Some people dress up in elaborate costumes on Halloween, but this year Taylor Swift is stripping things all the way back. The pop juggernaut surprise released an unplugged version of her The Life of a Showgirl hit “The Fate of Ophelia” on Thursday night (Oct. 30). The acoustic guitar-forward “The Fate of Ophelia (Alone in My Tower Acoustic Version),” is led by Swift’s strumming and gauzy layers of her vocals in the take that strips aways the original’s bouncing dance pop beat and layers of keyboards, Omnichord, piano and pedal steel.
The song, co-written and produced by Swift with Max Martin and Shellback, was, of course, the singer’s 13th No. 1 single o the Billboard Hot 100 chart, where it spent three weeks at the pinnacle.
In addition to streaming, Swift has released the unplugged version as a CD single with a double-sided cover that features an instrumental version to go with the unplugged one. The CD single, which will ship on or around Nov. 14, will only be available until 4 p.m. ET on Friday (Oct. 31). The CD’s jewel case features a double-sided collectible cover with unique artwork from the set of the “Ophelia” video.
While Swift didn’t drop any singles before Showgirl‘s release on Oct. 3, she did release an elaborate music video, which premiered during her The Official Release Party of a Showgirl movie event that screened from Oct. 3-5.
The song got another boost this week when Swift’s fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, appeared to replicate the “Fate of Ophelia” choreography in the end zone after he scored his 100th career touchdown and his 83rd regular-season TD, which tied him with the legendary Priest Holmes for the most in Chiefs history. Like Swift does in the video, Kelce closed his hands into fists and waved his arms up and down in celebration as the singer excitedly cheered him on from a luxury box in the upper level of the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium.
Listen to “The Fate of Ophelia (Alone in My Tower Acoustic Version)” below.
Get weekly rundowns straight to your inbox
Sign Up
