My friends have always classified me as a “people pleaser.” I feel like I am the girl that is expected to have everything under control, and it is honestly super exhausting to focus on making sure everyone else is okay. I weirdly listen to music to calm me down and for the longest time I did not truly listen to Olivia Rodrigo’s first album Sour. When the album came out, I felt like all the songs were posed to everyone in films/radio and it was a fad to listen to her music.
I was with my friend in a local bookstore when she brought up how Olivia Rodrigo was making her second album. For the first time, I did not want to take part in the fad but truly listen to her music. When it came out it was nice to listen to something that I could connect to for once. It was nice how I was not the only girl in the world who is struggling with living with this idea of keeping anger or sadness hidden. She wants to be there and makes us realize that we are connected because we all have anger, sadness, or nerves.
There are two sides of the album that are supposed to give a grunge voice in her new second album. “All-American Bitch,” “Vampire,” and “Ballad of a Homeschool girl” are songs showing this anger. Through her lyrics, it makes people feel like they could easily scream along in the car. It was nice because of the idea that she does not have to justify why she is upset and wants other people to feel it to. One of my favorite moments is in “Ballad of a Homeschool girl” she sings along to, “I stumbled over all my own words / I made it weird; I made it worse.” She has taken some of my personal fears that I felt and made it okay to sing along to. Singing along to what she is saying would be a great reason to get what I am feeling out.
Her second side of her album is supposed to be these gut-wrenching sad songs that have these resolutions wanting more. “Lacy,” “Pretty isn’t Pretty,” “Making the Bed,” and “Logical” are songs that leave one wanting more. I every time that listen, I think of all the moments in my life, good or bad, and it forces me to reflect about what is going on. It helps listening to these lyrics talking about and realizing that my old fears will change because I am growing up. When Olivia Rodrigo hopefully writes a third album, I hope I will be there to follow along with my own journey of what’s next.