"Ophelia"
Single by the Lumineers
from the album Cleopatra
ReleasedFebruary 5, 2016[1]
Recorded2015
Genre
Length2:40
LabelDualtone Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Simone Felice
The Lumineers singles chronology
"Submarines"
(2013)		 "Ophelia"
(2016)		 "Cleopatra"
(2016)

"Ophelia" is a song recorded by American folk rock band the Lumineers. It was released as the lead single from their sophomore album Cleopatra on February 5, 2016.

As of September 2023, the song has garnered over 1 billion streams on Spotify.

Background

The song started out as a slower instrumental demo that Jeremiah Fraites, (one sixth of the Lumineers), sent to Wesley Schultz (lead vocalist of the Lumineers), in 2011.[2] According to Schultz, the demo generated enough excitement to work on the project. While playing at a backbar in LA alongside the Lumineers, Schultz wrote the song's hook.[3]

Soon after, the Lumineers felt they needed to find a proper substitute for the name Ophelia, due to the fact that a song of the same name had been released years prior by The Band.[4] Nevertheless, this issue reached its end after Schultz decided that no other name had "the right musicality to it."[5] Subsequently, Schultz had trouble writing "good" verses to carry the hook he wrote, which made the songwriting process so difficult that the project was shelved until four years later.[2] In January 2015, when it came time to work on a new record, the defunct "Ophelia" was resurrected.

"I remember thinking, 'Oh, it's so Ophelia.' So maybe I'll go back and rehandle it, and I'll figure out how to tell the story of Hamlet combined with something else."

— Wesley Schultz of the Lumineers[5]

Over a series of vocal demos, the song was recorded at The Clubhouse in Rhinebeck, New York.[6]

On February 8, 2016, via Facebook, the single's cover art was premiered, along with an 18-second-long snippet of the song.[7]

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Schultz said that the song's lyrics are "a vague reference to people falling in love with fame."[8]

The song was featured on the CW's The Flash in the last scene of episode 22 of season 2, "Invincible".

The song was featured in the 2017 film Happy Death Day.[9]

The song was featured in a 2017 commercial for American Express's "Shop Small" market campaign.

Chinese pair skaters Peng Cheng and Jin Yang used the song for their short program during the 2018-19 season, winning a silver medal at the 2018 Grand Prix Final and placing fourth at the 2019 World Championships.

Critical reception

The song has received mixed reviews from music critics. The song was praised by Marina Watts of The Cornell Daily Sun; where Watts refers to "Ophelia" as "hauntingly beautiful", also noting that the song is "a march that wishes anyone who ever falls in love the best of luck."[10] David Dye of NPR also viewed "Ophelia" positively, while comparing its musical influences and style to the Lumineers' earlier hit, "Ho Hey".[11]

In a negative review Brunna Pimentel wrote for The Edge, she claimed to be disappointed with the song, stating that it "might have been an okay track for the middle of the album," but "as a single, it is undoubtedly anti-climatic. [sic]" Pimentel also criticized the song for its "repetitive" chorus.[12]

Music video

The official music video was directed by Isaac Ravishankara,[13] and released via the Lumineers' YouTube and Vevo accounts on February 12, 2016.[14] As of January 2022, it has gained over 200 million views.

The Ballad of Cleopatra

The Ballad of Cleopatra is a compilation of the story in the music videos for "Ophelia", "Cleopatra", "Sleep on the Floor", "Angela" and "My Eyes", all songs from the album Cleopatra.[15][16] The video was released on the Lumineers YouTube channel on April 27, 2017.[17]

Live performances

On April 7, 2016, the Lumineers performed "Ophelia" on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.[18][19] The Lumineers also performed the song on Good Morning America on April 13, their first time on the show.[20] A live performance of the song at the iHeartRadio music theater in Los Angeles was aired on Audience Network at 9pm on April 8.[21] On December 12, 2021, the Lumineers and Arkells performed a snippet of the song during the halftime show of the CFL Grey Cup in Hamilton, Ontario.

