Ophelia (album)

Ophelia
Studio album by Natalie Merchant
Released	19 May 1998
Recorded	Talking Dwarf Studios, Little Valley, New York & AIR Studios, London, England
Genre	Pop, Rock
Length	56:38
Label	Elektra
Producer	Natalie Merchant
Professional reviews
The reviews parameter has been deprecated. Please move reviews into the “Reception” section of the article. See Moving reviews into article space. Allmusic: link Rolling Stone link Pitchfork Media (4.1/10) link
Natalie Merchant chronology
Tigerlily (1995) Ophelia (1998) Live in Concert (1999)

Ophelia is the title of a 1998 album, film, and song by Natalie Merchant. As evidenced in the pictures in the booklet that comes with the album, Merchant seems to see Shakespeare's Ophelia as a figure encompassing many important feminine archetypes. The album and film explore several of these.

The song "King of May" is a tribute to poet Allen Ginsberg.

"Kind & Generous" is the most successful single of the album, reaching the Top 10 in the U.S. whilst Merchant was on tour with Lilith Fair. "Break Your Heart" also received single and video treatment.

In 2009, a line from My Skin is accompanied by haunting images of animal abuse served as the basis for an ASPCA commercial. Shown mostly on late night television, the commercial was narrated by Wendy Malick and showed photographs of abused domesticated animals, some of the images culled from investigative footage. It was also featured in the television series Alias some years earlier.

"Kind & Generous," "The Living," "Break Your Heart," and "Life is Sweet" appeared on Merchant's best-of collection, Retrospective: 1995–2005.

Track listing

1. "Ophelia" 5:10
2. "Life is Sweet" 5:12
3. "Kind & Generous" 4:07
4. "Frozen Charlotte" 5:23 (with Karen Peris)
5. "My Skin" 5:30
6. "Break Your Heart" 4:47 (with N'Dea Davenport)
7. "King of May" 4:09
8. "Thick as Thieves" 6:57
9. "Effigy" 2:30
10. "The Living" 3:18
11. "When They Ring the Golden Bells (with Karen Peris) / Ophelia (Reprise)" 9:33 (string arrangement by Gavin Bryars)

Charts

Album

Chart (1998)	Peak Position
The Billboard 200 (U.S.)	8
New Zealand Albums Charts	26