Genius
By: Evangeline Park
Singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo's highly anticipated sophomore album was released on September 8th, 2023. It follows her massively successful debut album, "Sour", which she won 3 Grammys for. Now nineteen years old, Rodrigo explores the different circumstances she experiences at this age, masterfully spinning tales for the world to listen to. Here are the top three songs from Guts that anyone can enjoy.
#3. the grudge
As Rodrigo rides the train of her final year of teendom, she explores her feelings of betrayal. "the grudge" is a tried-and-true ballad with piano chords laid beneath, going back to what she knows best. But as the song progresses, it slowly crescendos to louder thoughts and expressions. The song is Rodrigo's reckoning with an event that scarred her forever on a "Friday in May." She first goes through disbelief—"Trust that you betrayed, confusion that still lingers"—then tries to reason out why such a thing would happen to her—"You must be insecure, you must be so unhappy." At the bridge, she finally confronts the perpetrator, asking them, "Ooh, do you think I deserved it all?" However, this is not a lasting gesture of defiance from Rodrigo. At the end of the last chorus, she admits that, "I try to be tough, I try to be mean/But even after all this, you're still everything to me" displaying that her emotions in this relationship are so strong that, although she can't bring herself to forgive or forget, she certainly still care about the person who caused all her pain and nightmares ("But you know I can't let it go, I've tried, I've tried, I've tried for so long/It takes strength to forgive, but I'm not quite sure I'm there yet").
#2. all-american b*tch
Further on the path of nineteen, Rodrigo plays with angst. "all-american b*tch" highlights the unrealistic standards for American women in the twenty-first century. She describes herself with all the perfect qualities that the public expects from her against the backdrop of light guitar picking, with lines such as "I've got sun in my motherf*ckin' pocket, best believe" in the upbeat first verse and "I got class and integrity/Just like a goddamn Kennedy, I swear" in the second. However, the moment she switches to the chorus, drums and electric guitar begin to sound as she sings boldly, "I know my age, and I act like it"—exposing a comparison on the common phrase, "Act your age". Rodrigo wants to act as a teenager because she is one, not conforming to the expectations many may have for this global popstar. In the outro, she reveals that she is, in fact, affected by such standards and unknowingly tries to obey them—"I scream inside to deal with it, like, 'Ah'," which displays how the deeply-rooted standards for the "perfect all-american" exist within her. As she trails off, it's not a satisfactory sight as she chants ideals that the public often wants from her: "I'm grateful all the time/I'm sexy, and I'm kind/I'm pretty when I cry."
#3. lacy
On the last stop for this review, Rodrigo delves into the theme of jealousy. The songstress mentioned in various interviews that the song originated from a poem she wrote at a class she took at USC. In the same way, "lacy" has a different feel than her previous jealousy-themed songs. With light string plucking, Rodrigo softly croons, utilizing a variety of harmonizations to create a dream-like state of envy and beauty. Even during the bridge, simple shouts are layered to make angelic cries. She praises the subject of the song, Lacy, for her "skin like puff pastry" or "eyes white as daisies". Because this "Lacy" is just too perfect, she makes Rodrigo loathe her: "I feel your compliments likе bullets on skin"..."And I despise my jealous eyes and how hard they fell for you/Yeah, I despise my rotten mind and how much it worships you." The song borderlines praise and spite, demonstrating how volatile jealousy can be to a teenage mind.
None of the themes of these three songs are new to Rodrigo's discography. In fact, the singer quite literally has a song called "jealousy, jealousy," and has explicitly sung about betrayal in her song "traitor" and teenage angst in "brutal". These recurring topics are what makes Rodrigo so dependable and likable for her fans of all ages. Only someone great could repeatedly exemplify these same themes year after year in a multitude of original ways.
Works Cited:
https://genius.com/albums/Olivia-rodrigo/Guts
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