Olivia Rodrigo started off as a small actress starring in an ad and she slowly made her way up to bigger films such as High School Musical, one of the most well-known shows Rodrigo has acted in. High School Musical is an American musical television film and in this film, she sang a variety of songs such as “All I Want” and “What I’ve Been Looking For”. Rodrigo made her debut studio album on May 21, 2021, when she released her album “Sour”, officially starting her career as a solo artist.
Just recently, on September 8, 2023, Rodrigo released another album: GUTS. This album consisted of 12 tracks: “All-American B****”, “Bad Idea Right?”, “Vampire”, “Lacy”, “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl”, “Making the Bed”, “Logical”, “Get Him Back!”, “Love is Embarrassing”, “The Grudge”, “Pretty isn’t Pretty”, and “Teenage Dream”. However, “Vampire”, the main track of this album, was released early on June 30. Some of these songs talk about some sort of love or heartbreak, while others talk about struggling with things that have happened in life and how they’ve affected people.
The songs that talk about a toxic or manipulative relationship are bad idea right?, vampire, logical, get him back!, and love is embarrassing. Bad idea right? is described as “fun and playful” and it is the 2nd track to Rodrigo’s album GUTS. Bad idea right? is a pop track that follows the events about Rodrigo lying to her friends and leaving a party to meet her ex-boyfriend. Similarly, vampire also describes a boy that took advantage of her, lied to her, and ultimately used her. Many of the lyrics metaphorically narrate and illustrate how this person “sucked the life” out of Rodrigo, leaving her feeling powerless and drained. This song especially talks about vulnerability, self-discovery, and the importance of ridding yourself of toxic relationships. Meanwhile, the track “logical” talks about how a boy made her feel and look stupid and how love is never logical. The track “get him back!” is a regretful track showing Rodrigo’s desire to get back with a boy she previously dated. However, she decides to take the more “sinister” route and believes that tricking and making him feel jealous and sorry for her will bring him back to her. Lastly, Rodrigo’s track “love is embarrassing” explores the rollercoaster of emotions and self-discovery that one may go through when experiencing their first teenage romantic relationship. It captures the awkwardness and stressful experiences of love, self-worth, and emotions during youth.
Meanwhile, the tracks “All-American B****”, “Lacy”, “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl”, “Making the Bed”, “The Grudge”,”Pretty Isn’t Pretty”, and “Teenage Dream” talk about things other than love. “All-American B****” talks about how Rodrigo feels misplaced in the American society and how she ultimately isn’t doing enough to be a perfect American woman. Rodrigo’s track “lacy” was actually inspired by a poem she wrote in a poetry class. The song lacy has two different lens: lens one shows how Rodrigo embraces her inferiority by personifying the beauty of women she’s intimidated by in this “Lacy” character. In another lens, Rodrigo succumbs to her habit of always comparing herself to other women and making it become an obsessive romantic habit. Similarly, ballad of a homeschooled girl talks about social anxiety and how Olivia Rodrigo struggled with socializing and fitting in with her peers. Different from ballad of a homeschooled girl, making the bed is a melancholic, self-deprecating ballad where Olivia Rodrigo reflects on her dwindling satisfaction with fame and the general state of her life but in the end, she concludes that she only has herself to blame. Similarly, in her song “the grudge,” Rodrigo vividly paints a picture of a relationship marked by manipulation and turmoil. This track also reflects on the struggles when Rodrigo was torn between feelings of deceit and conflicting emotions. The eleventh track from GUTS, pretty isn’t pretty, describes how fashion changes so fast in the ideal time and all girls seem to follow and coincide. She describes how these norms are plastered all over social media and she feels like she can never keep up and never feels perfect. Lastly, teenage dream reflects on the complex journey of growing up under the spotlight and shining a light on the constant pressure musicians feel to constantly top just like their previous works.
Many fans are satisfied with Olivia Rodrigo’s new album and many can relate to it as well. It touches on a variety of topics that teens can relate to in modern times and many appreciate the work she’s put in to making this album. It has made its way up to the charts and will continue to rise in fame. So far, Olivia Rodrigo has been extremely successful with her previous releases including this one and many fans are excited to see what she will produce in the future.
