by Lola Furbee
Singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo released her third studio album on June 12th of this year, titled, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, and with its release, it’s safe to say that I’ve already found my Album of the Year. I’ve always classified alternative as my favorite music genre, and I don’t anticipate that changing any time soon. Of course, though, I still branch out to other genres of music all the time. In particular, I indulge in a particular set of pop artists, with Olivia Rodrigo at the top of my personal pop pyramid. Whenever I delve into the full expanse of Rodrigo’s music, I’m usually met with some shock. I’m very vocal about my love for music that falls under the more alternative/indie/rock genre, so it’s surprising for people to hear that I find SOUR, GUTS, and now, girl so in love to be no-skip albums.
Of the artists I get super passionate about, Rodrigo is definitely the outlier. I listen to pop music and other pop artists pretty consistently, but none of them have ever reached the level Rodrigo has for me. I find that her melodies are pleasing to the ear, the bridges of her songs are super catchy, and most of all, her lyrics always hold so much value. A lot of people tend to give Rodrigo grief because her music is often about her romantic pursuits. Not only do I think it’s a bit silly to poke fun at a person for writing about the thing that inspires them, I also think there’s a lot to be said about how relatable her lyrics can be, even while disregarding the romantic undertones. I’m sure a lot of my bias toward her lyricism is due to the fact that I’m only two years younger than her, but I haven’t listened to one of her songs before and thought something along the lines of, “she just wrote these lyrics to have words to go along with this melody.” Instead, her lyrics have such clear purpose and meaning.
This admiration of Rodrigo’s work seems to be well spread among the music industry as a whole, too. Smashing Pumpkins brought her out as a guest at Lollapalooza this year, she’s invited countless artists (such as Billy Joel and Weezer) on stage with her, and the first ever guest feature on one of her songs was Robert Smith from The Cure. I find it very telling when so many legends, particularly in the rock genre, seem to carry so much respect for this young pop artist. This admiration doesn’t just stop at Rodrigo’s music; it carries into her activism, as well. I’m always going to hold a lot of respect for celebrities who choose to use their platform to speak out for something that aligns with their morals. Ever since her music took off in 2021, Rodrigo has been vocal about her beliefs. In fact, her Daisy Chain Fields festival was founded this year, and all proceeds go toward ten charities that highlight feminist causes, such as labor rights and reproductive healthcare. It’s important to me that the celebrities I support carry similar values as I do, so it truly is the ideal situation knowing that some of my favorite music I listen to comes from an artist that I can respect on a moral, as well as artistic, level.
To finally pivot to the newest of her music, it may be the recency bias talking, but girl so in love is my favorite Olivia Rodrigo album by a long shot. The album paints the story of her most recent romantic relationship, from her first time meeting a man she fell so deeply for, to their eventual breakup and the resentment that came with it. The first half of the album paints the “girl so in love” side of the relationship, while the latter half depicts the “you seem so sad” side. The song “purple” is the turning point of the album, with lyrics such as, “I had big dreams ‘til I tied myself to you” really honing in on the vulnerability that’s evident throughout Rodrigo’s entire discography. “the cure” is another particularly vulnerable song that I found myself relating to a lot. She admits that another person can’t be the cure to the internal plights she has yet to reconcile with herself. Even the song “u + me = <3”, which is clearly a declaration of love, has an edge to it where Rodrigo is recognizing in her song writing that modern love can be cruel, but she’s actively choosing to ignore the warning signs anyway.
In all, girl so in love provides music that takes listeners on a rollercoaster of emotions, similar to those anyone who has faced unsuccessful relational aspirations may feel. It has songs like “expectations” that make you want to scream out your window while driving down the highway, and songs like “less” that have you tearing up while curled up in your bedroom. It’s an ideal pop album in my eyes, and I’ll be eagerly anticipating the musical pursuits Olivia Rodrigo will take on next.
