Olivia Rodrigo is a musical prodigy. At only 23, she’s already released her third studio album, and it’s her most conceptual and cohesive yet. You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love details the rollercoaster of falling in love, then watching it fall apart. It’s excruciatingly honest, dynamic and heartfelt, making for a hard but cathartic listen for anyone who’s ever been in Rodrigo’s position.
Over the past few years, Rodrigo has been under a microscope as her rise to celebrity status also turned her personal life into tabloid fodder. Whilst this record was heavily rumoured for release last year, it then appeared to undergo extensive reworking after a traumatic break-up changed where she wanted to take her music. As a result, You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love has clearly been mulled over carefully. This project is full of self-references and interweaving narratives covering a particularly tumultuous period of Rodrigo’s early adulthood.
You Seem Pretty Sad… is best consumed in order, as its tracklist begins when Rodrigo first falls for her muse. Lead single ‘drop dead’ is a fantastical chamber pop tune, with a chorus that perfectly embodies blossoming romance. Its fluttering synths underscore Rodrigo’s desperate, pining vocal, as she races through Europe with a lover who’s “looking like an angel on the walls of Versailles”.
‘drop dead’ introduces the first half of the album, which many fans already interpret as the side of Olivia that is the titular “girl so in love”. However, when the listener knows what’s coming, even the happy songs carry a dark energy. Moving love songs litter the front of the record, like ‘honeybee’, a simple, gentle piano number which works alongside her airy vocal delivery to capture the depth of love’s emotion. But lines like “I hope I never see what your face looks like going” come across as unsettling given what the album’s future holds.
New single ‘stupid song’ begins as a ballad that soars by the time we’ve reached its shouted bridge, similar in structure to the magic of Rodrigo’s early hits like ‘driver’s license’ and ‘deja vu’. Its melodies weave their way into the listener’s subconscious, catchy, rhythmic and singable in all the right ways. Visuals of wax hearts, burning candles and date night outfits paint a picture of a crush so strong, it’s taking over Olivia’s whole world. The song also explores Olivia’s common theme of jealousy, as she compares herself to others with a frankness many listeners can relate to. This topic takes precedence in the 2000s-inspired music video, where she sings her moody confessions surrounded by contrastingly pink, hyperfeminine ballerinas in New York City.
The Big Apple is also the setting for one of Olivia’s favourite TV Shows, Sex and The City, home to the character of Miranda who inspired ‘maggots for brains’. This tongue-in-cheek song presents the narrator as “moldy” and “rotten” when her love interest leaves, hinting at an increasing co-dependence as their relationship escalates. It carries over into ‘purple’, the album’s haunting midway point where merging “your red and my blue” starts to dangerously warp Olivia’s sense of self. Such a metaphor pops all the more knowing that purple has been her signature colour for several years, yet it’s now transformed into a symbol of uncertainty and confusion.
Of course, there are still plenty of more upbeat, joyful tracks to go around. ‘u + me + <3’ is an intentionally juvenile love song, calling upon stereotypes of love hearts carved into trees and planning weddings at twenty-five. It rushes with a sense of young naivety that now feels like a core element of Olivia’s music. Contrastingly, this song’s new wave sound later comes back on the contrastingly more adult ‘expectations’, where her wide-eyed gaze has narrowed to a judging eye upon any man who comes her way. Bright 80s synths blend with sarcastic, cutting bars that mock men trying to win her over. ‘expectations’ particularly sparkles thanks to Dan Nigro’s now trademark production style, which shines through on the quirky chanted bridge reminiscent of Madonna’s ‘Material Girl’ or Chappell Roan’s ‘The Giver’.
Fans of Rodrigo’s edgier direction on previous record Guts will especially love ‘my way’. In the vein of emo-pop girl moments before, like Taylor Swift’s ‘Better Than Revenge’ and Paramore’s ‘Misery Business’, this is a classic anthem about a girl who’s getting too close for comfort with Rodrigo’s man. It’s all about the sass and expressivity of every line. Thrilling electric guitars blend into a wall of powerful indie rock sound. “Maybe I’m a petty bitch, but you made me resort to this”, Olivia shrugs, owning the fact that sometimes, the only way to deal with a problem is to get nasty.
The more alternative rock style ripples across later cuts like ‘the cure’, a 90s grunge track with gritty acoustic guitars where Rodrigo realizes love is not the solution to her problems. Beautiful harmonies create detailed layers throughout the five minute runtime, leading to a finale that’s stunningly dramatic and hits right through to the heart. Although this song does not intentionally reference the band of the same name, it winkingly precedes The Cure’s lead singer Robert Smith appearing on ‘what’s wrong with me’. Standing out as Olivia’s first album feature, this is a soft rock cut depicting how the dizzying physical symptoms of love can make it difficult to tell if a relationship is right for you.
These rockier moments make for a charming juxtaposition against the album’s more stripped back songs. ‘less’ and ‘begged’ create a one-two punch of heartbreaking ballads in the album’s theorised “You seem pretty sad” latter half. They build on the theatricality and earnestness of 2021’s Sour, but take a more mature, weathered angle thanks to Rodrigo’s growth into adulthood. ‘begged’ sees Olivia craving to be treated with more affection from her partner. It’s a piercing analysis of how so many relationships fail. Only a few minutes later, total surrender to the break-up has become the final, necessary act of love on ‘less’. “If loving me means saying ‘Babe, I think this is the end’, I guess I wish you loved me less”, she whispers as the ending hits. Both songs feature such tragic lyricism, it’s almost impossible to listen to without tearing up.
But perhaps the most important song on You Seem Pretty Sad… is its finale ‘cigarette smoke’. Colour is a recurring motif throughout this record, and by this track, the whole spectrum has flattened and disappeared. ‘cigarette smoke’ sees Olivia desperately seeking a way to black out the memories so that she can’t feel the pain of her lost love. It juxtaposes the opener ‘drop dead’ so sharply that the listener feels sick. This is the type of song that proves how carefully Olivia considers album structure, and appreciates the art form as more than just a collection of songs, but as an intentional, refined narrative and concept.
You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love beautifully ties together the musical styles of Olivia Rodrigo’s past two albums, then progresses forward into something new and exciting. It’s her most heartbreaking album to date, using its 90s alternative lens and 80s synth embellishments to dive into adult lyrics that will leave you with a pit in your stomach. Put simply, this is an unmissable album. Olivia Rodrigo’s songwriting legacy is already cemented, and she’s only just getting started.
