If the timing worked out for you like it did for me, you just went through a breakup around the same time as Olivia Rodrigo’s new album GUTS dropping — perfect timing, am I right? After listening to GUTS non-stop for the last week and a half and being an avid listener of SOUR, I have found the best songs from both her debut and sophomore album that are sure to help you get over your ex. One of the things I love about Olivia Rodrigo as an artist and songwriter is the variety she has in her songs. Some make you want to cry, some scream in your car, and others just make you want to dance around with your friends. While her entire discography is filled with incredible songs, we’re not looking for the songs that are going to make you miss your ex (which she has plenty of). Instead, let’s take a look at the best songs she has created to make you want to leave your ex in the past (in no particular order).
- Love is Embarassing
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This track off of Olivia’s new pop album GUTS is a great choice. This song perfectly encapsulates the realization that you wasted your time on someone who wasn’t worth it at all. “Just watch as I crucify myself / For some weird second string / Loser who’s not worth mentioning.” It can be a humiliating feeling to know that you put all of this time and effort into someone who didn’t reciprocate it back. Being able to realize this is the first step in the process of getting over them, so look at it as a good thing! The upbeat tempo of this song also means you can dance around your room screaming the lyrics with your friends until it sticks. He’s a loser for letting you go, and Olivia is not letting us forget it!
- Traitor
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This classic off of Olivia’s first album SOUR debuted at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 — and for good reason. It’s a great option to blast in the car when you’re looking for a good angry-cry. “You betrayed me / And I know that you’ll never feel sorry / For the way I hurt, yeah.” The lyrics in this song are quite straightforward. Why would you want to get back with someone who betrayed you? This 2021 chart-topper hits just as hard now as it did two years ago. I remember screaming these lyrics with my friends in high school, and they still resonate with me two and a half years and a couple break-ups later.
- Logical
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Returning to Olivia’s sophomore album GUTS, “logical” is a synopsis of a failed relationship with an avoidant. It’s about someone making you think they were fully interested before pulling away once they had you, leaving you feeling confused, lost, and heartbroken. (Master manipulator / God, you’re so good at what you do). It’s about time to leave those projects in the past, and Olivia is reminding us of that. This song really explains how you can’t change somebody who doesn’t want to change. “‘Cause if rain don’t pour and sun don’t shine / Then changing you is possible.” People can only fix themselves if they truly want to and it just isn’t your job to do it, even if it hurts. It simply isn’t logical.
- The Grudge
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Going back to GUTS, this song is for the girls who are finding it difficult to forget about the good parts of their past relationship. We can recognize the bad things that occurred throughout the relationship, but being able to fully let go is a painful task. This song fully focuses on the feeling of confusion that comes after a blindsided breakup. “And I try to understand why you would do this all to me.” Being broken up with by the person who pursued you first is a shared experience by many, and it makes the breakup so much harder to accept. It can be such a confusing time where you are left spending your mental energy figuring out why things went wrong, and why this person who once felt so sure about you is all of a sudden ending things. “You built me up to watch me fall.” This should be a reminder of how they broke your heart, and it is unfair for you to spend any more of your time on somebody who made you feel this way.
Conclusion
Now you might be looking at this list thinking it looks a bit short. While Olivia Rodrigo’s entire discography is incredible, I find that most of her breakup songs are referencing the good times in past relationships, and the desire to get back together with them. Those songs are amazing as well, but when we’re fresh out of a breakup and trying to navigate life without that other person sometimes those songs just aren’t good for the healing process. These four songs are sure to remind you of all the reasons why your ex is your ex.