Olivia Rodrigo Trades Teenage Heartbreak for Adult Vulnerability: Album Review of “you seem so sad for a girl so in love” by Olivia Rodrigo

The pop star's most nuanced record yet finds beauty in the contradictions of devotion, anxiety, and growing up.

Article Contributed by Shyanne Vaden

Album cover for “you seem so sad for a girl so in love” by Olivia Rodrigo

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Renowned pop star Olivia Rodrigo’s highly anticipated third studio album “you seem so sad for a girl so in love” was released on June 12, and has already taken not only her fans, social media but the world by storm. From her stepping on the scene with “Sour” in 2021, to her giving us a taste of Avril Lavigne like rock in “Guts,” to now, the gutwrenching, romantic and transcendent album today, which is not reminding us that Olivia has grown into a full fledged adult in front of ours eyes and through our ears. “Drop dead” and “honeybee” within days of their release became Tiktok trends songs of the summer, making women all around the show their own partners they also stalked on the internet, due to feminine intuition. The album charted number one all of the over in 22 countries.

The album is reminiscent of 80s synth, with mixing of her original sound, pop punk, and even post-punk sonics. Olivia called her “her most experimental album yet,” which you can tell by the tone of her songs that are super reminiscent of 80s synth rock and shoegaze. Experimental standouts for me is “my way,” this song is definitely not typical for Rodrigo’s style however she pulls it off flawlessly. “Purple” sent chills through my body. As someone who is a big fan of dream pop and I feel like we are truly in a pandemic of it at the moment, she really blended her voice, her sound with it. The meaning of the song is truly showstopping for me, as she uses metaphors of colors on how the beginning of relationships are always bright and colorful but when you mix them together, it will always turn black. My favorite experimental standout as a massive folk fan, was “begged.” Her voice on the folk-like chords was extremely unusual for pop girl Rodrigo, but it was magic. I selfishly hope she does more folk-like songs going forward. Her voice was powerful, strong yet vulnerable. It was truly a standout for me that I will be listening to for the rest of the summer.

Olivia Rodrigo’s alternate album cover for “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love”

Although the most popular songs like “drop dead” and “honeybee” are about falling in love and staying there, “maggots for brains” also highlights the dark and obsessive parts of falling for someone initially and it is my favorite on the new standout album. How something takes over your body and you are no longer acting like yourself, Olivia sings “I'm a zombie in my body, I'm a train off of the track / I feel dirty, I feel rotten, and the colors are all flat / I'm a sad shell of a woman and I've got maggots for brains / But that's just the thing that happens when my / When my baby goes away.” This song made me feel eerily targeted. The attachment issues, the emotion, feeling like a shell of a woman but checking yourself because you sound like you have maggots for brains. They’re rarely songs talking about the seemingly desperate moments of being in love, the dopamine crash of it all and then the weird feeling you get about feeling guilty and useless for feeling that way, but “maggots for brains” really hits that nuanced and complex emotion. Olivia Rodrigo’s entire album is a story of coming of age with romantic relationships. She is no longer 18 years old anymore, and she makes that incredibly clear on “you seem so sad for a girl so in love.” Olivia Rodrigo is entering a new chapter. She is less concerned with the heartbreak and more interested in the emotional contradictions that we learn as we come into young adulthood, complications with being deeply loved and loving deeply. Rather than painting romance as a cure-all, she explores the anxieties and self-doubt that can exist even in healthy relationships. Blending her lyricism with her signature mix of soaring pop-rock and experimental genres, Rodrigo shares what feels like her most emotionally mature and introspective project to date. It's a record that doesn't offer easy answers, but that's precisely what love offers.