Continuing my ranked list of the songs on Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl…
#3. ‘The Fate of Ophelia’
Taylor Swift has a history of picking bad lead singles (look no further than the selection of ‘Me!’ to introduce the otherwise phenomenal Lover). This time out she nailed it, dropping one of the catchiest songs in her whole discography.
‘The Fate of Ophelia’ kicks off the album with a burst of adrenaline, boasting a multi-part chorus that digs its hooks in deeper the longer it goes. It has a trademark Swift bridge, too, that downshifts for a spell before shooting back out of the gate. This song deserves all the records it’s breaking, and it might just get some curious listeners to read Hamlet.
#2. ‘Opalite’
On my very first listen of The Life of a Showgirl, ‘Opalite’ is the song that jumped out at me. I was instantly smitten with its girl-group vibe, its “oh oh oh,”s and its shimmering production. ‘Opalite’ also boasts one of the album’s best bridges, which culminates in a glorious multi-tracked crescendo.
Let me also credit another Swift, Taylor’s brother Austin, for contributing to one of my favorite lyrics on this album: “I had a bad habit of missing lovers past / My brother used to call it “Eating out of the trash.”
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
[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
[Chorus]
All that time
I sat alone in my tower
You were just honing your powers
Now I can see it all (See it all)
Late one night
You dug me out of my grave and
Saved my heart from the fate of
Ophelia (Ophеlia)
[Post-Chorus]
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
The fate of Ophelia
[Verse 2]
The eldest daughter of a nobleman
Ophelia lived in fantasy
But love was a cold bed full of scorpions
The venom stole her sanity
[Pre-Chorus]
And if you’d never come for me (Come for me)
I might’ve lingered in purgatory
You wrap around me like a chain (A chain), a crown (A crown), a vine (A vine)
Pulling me into the fire
[Chorus]
All that time
I sat alone in my tower
You were just honing your powers
Now I can see it all (See it all)
Late one night
You dug me out of my grave and
Saved my heart from the fate of
Ophelia (Ophelia)
[Post-Chorus]
Keep it one hundred on the land (Land), the sea (The 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
The fate of Ophelia
[Bridge]
‘Tis locked inside my memory
And only you possess the key
No longer drowning and deceived
All because you came for me
Locked inside my memory
And only you possess the key
No longer drowning and deceived
All because you came for me
[Chorus]
All that time
I sat alone in my tower
You were just honing your powers
Now I can see it all (I can see it all)
Late one night
You dug me out of my grave and
Saved my heart from the fate of
Ophelia (Ophelia)
[Post-Chorus]
Keep it one hundred on the land (Land), the sea (The sea), the sky
Pledge allegiance to your hands (Your hands), your team, your vibes
Don’t care where the hell you’ve been (You’ve been) ’cause now (‘Cause now), you’re mine
It’s ’bout to be the sleepless night you’ve been dreaming of
The fate of Ophelia
[Outro]
You saved my heart from the fate of Ophelia
Meet Me In Montauk 
Certainly a good first single, and I’m sure that its similarities to Lana del Ray’s “Summertime” might contribute to your fondness for the song.
I hadn’t made the connection to ‘Summertime Sadness’ but now that you brought it up I do hear it.
I like this. Interesting lyrics and good beat. I will reread Hamnet instead of Hamlet though 😊 to get ready for the movie