“They say modern love’s a cruel endeavor” Olivia Rodrigo sings on ” u + me = <3.” But how cruel is love and is it worth the pain it brings? Rodrigo’s newest album you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love seems to grapple with this question in its entirety.
When Olivia Rodrigo debuted back in 2021 with “drivers license,” I didn’t fully understand the hype. I was in the middle of my freshman year of high school and listening to early 2000s rock and pop-punk music, and I wanted nothing to do with modern pop music. Fortunately, over the course of my high school career, I grew out of this mindset and slowly started listening to Rodrigo’s music. For her debut record, she did pretty well, but nothing really stuck with me.
However, during my junior year, my best friend invited me to go to the Guts World Tour, and I just couldn’t say no to her, even if I wasn’t a big fan of Olivia at the time. That evening, I came to the concert not really caring about Olivia Rodrigo, but I came out becoming a fan from that point forward.
I’ve been listening to you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love on repeat ever since the album dropped. In the car, in the shower, at night, you name it. I just can’t get enough of it, and it is one of my favorite albums to release this year.
you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love review
drop dead
“drop dead” acts as the lead single off of Rodrigo’s third album and was released about 2 months before the record dropped. Since it’s less recent than the other songs, I’ll try not to talk about it too much, but I’ll admit I was skeptical when she released “drop dead” as the lead single. I loved the shift in her sound to a synth-new-wave style; however, the song didn’t completely blow me away on my first listen. However, after listening to the record in its entirety, I think it was the perfect song to make a single, as it sets the tone for the album, musically and story-wise. Unlike the first tracks on her previous records, she moves away from the teenage angst and punchy pop-rock sounds that characterise “brutal” and “all-american bitch.” With “drop dead,” Rodrigo sets this tone of wonder and chaoticness as she begins to fall in love, even going as far as to compare her lover to “an angel on the walls of Versailles.” The song really captures that overwhelming feeling when you’re consumed with love, when the fuzz on the guitars begins to lead the music during the bridge.
stupid song
For me, “stupid song” very much feels like the honeymoon stage of love on this album. It leads in with this piano ballad, which is essentially the core of the song, and Rodrigo’s soft and melancholic vocals. The song crescendos within the first arrangement with a bright and airy string arrangement until it transitions into a traditional punchy pop sound when the drums kick in. There are multiple crescendos throughout the track that perfectly mimic that high when you’re so in love that nothing can explain or, in Olivia’s words, nothing that “any stupid song could ever say.”
honeybee
With “honeybee,” Rodrigo breaks the momentum she builds on the previous two tracks and trades it for this beautiful yet melancholic love song. The simplicity of the piano ballad, the choir that comes in onwards at the end of the song, and Conan Gray’s background vocals tie the track together as Rodgrio sings about a more fragile and mature love. My one gripe with the song is the line “Baby boy, honeybee,” which I cringed a bit when I first listened to it and still do sometimes. However, as they say, “to be cringe is to be free,” and I guess you can never really escape these corny and cheesy lines when you’re so in love with someone. And although this is just a plain love song, it subtly plants these seeds of doubt that begin throughout the album with lines like “And I hope I never see what your face looks like going.”
maggots for brains
Have you ever been so lovesick that you ended up not being able to properly function without your partner? If you have, this song might be for you as Rodrigo sings of being “a zombie in [her] body” and “a sad shell of a woman” whenever her partner is not there. She explores this inward reflection of her psyche as she becomes stuck in this codependency on her partner. Musically, the song has an 80s feel, with muted guitars and new wave influences, especially reminiscent of certain songs by The Cure.
u + me +<3
Despite its simple, yet playful lyrics, “ u + me = <3” is one of my favorite songs off the album. The sparkly guitar layers and its light and fluffy jangle pop sound, that is reminiscent of The Smiths, capture this youthful and hopeful outlook towards love. To me, this song is the embodiment of being spun in someone’s arms and not having a care in the world, or driving down the road with windows rolled down.
my way
This track marks the beginning of the turning point in the album, where those seeds of doubt planted back in “honeybee” begin to flourish. This song is grittier than the rest of the album’s tracks with its fuzzy and distorted sound, and the angriest Olivia sounds as she wavers between this state of lovesickness and melancholy on the album. Jealousy begins to kick in when her partner’s ex begins to dangerously cross the lines she drew. Its gritty rock sound and the lyrics’ storyline remind me of Paramore’s “Misery Business.”
