Just mere weeks following my arrival on Vanderbilt’s campus in the fall of 2023, I listened to Olivia Rodrigo’s album “GUTS,” the follow up to her record-breaking debut album “SOUR” and a fitting soundtrack to my personal and educational transition to all things college. As I approach my final chapter at Vanderbilt as a rising senior, Rodrigo has released another album of songs that may now serve as an accompaniment to life post-graduation, effectively book ending my undergraduate education. 

Rodrigo released her long-awaited third studio album “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” June 12. The album covers a multitude of feelings surrounding romantic love and, in some ways, represents the life cycle of a relationship from the moment you fall in love to the stages of looking back on the heartbreak at its end. The album is split into two thematic sections: “girl so in love” and “you seem pretty sad” — both take their names directly from the album title and represent the overarching feelings displayed on each side of the album. 

“drop dead” 

The relationship’s storyline begins at the crucial first meeting point, the bar that closes at 11, though Rodrigo hopes her partner stays by her side forever. She compliments her partner’s music taste and angelic appearance while expressing her desire to continue their time together, citing astrological compatibility and “feminine intuition.” This song shows Rodrigo at her happiest, before any of the warning signs began to appear. 

“stupid song” 

Despite music playing an important role in so many romantic relationships, Rodrigo claims her newfound love is not quantifiable based on what any “stupid song” might suggest. This song sees Rodrigo’s desire still playing a key role, just like it did in the opening track, suggesting a similar sentimentality of being completely head over heels. However, some cracks appear: In the chorus, she sings of wanting her partner to feel the same level of longing she does. 

“honeybee” 

Rodrigo takes a stripped back approach to “honeybee,” a song all about feeling comfortable with the one you love. She looks closely at the little things in her relationship — walking home, being surrounded by darkness and even the silent moments — and emphasizes them to a larger degree than expected, showcasing their importance to her perspective of the relationship. There is still a throughline of somber moments, seen in promises that she loves her partner and an outright foreshadow of seeing them leave. 

“maggots for brains” 

The foreshadowing first seen on “honeybee” continues here, as Rodrigo describes a lack of function when “[her] baby goes away.” Fruit becomes moldy, dust collects on her front door and her brain simply consists of maggots and nothing else because of her partner’s absence in her life that day. Even though “maggots for brains” is characterized as a love song based on its presence in the “girl so in love” section, it doesn’t feel like a traditional love song. But for an artist known for her soul crushing hit singles, it adds up. 

“u + me = <3” 

Even as her friends roll their eyes at her new relationship, Rodrigo declares her love for her partner in so many ways throughout the song. The sentimentality of being together forever is repeatedly emphasized to show how much she loves her partner: she will go anywhere with them, the two of them carve their names in leather chairs and she even wants them to get married by 25. Even the song title itself is sung to emphasize the never-ending love she has for her partner: “You plus me equals a heart forever.” 

“my way” 

One of the album’s standout tracks sees Rodrigo going on defense for her relationship. She writes of another individual attempting to undermine Rodrigo’s existing relationship with her partner, whom Rodrigo sees as being in her way. Sonically, “my way” evokes the rock and grunge elements heard on “GUTS,” as well as many of Rodrigo’s personal heroes, including The Cure and Alanis Morissette. This song’s meaning is another nod to the heartbreak to come later, with Rodrigo placing significant emphasis on anyone or anything that threatens to tear apart her romantic life in her eyes. 

“purple” 

Aside from being a personal highlight, “purple” also marks the first transition into the album’s second theme or the second stage of the relationship. As the last song from the “girl so in love” side of the album, this song expands on the comfort discussed a few tracks earlier which now transitions to newer lifestyle changes, such as having a favorite grocery store and florist in her partner’s hometown and owning doubles of everything in her life. It’s evident, however, that the fallout is near: The couple fights over who Rodrigo spends time with and Rodrigo loses her dreams simply by being with her partner, two typical ways that relationships tend to wind down and fall apart. 

“the cure” 

As we transition into the “you seem pretty sad” side of the album, Rodrigo explains her never-ending personal comparisons to the people around her. She describes constant battles with insecurities and other habits that she hopes to break by finding some cure, which she believes is attained by a romantic relationship. However, her partner is not the antidote — her head, her heart and her bloodstream successfully fight back against love’s medication and she knows there’s nothing a relationship can do at this point. From a lyrical and thematic standpoint, this might be one of the strongest tracks on this album, a sentiment echoed by Rodrigo herself, who has said “the cure” is her favorite song she’s ever written. 

“begged” 

“begged” gained an early appreciation from fans following a heartful rendition by Rodrigo during her Saturday Night Live appearance in May. Since then, listeners and viewers from across the globe have connected with this song’s clear, central message: Rodrigo is disappointed that she must beg for affection from her partner. Backed by a simple guitar-strummed melody and sorrowful backing vocals, it has stood out as one of the album’s most emotional and heartbreaking moments. 

“what’s wrong with me” 

The Cure’s lead vocalist and one of Rodrigo’s biggest musical heroes, Robert Smith, joins to ask the pivotal, self-reflective question of “What’s wrong with me?” as the two describe out-of-the-blue tearful reactions like feeling sick to one’s stomach and not being able to eat and sleep as her relationship falls apart. The diagnosis is her partner, who Rodrigo is trying her best to remain in love with, but simply cannot without falling apart in tandem with the relationship. 

“less” 

The storyline’s second pivotal moment makes its arrival on “less.” Rodrigo tells stories about the life she lives while her relationship comes to a close. She doesn’t want to talk to her partner after an argument, she makes last minute attempts to reenergize the love they have for one another and she cries at LAX, all while wishing he loved her less. The song is easily another contender for the album’s emotional peak with its honest and vulnerable lyrics backed again by a single piano performing a composition with subtle elements of jazz music incorporated. 

“expectations” 

The relationship has come to an end and “expectations” abruptly changes the mood, both lyrically and musically. Rodrigo analyzes her romantic future, especially in the context of the expectations she plans to hold going forward, all of which she lists over a synth-pop melody evoking the sounds of the 1980s and its resurgence throughout the 21st century. Its mature understanding of her life going forward and its unique musical quality easily make “expectations” a personal highlight. 

“cigarette smoke” 

Even after moving forward and making changes to her life because of the relationship’s breakdown, Rodrigo still cannot seem to let anything go, comparing the never-ending reminders of her partner to the lingering stench of cigarette smoke. Regrets and resentment take the lead in the song, with Rodrigo lamenting directly about wanting back everything she put into this relationship. The song and the album both “go dark” with a bittersweet closure to a storyline that began with staying forever and unquestionable desire, providing a clear contrast between her relationship’s two endpoints. 

In the end, Olivia Rodrigo is not just simply telling her listeners a story of what has happened to her, but she is providing an opportunity to learn a lesson from what she has experienced. It’s a message to be aware of your surroundings and take note of how you are treated in a relationship, even when it may feel perfect at the happy beginnings. The contrast between her undying affection and her sorrowful regrets make it clear that you can be in love and want to spend all of your time with the one you love, while still maintaining personal expectations for yourself — an incredibly powerful message coming from one of the strongest albums released this year.