Review of Olivia Rodrigo’s new album You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love
Annabelle Ross
Olivia Rodrigo, You Look Pretty Sad For A Girl In Love
★★★★
Olivia Rodrigo’s origin story is a familiar one: The child Disney star effortlessly stands out by helping a popular TikTok hit rise to the top of the charts with a modern twist. After three albums, Rodrigo became the only star in history to top the Billboard charts with three consecutive singles; This is a huge achievement for a 23-year-old kid.
This is a testament to the uniform quality of his work thus far; The evergreen love/friendship/identity angst made compelling through Swift’s lyrical specificity, control of influence, perfectly crafted pop, and a rebellious streak that comes with a fascinating set of contradictions.
His dark horse qualities are recognizable to mature fans who understand him, but he’s hidden well enough to go over the heads of tween fans. When some try to describe his pop music as punk, they are met with ridicule from those who see Rodrigo as a manufactured star, a product of the machine. But Rodrigo, one of the world’s most high-profile artists who has spoken out on everything from reproductive rights to Gaza, is no one’s puppet.
In the first and second albums, Rodrigo was both suffering and seething with the same intensity. Her dazzling loves were all-encompassing but it seemed Traitor, All-American Bitch And VampireHe was out for blood. If Minus And Bravery Expressed his mood in one word You Look Pretty Sad For A Girl In Love It reflects a more complex emotional landscape.
The story of the first “big girl relationship”, its bright beginnings and unraveling, is chronicled in real time. The songs, with less angry and sadder melodies, were made “a little more honest, sadder and spooky” with the help of longtime producer Dan Nigro, a favorite of tempestuous chanteuses from Sky Ferreira to Caroline Polachek to Chappell Roan.
Early in his career, Rodrigo was effusive about his admiration for Taylor Swift, likewise supporting the young singer; until Rodrigo’s candor about his inspirations saw him contribute songwriting credits (and future royalty checks) to Swift, Jack Antonoff, and Annie Clark. Minus. By all accounts, Rodrigo and Swift are not on friendly terms. This experience clearly scarred Rodrigo, but made him more, not less, outspoken about what was in his musical DNA.
In a series of respectful, mutually admiring appearances, he has shared the stage with idols such as Jack White, David Byrne and, at last year’s Glastonbury, The Cure’s Robert Smith. Open You Look Pretty Sad For A Girl In Lovename checking Just Like Heaven in the dream drop deadIt tells the story of a dazzling love experience that eventually takes place in a bar.
The spooky bass line that starts Maggots for Brains He owes a clear debt to The Cure A Forestbut the lyrics are pretty thin, aside from a timid honesty: “I’m a sad shell of a woman and I’ve got maggots in my brain / But that’s just something that happens when my baby’s gone.”
If What’s My Problem? While it may seem like a fitting title track to feature emo icon Smith, his vocal return is a fascinating surprise. Harmonizing with Rodrigo in the country chorus, his poem reverses decades of longing for a new and equally wretched conclusion: “What if this isn’t what I want?”
Rodrigo’s words are interesting; sometimes banal, but often their banality serves as a standout line that resonates hours — or days — later, or is elevated by a searing delivery and arrangements so nimble and cunning as to bestow depth or intrigue. A low, dirty bass line meanders into the final third Stupid Song like a delicious rumor; Open expectationsSwirling synths herald a chorus of masculine robots on the bridge that evoke Devo’s impassive whimsy, with Rodrigo asserting new standards following the end of his relationship.
There’s no hiding Rodrigo’s magpie tendencies. Open drop deadIt is a verbal stargazing fantasy sequence modeled after that of Alice the Wolf. Don’t Delete Kisses. Alanis Morissette’s spare, tortured vocals your home (hidden piece Rough Little Pill) may have inspired Rodrigo’s delivery beggedIn The Smashing Pumpkins Disarmament can be heard in the opening chords Treatment. It’s a fascinating song and the most devastating song of the album; The realization that not even love can quell his jealousy of “all the pretty girls in the forefront of my mind.”
Rodrigo says the track isn’t a tribute to Smith’s band, but it’s nice to think otherwise. Her defining line serves as a double entendre, befitting one of pop’s biggest fans: “It doesn’t matter how your love feels anymore/There will never be a cure,” she sings. Romance may fade, but great pop songs are immortal.
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