purple
Following “my way,” “purple” acts as the official turning point on the record. First, it starts off as this saccharine love song with lines like “A coat and pair of shoes all come in doubles,” as Rodrigo reflects back on her relationship. Although keeping with a light and upbeat sound, the relationship begins to sour as she recalls how she “had big dreams till [she] tied [herself] to” her partner. The track completely transforms into a different tune as she loses herself as the purple melts to black.
the cure
“the cure” is the second single off the record and dives into this unhealthy dependency in her relationship. No matter how hard her partner tries to suck out her insecurities and fear, they are never going to be “the cure.” Olivia’s vocals towards the beginning of the song feel very Elliot Smith-like, while the guitar riffs are a nod to the Foo Fighters.
begged
“begged” features this eerie, yet beautiful acoustic guitar performance as Rodrigo sings about desperately wanting and begging for more affection from her partner. She really lets the lyrics breathe and sink in for listeners during the song, as she begins to realize that she accepts way less than she should in her relationship.
what’s wrong with me
“what’s wrong with me” features The Cure’s Robert Smith and marks Rodrigo’s first-ever collaboration for one of her records. To me, I think it’s pretty iconic to have the legendary Robert Smith as your first collaboration. Among younger fans and those unfamiliar with Robert Smith, this track has been the subject of heavy debate. I know some listeners were not particularly fond of his vocals on this track, but I think Robert’s voice suits the song well, especially when his and Rodrigo’s voices meld together during the chorus. It’s a deeply moving song that focuses on how Rodrigo’s relationship with her partner is only causing her more pain.
less
Previously, Rodrigo had cited Fiona Apple as one of her biggest musical inspirations, and I can definitely hear the influence in “less” with her slow and patient lyricism and the piano ballad’s jazz-like sound. “less” is one of the more devastating tracks on the record as Rodrigo reflects on failed attempts to save her relationship and being loved so much that she is being let go. You can hear the desperation in her voice in wanting to be loved less by her partner to make their fallout less painful.
expectations
“expectations” gave me extreme whiplash after listening to “less.” It’s a very high-energy and upbeat track that sees Rodrigo’s confidence come back after her relationship has ended. Even if the song seems too happy to be on the sadder portion of the album, it captures that manic or “I can do better” attitude that follows after a failed relationship. It’s a catchy, buzzing synth-pop song that takes influence from LCD Soundsystem and heavily reminds me of My Chemical Romance’s “Planetary Go.”
cigarette smoke
On “cigarette smoke,” Rodrigo ends the record on a lingering melancholic feeling as she recalls the bitter and sad feeling left after her relationship. She cleverly uses the metaphor of cigarette smoke to demonstrate how difficult it is for her to get over her ex. Although the relationship was a learning experience that fueled her growth, it also feels like such a waste.
Olivia’s growth as a songwriter
Olivia’s breakthrough into the mainstream followed with the release of her debut album SOUR in 2021. Since then, the record has become the most-streamed album by a female artist on Spotify with over 17 billion streams. The lyrics from this record feel like they came straight out of Rodrigo’s diary, showcasing her raw vulnerability as she explores heartbreak and teenage angst.
With GUTS, she transitioned from SOUR’s garage-pop sound, leaning heavily into a more pop-rock sound. Despite this sonic change, Rodrigo grew into a more confident and witty identity with her lyrics, while retaining her raw vulnerability. While tackling romance, the singer explored the anxieties of growing up.
Although SOUR and GUTS were both phenomenal albums, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love is Olivia’s magnum opus so far. Although she does present a straightforward narrative within the record, there is a bit more nuance and complexity to how love and heartbreak are presented compared to her previous albums. Furthermore, within a deeply oppressive pop landscape, Rodrigo is not afraid to take risks as her musical sound becomes more alternative and atmospheric.
A force to be reckoned with in pop music
Overall, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love is a lyrically and thematically cohesive record as it takes listeners on Rodrigo’s rollercoaster of a relationship. Even though I’ve mostly been on the outside looking in concerning relationships, she does such a good job capturing that youthfulness and naive lovesickness that comes in the honeymoon period, both musically and lyrically. While focusing on the highs, she does not shy away from the lows that come and result in the bitter end of relationships.
Even if some of the lyrics on the tracks do not seem as complex as those on her previous albums, Olivia has matured musically. This album doesn’t feel like a cheap imitation of the influences it draws from, but rather takes their sounds and creates something similar, yet still totally sounding like an Olivia Rodrigo song. For me, the album stands out among the current pop landscape and is Olivia’s best record yet among her phenomenal music catalogue.
With you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, Rodrigo is not asking listeners to shy away from modern love. Rather, she deals with the question if love is worth the pain or not. I think for many of us, this is the most difficult question to answer, and we can only know for certain once we take that risk into that “cruel endeavor” we call love.
