The Fate of Ophelia

"The Fate of Ophelia" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift and the lead single from her twelfth studio album, The Life of a Showgirl. It was released on October 3, 2025, through Republic Records. Swift wrote and produced "The Fate of Ophelia" with Max Martin and Shellback. It is a dance-pop, synth-pop, and funk song with a new wave groove. The track opens with a drum roll and minor piano chords, progressing into an upbeat arrangement of steel guitars, synthesizers, and Omnichords, over a driving bassline. The song is partially inspired by Ophelia, a character who drowns due to madness from grief and romantic rejection in William Shakespeare's play Hamlet. It addresses a soulmate who saves Swift from a destiny of death like that of Ophelia. It is compared with Swift's own love life; she doesn't want hers to end up like Ophelia's.