Hiya!

I have a question for all of you. Is it possible to get tired of a song even thought that song has just been released? Well, surprise! That question was rhetorical because the answer is a hearty “yes.” Even though Taylor Swift just officially released Opalite, one of the songs from her latest album, The Life of a Showgirl, around a week ago, I have been hearing this song everywhere for the past several months. This song was everywhere way before last week’s official release. Why? That’s because of some viral Tiktok dance someone made based on Opalite! This was everywhere on Philippine social media and I couldn’t get away from it even if I tried! Also, you have no idea how many Christmas party presentations just had to include this!

Now it’s officially been released to the public and I can finally hear the entire song and not just the chorus. Although I know I could’ve pulled Opalite up on Taylor Swift’s official YouTube channel, I didn’t. I had to restrain myself from doing so because I didn’t want just a simple video displaying the lyrics. No, I wanted to get the full impact of the song with the official music video. I finally did that a couple of days ago when it was finally put up there for all to see.

Now, here’s the thing. I do consider myself a big Taylor Swift fan. I would even call myself a Swiftie. However, I do have to kind of put an asterisk on that description of myself as there was a time period when I wrote her off. This was when she had a string of what I would call terrible songs. I did return to the fold somewhat with her last album, Lover and the entire Eras Tour. Side note: I really wish Taylor Swift had a part of her Eras Tour here in the Philippines. I know I would’ve gone if she did!

Anyway, Opalite was the 2nd single released from The Life of a Showgirl and, even though the official music video was just released last week, I already feel the chorus is overplayed because of that stupid Tiktok dance craze. So, how do I feel about the actual song as well as the official music video?

Well, here’s the thing: I really like both! Even though I already know the chorus by heart, I still do think Opalite is one of Taylor Swift’s better recent songs. I now kind of wish I did a review of The Fate of Ophelia, the 1st song released from The Life of a Showgirl. That’s because, ultimately, I do think it’s a better song than Opalite. I just like the smoothness of and the hints of funkiness The Fate of Ophelia has. The song feels super dramatic as well, which does enhance the melody. I also love how “ethereal” Taylor Swift’s singing is in this song. That’s not to say her singing is bad in Opalite and I’m not saying it’s a bad song. I just like The Fate of Ophelia more in general.

Taking things objectively, though, there is a lot I like about Opalite. Despite being rather tired of the chorus because it’s super overplayed here in the Philippines due to that Tiktok dance meme, it is very catchy. It’s just super perky and happy. It’s just got a nice bounce to it and, even though I’ve heard it over a thousand times (literally), I’m not exactly sick of it. I’m a little bored with it, sure, but I can’t say I now hate it.

I do have a love/hate relationship with Opalite’s verses. I don’t like them all that much because they do sound like a downer. I do understand that’s intentional based on Opalite’s lyrics. The song, from what I can glean from the lyrics, is all about going through troubling times, which are all mentioned in the verses prior to the pre-chorus and the chorus. So, it’s supposed to sound somber as there are going to be struggles before you can get happiness, which can be found in the chorus. So, it’s necessary for the overall song and I do like how Taylor Swift even takes that into consideration.

The weird thing is my favorite part of Opalite is the bridge. This part gets to show Taylor Swift’s more melodic singing. Remember how I mentioned how much I think she sounds rather “ethereal” in The Fate of Ophelia? Well, that same quality can be found in Opalite’s bridge. There’s a nice mixture of melancholy in this part of the song as it does mention how there are going to be bad times but, when you’re with someone, it’s much easier to weather the storm. It just feels nice in my ears.

I also do have to talk about the music video as I did wait for it to get released before reviewing the song. It does follow my thoughts on how I compare Opalite to The Fate of Ophelia. I do think The Fate of Ophelia has a much better music video. That music video has a sense of epicness to it. However, I still like the fact how Opalite has a story… even if it is rather nonsensical. I get the general idea of how there’s a magic spray liquid which makes relationships better. This leads to a couple of lonely people spraying it on their inanimate object “interests” and they find each other. It’s just strange! Still, I do love the overall retro aesthetic, hinting how you’re not really supposed to take this too seriously. I also have some issue with the cameos as the only one I really recognized was Cillian Murphy. I guess that’s on me for not keeping up with my pop culture? I still wish they were more recognizable stars.

Also, I’m rather upset how the Opalite music video didn’t use the viral Tiktok dance in the scene where the two people dance in a dancing competition. Look, Taylor Swift, I love you but you kind of messed up here! You already had fans doing a dance based on the song a whole 3 months before you made this video! It would have been a way to acknowledge your fans who have been dancing to this song for 3 months by putting in the dance!

Even with that major gripe, I do think Opalite, both the song and the music video are really good. Between this song and The Fate of Ophelia, it brought me back to becoming a Swiftie once again. It even made me want to buy the entire The Life of a Showgirl album… and I don’t even have a CD player anymore!

Byee!

Have you listened to Opalite? Which dance do you prefer? Let me know in the comments section below!