Olivia Rodrigo: A perfect balance between sad & ecstatic

By Flavia Lloret-Dreyer

After months of anticipation, Olivia Rodrigo has done it again. Following the record-breaking success of both “SOUR” and “GUTS,” she released “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love" and of course, it soared on the charts. The album was a huge tonal shift, as Rodrigo is known for melancholic pop. It is her happiest album yet, as is reflected on the album cover. There are still sad songs, rendering the album versatile.

Album Cover of “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love”, via Wikipedia

Preceding the album's release, the exceptional marketing caught the attention of fans and casual listeners alike. Rodrigo had widespread colour-changing mural walls, hinting at aspects of the album. Symbolically, her aesthetic changed from the purple of "SOUR" and "GUTS" to pink, the colour of love. Through quirky illustrations accompanying lyric videos and a swirly font, Rodrigo is leaning into an image of whimsy. Unlike all caps titles of earlier albums, titles appear in lowercase only. She is reinventing herself, and her album helps shift her towards her current persona.

The album comprises two parts, tracking the highs of the start of a relationship through to the lows of break-up blues, reflecting her romantic journey with actor Louis Partridge. The storytelling is brilliant, displaying a newfound maturity and reduced swearing, and the vocals are through the roof. Rodrigo sings with technique and feeling, and her enchanting vocal range spans three octaves. The album is enriched by diverse instruments that add an unstoppable beat. The first few songs celebrate the yearning and idolisation in the honeymoon phase of young romance, reaching its manic peak in the song “stupid song.” Emotions associated with love are captured beautifully in songs like “drop dead” and “honeybee.” Happiness bursts from her voice like a flower in bloom, inspired by her love for Partridge. Contextually, the song “u + me = < 3” explicitly speaks of Partridge’s healing effect on her during their time together.

Olivia Rodrigo in the “drop-dead” music video, via Pitchfork.

The seventh song on the album, “purple”, marks a transition in the mood. It seamlessly blends happiness and sadness. While referring to Partridge’s hometown and family, it hints at relationship problems. The unpleasant title of her song, “maggots for brains,” affirms a shift in their relationship dynamics. These cracks widen dangerously in the song “my way,” where jealousy taints their relationship, and the turmoil deepens as the album progresses. Sadly, but still maturely, the single “the cure” is about her acknowledging that her own internal wounds cannot be fixed by romantic love and that she needs to do the work to fix them herself. This is dramatically depicted in the hospital scenes of the music video.

In the song “begged,” her emotions are further revealed, which displays the richness of her lower vocal range. In this devastatingly emotional and honest song, she reflects on mistakes made in the relationship. It is also evident that the relationship is taking a toll on her in her song with Robert Smith, “what’s wrong with me.” It is about a relationship that is becoming toxic, causing her to experience break-up symptoms; thus, making her realise the relationship is wrong for her. One of the saddest songs on the album is track 11, “less.” This song illustrates how the relationship began to die and was not right for either her or Partridge. They were both unhappy, and the relationship drained them both. This is also shown in the track “cigarette smoke,” where she sings about the irreparable derailment and damage of the relationship. 

Olivia Rodrigo in “the cure” music video”, via Wallpaper*.

Overarchingly, hope prevails in this album. The song “expectations” is sad; yet it is hopeful and upbeat too, with a powerful instrumental rhythm. She acknowledges the mistakes she made when choosing guys to date and sings about how she has set higher standards for herself. Her failed relationships have taught her to seek better ones. As musically and lyrically excellent as this album is, I do think that Olivia Rodrigo is too hard on Louis Partridge. It would be different if there were some anonymity, but because their relationship was public and it is widely known that the album is about him, it can negatively affect his public image and acting opportunities. Therefore, it would be wise of Olivia to take these things into consideration, for the sake of whomever she is writing about.

All in all, I think the album is excellent. As much as I miss her purple era with her lengthy, wavy hair, this pink era of medium-long hair is also iconic. She is proving to be one of the best artists of this generation. I would even say that she is such a natural at songwriting that her work is on par with the greats of this generation. Generation Z is lucky to have her.

Edited by Ndyebo Magwevana.