LIST: 8 of Olivia Rodrigo’s gut-wrenching lyrics
Olivia Rodrigo is known for her self-written songs that hit a little too close to home. With the announcement of her sophomore album titled GUTS, fans of the Grammy Awards winner are looking forward to the stories she will tell through music next.
GUTS is set to release on Sept. 8, with the single vampire coming out first on June 30. As we wait for its release, let us take a look back at her award-winning debut album, SOUR, which was a source of inspiration for most Gen Z’s in 2021.
Here is a list of eight of Olivia’s most gut-wrenching lyrics so far:
And I just can't imagine how you could be so okay now that I'm gone
It's just proper to start this list with a lyric from the chorus of her debut song driver’s license, which jumpstarted Olivia’s music career.
The car engine revving up at the beginning of this song should have been a warning of how the song could mess with your feelings.
While this specific lyric seems straightforward, it was the way Olivia sang it that could make a listener feel her pain in how she questions the person that she sings the song for.
The build-up into a high note, especially in the second chorus, oozes emotions that could make a listener feel like they would want to hug Olivia or fight for her… or maybe both.
And I’m so sick of 17, where’s my f------ teenage dream
Media and pop culture often depict teenage and high school life as a magical and idealized time. However, the lyrics of the song brutal challenge this perception.
The song's angst and rebellion reflect the reality that teenage life can be difficult and messy. brutal is a coming-of-age song that acknowledges that life is not always as ideal as it seems.
I'm so sick of myself, I'd rather be, rather be anyone, anyone else
jealousy, jealousy is a song that expresses the reality of the effects of exposure to social media.
Self-doubt and insecurities are written across the SOUR album, and this time, Olivia expressed it through her subjection to beauty which makes her compare herself to others.
It is a song of self-reflection that is so relatable, it makes you want to scream the song, together with your feelings out, as she sang.
I let you treat me like that… I was your willing accomplice, honey
Oh, the things we do for love.
This lyric from favorite crime shows how much a person is willing to endure to keep the love going in a relationship.
Listeners could only sympathize with how Olivia continued on the song singing, “Oh the things I did just so I could call you mine.” The bridge where she sang, “Cause I was going down but I was doing it with you” is also an example of how much she's willing to go through the extra mile for love.
This heart-wrenching message could also be heard in her song, traitor, where she sang, “I kept quiet so I could keep you.”
You got me f----- up in the head boy, never doubted myself so much
SOUR was dubbed a teenage heartbreak experience with how the album revolves around growing up and experiencing heartaches.
Listening to the album, one of the ongoing themes is insecurity, and 1 step forward, 3 steps back, from which the song above is from, shows that.
There’s something upsetting about how self-insecurities are topped with more doubts caused by another person, worsening the voices in one’s head.
In this same song, Olivia also continued to sing about how she does not understand her relationship with the person in the song anymore, and that moment of loss and confusion adds salt to the wound.
I'd say you broke my heart but you broke much more than that
People who have invested so much in relationships may feel loss and betrayal after heartbreak.
Olivia expressed this beautifully enough for you. She talked about trying to change herself to keep the other person interested and tried her best to be enough.
The song is a reminder that you shouldn't change for anybody.
I hope you're happy but not like how you were with me
Just because she named the song happier does not mean it brings more positive messages.
Happier is a song that expresses honesty that is so gut-wrenching you cannot blame the artist. The selfishness conveyed in the song is a real lyrical piece that could mirror people’s innermost and hidden thoughts and feelings.
All I want is love that lasts. Is all I want too much to ask? Is it something wrong with me?
While All I Want is not part of her album SOUR, it is still a relatable song. This song, which she wrote for High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, explores the emotional turmoil of heartbreak and self-doubt.
It is Olivia’s questioning of her worth when it comes to love that is heartbreaking to hear. While the song is written in the context of the show, it resonates with listeners who have ever doubted their worth.