On June 12th of this year, global pop star and one of the biggest artists of her generation, Olivia Rodrigo, released her third studio album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love. The album’s release cycle began March 13th, when an “OR” logo was teased in Los Angeles, CA. I was one of the many people that checked for updates and watched literal paint dry as the wall colors changed from Olivia’s signature purple to pink. The album was finally announced via Instagram April 2nd. Going into the era, one of my favorite parts was the change in style and visuals. Much of Olivia’s wardrobe switched to babydoll dresses and mary janes. The artistic direction is my favorite out of all of Olivia’s eras, with very whimsical, yet moody and mature visuals. Following in the footsteps of the SOUR era stickers, the GUTS era rings, the you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love era seems to be heavily represented by pins, which I absolutely love!
Two prerelease singles gave fans a hint of the range of emotions and experiences that the album would cover. The lead “drop dead,” came out in April, debuting at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, extending Rodrigo’s record as the only artist debuting their first three lead singles at #1. About a month later, “the cure” was released, the first song from the “you seem pretty sad” portion of the album. The accompanying music video is a visual stand out for Rodrigo’s career, which features Olivia dressed as a nurse in an elaborately constructed hospital. Something particularly special about the video is how the set is handcrafted from artists, a rare feat in the persistent age of AI.
The album is divided into two halves. The first six songs represent the “girl so in love” aspect. This collection of songs feature some of the most upbeat tracks of the record, and features some of the most interesting productional elements out of Olivia’s three albums. Some highlights from this half include “stupid song,” which serves as the third single from the record. The most special feature of the song is the gradual build and intensity of the melody to a cathartic bridge, something that is becoming a musical signature for Olivia Rodrigo. Many listeners online have lauded the rom-com worthy nature of the song. Another stand out, a bit more divisive on if the song is more romantic or haunting, is “honeybee.” While the lyrics are objectively beautiful and romantic in and of themselves (“shooting stars, racing cars, everything I own just feels like ours” and “but even when I’m quiet, I love you baby i promise”), the orchestral and piano production make the song very eerie, as if it’s foreshadowing a loss that will come later on in the album. Something so clever about this first half of the album is that even the happiest of emotions and feelings felt on these songs cause a sense of dread for what’s to come next.
The latter half of the album is often referred to as “you seem pretty sad,” and includes some of Rodrigo’s most heartbreaking and specific lyricism of her career. One of the songs, “what’s wrong with me,” which features Robert Smith, marking the first collaboration of her career. The song was first performed live during her surprise set at Primavera Sound in June, about a week before the album’s release. The production on the song is very murky and sounds a bit off, which matches perfectly with the feelings that Rodrigo is describing throughout it. Perhaps the most devastating song on the album, “less,” is quite simple sonically, but brings you to a desolating feeling lyrically (“If loving me means crying on the curb at LAX, well then I guess, I wish, I wish, I wish you loved me less”). Compared to Olivia’s previous piano driven ballads, the lyricism on “less” is more about showing experiences and memories rather than just telling you why she’s upset, clear evidence of her improvement as a songwriter over the past three years. However, the album picks up very briefly with a very upbeat track, “expectations.” In a recent radio interview with Hits 1, Rodrigo stated how she was inspired to write this song as a way of manifesting something into her life. This song combines very clever and catchy pop songwriting with a fun and upbeat new-wave 80s inspired production, similar to many songs from the first half of the album. With many of the sadder tracks before this song, the album was drifting into a very somber and melancholic tone. “expectations” picks the mood up, providing for a quite realistic depiction of what it’s like to try and move on right after a major heartbreak.
The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 with 485,000 SEA units, the biggest first week of the year for a solo and female artist, as well as the biggest of Rodrigo’s career so far. It has also performed with stable longevity so far, with 11 weeks at number one of Spotify’s weekly album chart, the third most for a female album ever.
As a very long time fan, SOUR has always been my favorite of her albums due to the nostalgia. However, I have to admit, this album has been the majority of what I’m listening to in general for the last few months. While Olivia hasn’t technically called you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love a concept album, I love how it tells such a cohesive story and progression of a relationship. Even from the beginning of the album cycle, “drop dead” quickly became a favorite of mine in her discography. Personally I love the instrumentals and how they make me feel like I’m in a literal rom-com movie.
Currently, she is one of the top contenders for Album of the Year, along with many other nods in a variety of categories, at the 2027 Grammy Awards. Olivia has performed a collection of songs from the album during various private concerts and sessions, along with her own Daisy Chains Fields Festival on Aug 29th. The live performances of the songs only highlights the production of many of the more upbeat tracks, as well as Rodrigo’s vocal improvement. Performances of the album will continue September 25th, as Olivia kicks off her “Unraveled World Tour” in Hartford, CT. But in the meantime, check the album out yourself if you haven’t already. Be ready to dance and sing, but also have some tissues in hand for the rest of it!