Recommended tracks: “begged,” “what’s wrong with me,” “expectations”
Artists you might like: Sabrina Carpenter, Conan Gray, Billie Eilish
Olivia Rodrigo set an impossibly high bar with SOUR and avoided the dreaded sophomore slump with GUTS. Now, with you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, she’s proven that lightning can strike three times, delivering a collection of devastating love songs that center around the slow unraveling hidden beneath infatuation.
In an age when it seems like everyone wants to be a singer, Rodrigo is a reminder that real artistry still exists. She sits in a lane where the dramatic angst of P!nk, the bite of Alanis Morissette, and the storytelling depth of Fiona Apple coexist. At 23, there’s a sense of maturity in her work, pulling inspiration from generations that came before her, referencing couples like Steve and Miranda in Sex and the City on “maggots for brains,” while also helping bands like The Cure and No Doubt find new life with her listeners.
That generational reach speaks for itself, breathing new life into songs like Carly Simon’s “You’re So Vain” and CMAT’s “When A Good Man Cries,” and previously performing alongside artists like Weezer and David Byrne. It extends ever further with Robert Smith (The Cure), who features on “what’s wrong with me,” which she debuted during her surprise Primavera set last weekend.
What makes you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love so effective is the way it unfolds like a relationship changing in real time. On “drop dead” and “stupid song,” she’s completely consumed, singing, “you’re looking like an angel on the walls of Versailles” and “tell your friends that you’re mine, I’m yours / with the hand on my heart, I swore / nobody wanted somebody more.” The lyrics are intense, much like early love so often is, where feeling everything at once makes it feel like this must be the one. But by the time you get to “purple,” the doubt starts to creep in. “I had big dream till I tied myself to you” begins to feel less like love and more like something quietly unraveling her.
“begged” is the type of track I always seem to gravitate toward on any album — the one that makes you feel sick to your stomach in the most gut-wrenching way possible. Brought to you by acoustic devastation, Rodrigo examines a love that’s out of balance, where one person is giving everything, and the other can’t quite meet them halfway: “So, I’m patient, you’re learning, pretend it’s not hurting, oh (Oh) / ‘Cause they say it’s a virtue to not let good love slip away (‘Way) / So, I’m cool and forgiving, I’ll take what you’re giving, oh (Ooh) / But nothing’s quite enough, when I know that to get it, I begged.”
On “expectations,” Rodrigo is all about “careful consideration” and is done with “kissing any boy that is passive.” It’s a song that every single twentysomething could use a little more of. One that empowers us to stop letting the losers take up emotional space in our lives: “I won’t settle for a guy with a fake job / They seem so desperate for loving, but, baby I’m not.”
Pop music is in the best possible hands with Olivia Rodrigo at the helm on you seem pretty sad for girl so in love. She will be taking the project on the road later this year for The Unraveled Tour, with tickets on sale now.
The Unraveled Tour Dates:
North America:
09.25 – Hartford, CT
09.26 – Hartford, CT
09.29 – Pittsburgh, PA
09.30 – Pittsburgh, PA
10.03 – Washington, DC
10.04 – Washington, DC
10.07 – Charlotte, NC
10.08 – Charlotte, NC
10.11 – Chicago, IL
10.12 – Chicago, IL
10.15 – Boston, MA
10.17 – Boston, MA
10.21 – Montreal, QC
10.22 – Montreal, QC
10.26 – Toronto, ON
10.27 – Toronto, ON
10.29 – Columbus, 0H
10.30 – Columbus, 0H
11.07 – Philadelphia, PA
11.08 – Philadelphia, PA
11.11 – Atlanta, GA
11.12 – Atlanta, GA
11.15 – Orlando, FL
11.16 – Orlando, FL
11.19 – Sunrise, FL
11.20 – Sunrise, FL
11.23 – Nashville, TN
11.24 – Nashville, TN
12.01 – Vancouver, BC
12.02 – Vancouver, BC
12.07 – Seattle, WA
12.08 – Seattle, WA
12.11 – Oakland, CA
12.12 – Oakland, CA
12.15 – Sacramento, CA
12.16 – Sacramento, CA
12.19 – Las Vegas, NV
12.20 – Las Vegas, NV
01.12 – Los Angeles, CA
01.13 – Los Angeles, CA
01.16 – Los Angeles, CA
01.17 -Los Angeles, CA
02.11 – Brooklyn, NY
02.12 – Brooklyn, NY
02.15 – Brooklyn, NY
02.16 – Brooklyn, NY
UK/Europe (tickets here):
03.19 -Stockholm, SE
03.20 -Stockholm, SE
03.23 -Amsterdam, NL
03.24 -Amsterdam, NL
04.01 -Munich, DE
04.02 -Munich, DE
04.05 -London, UK
04.06 -London, UK
04.08 -London, UK
04.09 -London, UK
04.23 -Paris, FR
04.27 -Milan, IT
04.28 -Milan, IT
05.01 -Barcelona, ES
05.02 -Barcelona. ES
Keep up with Olivia Rodrigo: Instagram // X // Facebook // TikTok // YouTube // Website
