A rare switch from classical music to the Top 40 radio station while driving brought me to Taylor Swift’s “The Fate of Ophelia.” Since I love swimming, I was immediately drawn to how the song reimagines the Shakespearean tragedy. Instead of a woman lost to the water, Swift gives us a woman who finds the strength to swim out. Consequently, it becomes a powerful story of survival under pressure. As usual, to get the song out of my head, I looked into arranging it for the ukulele.
Key Musical Features
Beyond the story, the musical structure of the song is just as fascinating. As I sat down to transcribe the piece, I noticed several elements that contribute to its ‘watery’ and urgent feel. From the specific tempo to the unusual vocal range, these features define the song’s unique sound and pose interesting challenges for any arranger.
- Fast paced: the song moves at 124 BPM (beats per minute), creating a sense of urgency
- The “Underwater” Range: The melody spans two octaves. It starts in a low, breathy register (feeling “submerged”) and leaps into a high, powerful range (representing “surfacing”).
- The lyrics do not always start on the first beat
- Five chord song: Gm, Dm, F, C, Bb
- The same chord progression throughout: Gm, Dm, F, C except in the Chorus
The Rhythm: Finding the “Flow”
The instrumental introduction sets the scene with a steady four-chord progression that repeats throughout the song. While the tempo is a brisk 124 BPM, the rhythm can be tricky to count traditionally.
Instead of the standard 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &, try counting the eighth notes in groups of three and two: 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2. This creates a rhythmic “pulse” that feels natural and keeps the song moving forward without feeling rushed. It’s a great way to maintain the steady, driving energy that represents swimming through the water.
The “3-3-2” Pattern is a very common rhythm in pop and folk music (often called a tresillo-inspired rhythm).
The Lead Sheet: melody, lyrics, chords
The lead sheet is useful to fingerpick the notes of the melody, particularly on a high G ukulele. I condensed the music to fit on three pages by using repeat signs, Coda, Segno, DC al Coda, DS al Coda etc.
Melodic Breakdown
The Verses (Low Register): The song begins in a breathy, lower register, creating a sense of being “underwater” or suppressed, reflecting the original Shakespearean tragedy.
The Chorus (Upper Register): As the narrative shifts toward “swimming out,” the melody leaps into a powerful head-voice and belted range. This upward movement physically represents the character rising to the surface.
The Bridge: The range becomes most acrobatic here, utilizing rapid leaps between registers to underscore the “madness” and frantic energy of the reclamation.
Ukulele Chords
To create an instrumental version (chord melody arrangement), let’s explore chords in different locations on the ukulele. The music term is voicing or revoicing, inverting the individual notes in the chord will make the chord sound different.
Because the melodic range is vast, it’s important to look at chords played higher up the neck.
The Ending
To conclude, the song is written in G Dorian. This is a common sound in modern pop—and Taylor Swift’s music specifically—because it feels slightly more “uplifting” or “searching” than a standard natural minor scale. Musically speaking, while we would typically expect a return to a stable chord at the end, the song actually finishes without a concluding chord.
In this case, N.C. in the score stands for no chord, leaving the listener with a sense of lingering mystery.
If you’re curious about the music theory behind the song, visit Hook Theory’s analysis.
My next book, the 7th title in the Pick Pluck Play! Series is all about chord progressions.
