrote on Instagram
‘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,’ the star went on
‘You saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia, the singer closes out the song.
After the video’s release, Swift also shared some behind-the-scenes photos.
‘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!!’ she wrote in her caption on Instagram.
‘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. It’s a journey through the chaotic world of show business. I loved working with @rpstam, @ethantobman and @nopenother to dream up these visuals. A huge thank you to this massive cast who kept it and also kept the secret of this video even existing. It’s out on YouTube NOW!’
Swift has made a number of references to iconic playwright Shakespeare, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in history, on her new album.
The singer also revealed that she had to give Kelce a crash course on the plot of Shakespeare’s tragedy, Hamlet, as he never read it.
While showing off the vinyl to Travis and his brother and co-host, Jason, on their New Heights podcast in August, Swift shared that the first track was titled ‘The Fate Of Ophelia.’
The imagery from her cover brought to mind the iconic 1851 painting by John Everett Millais, which depicts Ophelia floating in a river just before she drowns.
The imagery from her cover brought to mind the iconic 1851 painting by John Everett Millais, which depicts Ophelia floating in a river just before she drowns
Swift also told Jason that her boyfriend ‘might not have read Hamlet’ but that she ‘explained it to him.’
‘Don’t tell my middle school English teacher I didn’t read it. Because I definitely was supposed to,’ the athlete quipped.
After his brother poked fun of him, Kelce replied, ‘It’s alright, I watched the Lion King.’
‘See, he knows what Hamlet is,’ Swift concluded, referencing how the Disney animated musical was inspired by the play.
Taylor Swift’s biggest selling albums… so far
1989 (2014): 14 million
Fearless (2008): 11 million
Red (2012): 8 million
Taylor Swift (2006): 8 million
Currently only 2017’s Reputation and her debut album (pictured) – which was released in 2006 – are left to be re-released
The Tortured Poets Department (2024): 8 million
* Based on US domestic sales according to the Recording Industry Association Of America (RIAA)
