After previously releasing two sister albums, “Sour” and “Guts”, Olivia Rodrigo has begun a new era of music with her latest album, “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love”, which she released on June 12. With over 1 billion streams on her sister albums on Spotify, Rodrigo has won three Grammys during her career. Olivia has a unique pop sound to her music, drawing in listeners from all over the world. It’s a perfect mix of pop and rock that attracts people with all kinds of music tastes. People often describe Rodrigo’s sound as similar to Taylor Swift and Paramore. This new album explores the polarity of romance, compared with her two previous albums that generally focused exclusively on heartbreak.
Her two lead singles, “Drop Dead” and “The Cure”, summarize the album as a whole. The song “Drop Dead” is a figurative and fun song about her being in love. The song uses unique lyricism that makes it sound fun to be in love. With lyrics like, “You’re looking like an angel on the walls of Versailles,” it makes the fun pop song a lot more impactful. This song represents the “Girl So in Love” half of the album. The “You Seem Pretty Sad” half is represented by the second lead single, “The Cure”.
“The Cure” expresses the feeling that love from others can never change the trauma and emotions felt in previous relationships. It has an orchestral sound with acoustic guitar creating an emotional yet grounded feeling. What makes this song so special is that it can be interpreted through multiple perspectives. The song can be about a lover, a friend or even a family member depending on how the listener interprets the lyrics. A lyric that really sticks out is, “I got toxins in my bloodstream that you tried so hard to suck out.” This lyric really encapsulates the song perfectly. In a video with IHeart Radio, Rodrigo explains how “The Cure” is her favorite song on the album. She states, “It’s kind of the climax of the record.”
The entirety of the songs on the album is truly split into two categories: a beautiful love song or a heartbroken melody.
The album starts with the “Girl So in Love” section, which includes “Drop Dead”, “Stupid Song”, “Honeybee”, “Maggots for Brains”, “U + Me = <3”, “Purple” and “Expectations.” Each of these songs are cute and fun ways of expressing fondness over a romantic partner, with the most memorable songs being “Stupid Song” and “Honeybee.”
“Stupid Song” is about being so overwhelmingly in love with someone that you can’t even describe how it feels. The metaphors in the lyrics are poetic, one example being, “You’re a spark in the dark and my clothes are caught aflame.” There are lyrics that really show how much the narrator cares, and they demonstrate the relationship that this couple has. Another lyric that sticks out is, “And if there is a God, he’s the bond that’s between us two.” Not only are the lyrics great, the symphony in the song is beautiful and breathtaking.
Similar to “Stupid Song”, “Honeybee” also has beautiful melodies. However, “Honeybee” takes a more orchestral route. As you hear Rodrigo sing softly about the one she loves, you hear beautiful piano and choir instruments. You can also hear fellow singer-songwriter Conan Gray in the backing vocals. Their voices together, colliding with the orchestra, creates a song that feels like a shining light in the dark, especially with lyrics like, “In the dark, I’m not scared / I just reach and you’re right there.” The piano and violin solos between the lyrics truly enhance the song. “Honeybee” is one of the only love songs that Rodrigo has written that is purely a love song with no hidden anxiety or insecurity in it. That factor makes the song so much more meaningful and refreshing.
As you finish all of the warm and fuzzy love songs of the album, you finish with the “You Seem Pretty Sad” section. This includes “The Cure”, “Begged”, “What’s Wrong With Me”, “Less”, “My Way” and “Cigarette Smoke.” The most memorable sad songs of the album were “What’s Wrong With Me,” featuring Robert Smith, and “Cigarette Smoke.”
Smith was Rodrigo’s first collaborator in her personal work, so this collaboration was a huge milestone for her. The contrast between Rodrigo and Smith’s voices are similar to the contrast between Taylor Swift and Bon Iver in her recent albums. Rodrigo brought an innocent feel to “What’s Wrong With Me,” while Robert Smith brought a disheartened sound. The two voices really made the song stick out in both positive and negative ways. Some say that the song would have been better without him, while others praise Rodrigo’s choice in including a duet.
The final track of the album, “Cigarette Smoke” has the most impactful lyrics by far. The song is about how the narrator can’t get over her ex. The thought of her ex lingers like cigarette smoke. The lyric that stood out the most in this entire album was, “Give me back my time / And I will give you back your heart.” There is something about those lines that really dig deep. It hits you like a gunshot and makes you feel a pain that is far too familiar. The following lyrics were just as impactful as the last. She says, “I thought that we played the perfect couple / ‘Til you didn’t want the part.”
“You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love” was a beautiful new beginning for Rodrigo. She outdid herself with this new album and really broke herself out of her usual sound while still keeping that same style. The lyricism and choice of instrumentals between each song created a beautiful duality of love that anyone can appreciate.
