Ophelia is the title of a 1998 album, film, and song by Natalie Merchant

Natalie Merchant

Natalie Anne Merchant is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She joined the alternative rock band 10,000 Maniacs in 1981 and left it to begin her solo career in 1993.-Early life:...

. 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

Allen Ginsberg

Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...

.

"Kind & Generous

Kind & Generous

"Kind & Generous" is a song by Natalie Merchant and the first single from her second solo album, Ophelia.-Music video:The music video made for this song features Natalie as part of a travelling circus and taking on many guises. The circus performers were actual performers from the local area and...

" is the most successful single of the album, reaching the Top 10 in the U.S. whilst Merchant was on tour with Lilith Fair

Lilith Fair

Lilith Fair was a concert tour and travelling music festival, founded by Canadian musician Sarah McLachlan, Nettwerk Music Group's Dan Fraser and Terry McBride, and New York talent agent Marty Diamond. It took place during the summers of 1997 to 1999, and was revived in the summer of 2010. It...

. "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

Alias (TV series)

Alias is an American action television series created by J. J. Abrams which was broadcast on ABC for five seasons, from September 30, 2001 to May 22, 2006...

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
   Kind & Generous
   "Kind & Generous" is a song by Natalie Merchant and the first single from her second solo album, Ophelia.-Music video:The music video made for this song features Natalie as part of a travelling circus and taking on many guises. The circus performers were actual performers from the local area and...
   
   " 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
   N'Dea Davenport
   N'Dea Davenport is an American recording artist, dancer, performer and producer, best known for her work as a vocalist in the UK funk band, The Brand New Heavies, and her pioneering contributions to the genre of acid jazz.-Biography:...
   
   )
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
    Gavin Bryars
    Richard Gavin Bryars is an English composer and double bassist. He has been active in, or has produced works in, a variety of styles of music, including jazz, free improvisation, minimalism, historicism, experimental music, avant-garde and neoclassicism.-Early life and career:Born in Goole, East...
    
    )

Album

Chart (1998)	Peak Position
The Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... (U.S.)	8
New Zealand Albums Charts	26