Track listing

Digital download[22]
No.TitleLength
1."Ophelia"2:40

Personnel

  • Wesley Schultz – lead vocals, songwriting, tambourine, stomping
  • Jeremiah Fraites – songwriting, piano, stomping, drums
  • Bryon Isaacs – bass
  • Scott Chopps – bass
  • Ryan Hewitt – engineering, grand piano
  • Simone Felice – production, stomping

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[41] Platinum 70,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[42] 8× Platinum 640,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[43] Gold 45,000‡
France (SNEP)[44] Gold 66,666‡
Germany (BVMI)[45] Gold 200,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[46] Platinum 70,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[47] Platinum 20,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[48] Platinum 600,000‡
United States (RIAA)[49] 4× Platinum 4,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ↑ Spanos, Brittany (February 5, 2016). "Lumineers Announce New LP 'Cleopatra,' Debut Song 'Ophelia'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  2. 1 2 McFarland, Kevin. "Song Exploder: How the Lumineers Turned Strife Into Their New Single 'Ophelia'". Wired. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Song Exploder: THE LUMINEERS". Soundcloud.com. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Ophelia by The Lumineers Songfacts". www.songfacts.com. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  5. 1 2 "Song Exploder: THE LUMINEERS". SoundCloud. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  6. ↑ "The Lumineers release new single 'Ophelia' - The Maroon Cafe". Themarooncafe.com. February 5, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  7. ↑
  8. ↑ Vain, Madison (February 5, 2016). "The Lumineers' Wesley Schultz details the group's heavy new album". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Happy Death Day (2017) - Soundtracks". IMDb.
  10. ↑ Watts, Marina (February 8, 2016). "Spinning Singles: The Lumineers, "Ophelia"". The Cornell Daily Sun. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  11. ↑ Dye, David (February 5, 2016). "Songs We Love: The Lumineers, 'Ophelia'". NPR. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  12. ↑ Pimentel, Brunna (February 8, 2016). "Review: The Lumineers – 'Ophelia'". The Edge. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  13. ↑ "The Lumineers - Ophelia - Music Video". CMT. Archived from the original on September 23, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  14. ↑ Hendicott, James (February 12, 2016). "The Lumineers dance in the street in 'Ophelia' video". NME. Archived from the original on July 10, 2016. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  15. ↑ "The Story of The Ballad of Cleopatra". AvidBards. April 15, 2018. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  16. ↑ McCafferty Dorogy, Kelly (May 18, 2017). "The Lumineers' "The Ballad of Cleopatra," a Life Story Filled with Wisdom". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  17. ↑ "The Lumineers - The Ballad Of Cleopatra". YouTube. April 27, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2018.
  18. ↑ "The Lumineers: Ophelia | The Tonight Show". NBC. Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  19. ↑ "The Lumineers: Ophelia - The Tonight Show". Lockerdome.com. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  20. ↑ "The Lumineers". M.facebook.com. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Watch The Lumineers Perform 'Ho Hey' & 'Ophelia' from AT&T Live Performance: Exclusive". Fuse.tv. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  22. ↑ "Ophelia (2016) - The Lumineers - High Quality Music Downloads - 7digital United Kingdom". 7digital.com. June 7, 2017. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  23. ↑ "The Lumineers – Ophelia" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  24. ↑ "The Lumineers Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  25. ↑ "The Lumineers Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  26. ↑ "The Lumineers – Ophelia" (in French). Les classement single.
  27. ↑ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  28. ↑ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 7". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
  29. ↑ "The Lumineers – Ophelia". Swiss Singles Chart.
  30. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  31. ↑ "The Lumineers Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  32. ↑ "The Lumineers Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  33. ↑ "The Lumineers Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  34. ↑ "The Lumineers Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  35. ↑ "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  36. ↑ "Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  38. ↑ "Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  39. ↑ "Decade-End Charts: Hot Rock Songs". Billboard. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
  40. ↑ "Greatest of All Time Adult Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
  41. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2022 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved August 1, 2022.
  42. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – The Lumineers – Ophelia". Music Canada. Retrieved October 12, 2022.
  43. ↑ "Danish single certifications – The Lumineers – Ophelia". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
  44. ↑ "French single certifications – The Lumineers – Ophelia" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  45. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Lumineers; 'Ophelia')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  46. ↑ "Italian single certifications – The Lumineers – Ophelia" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved October 31, 2022. Select "2020" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Ophelia" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  47. ↑ "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2020 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
  48. ↑ "British single certifications – Lumineers – Ophelia". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  49. ↑ "American single certifications – Lumineers – Ophelia". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved March 15, 2021.
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