Ophelia (The Lumineers song)

"Ophelia"
Single by The Lumineers
from the album Cleopatra
Released February 5, 2016[1]
Format Digital download
Recorded 2015
Genre
Length 2:40
Label Dualtone Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Simone Felice
The Lumineers singles chronology
"Submarines"
(2013)		 "Ophelia"
(2016)		 "Cleopatra"
(2016)

"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 release, Cleopatra on February 5, 2016.

So far, the song has garnered over 221 million streams on Spotify.

Background

The song started out as a slower instrumental demo that Jeremiah Fraites, (one third of The Lumineers), sent to Wesley Schultz (lead vocalist of The Lumineers), back 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] which is: "O-o-phelia, you've been on my mind girl, like a drug. O-o-phelia, heaven help a fool who falls in love."

Soon after, The Lumineers felt they needed to find a proper substitute for the name Ophelia. This was due to the fact that a song of the name had been released many years prior by the band, 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 completely abrogated 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 eighteen 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 a 2017 commercial for American Express's "Shop Small" market campaign.

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", along with also noting that the song is "a march that wishes anyone who ever falls in love the best of luck."[9] David Dye of NPR also viewed "Ophelia" positively, while comparing its musical influences and style to The Lumineers' earlier hit, "Ho Hey".[10]

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." Pimentel also criticized the song for its "repetitive" chorus.[11]

Music video

The official music video was directed by Isaac Ravishankara,[12] and released via the Lumineers' YouTube and Vevo accounts on February 12, 2016.[13] Since then, it has gained over 80 million views.

Live performances

On April 7, 2016, the Lumineers performed "Ophelia" on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.[14][15] The Lumineers also performed the song on Good Morning America on April 13. It was their first time on the show.[16] A live performance of the song at the iHeartRadio music theater in Los Angeles was aired on Audience Network at 9pm on April 8.[17]

Track listing

Digital download[18]
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
France (SNEP)[37] Gold 75,000*
Italy (FIMI)[38] Gold 25,000double-dagger

*sales figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales+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 "Song Exploder: How the Lumineers Turned Strife Into Their New Single 'Ophelia'". Wired.com. 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. ↑ "The Lumineers' Wesley Schultz details the group's heavy new album". Ew.com. February 5, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  9. ↑ "Spinning Singles: The Lumineers, "Ophelia" - The Cornell Daily Sun". cornellsun.com. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Songs We Love: The Lumineers, 'Ophelia'". Npr.org. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Review: The Lumineers – 'Ophelia'". Theedgesusu.co.uk. February 8, 2016. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  12. ↑ "The Lumineers - Ophelia - Music Video - CMT". Cmt.com. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  13. ↑ Hendicott, James (February 12, 2016). "The Lumineers dance in the street in 'Ophelia' video". NME. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on September 15, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  15. ↑ "The Lumineers: Ophelia - The Tonight Show". Lockerdome.com. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  16. ↑ "The Lumineers". M.facebook.com. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  17. ↑ "Watch The Lumineers Perform 'Ho Hey' & 'Ophelia' from AT&T Live Performance: Exclusive". Fuse.tv. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  18. ↑ "Ophelia (2016) - The Lumineers - High Quality Music Downloads - 7digital United Kingdom". 7digital.com. June 7, 2017. Retrieved October 3, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Lumineers – Ophelia" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  20. ↑ "The Lumineers Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  21. ↑ "Lescharts.com – The Lumineers – Ophelia" (in French). Les classement single.
  22. ↑ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  23. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – The Lumineers – Ophelia". Swiss Singles Chart.
  24. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  25. ↑ "The Lumineers Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  26. ↑ "The Lumineers Chart History (Hot Rock Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  27. ↑ "The Lumineers Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  28. ↑ "The Lumineers Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  29. ↑ "The Lumineers Chart History (Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  30. ↑ "The Lumineers Chart History (Rock Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved July 29, 2016.
  31. ↑ "Adult Alternative Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  32. ↑ "Alternative Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  33. ↑ "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2016". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  35. ↑ "Hot Rock Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  36. ↑ "Rock Airplay Songs – Year-End 2017". Billboard. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
  37. ↑ "French single certifications – The Lumineers – Ophelia" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved November 27, 2017.
  38. ↑ "Italian single certifications – The Lumineers – Ophelia" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
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