Olivia Rodrigo is back! The lead single for her highly anticipated third album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, dropped on 17th April, and continues her incredible ability to consistently release banger after banger.
Titled ‘drop dead’, the song recounts the experience of meeting someone and instantly falling for them, wanting to know all the small exciting details of their life, and claiming that although this might be “the most alive I’ve ever been”, “kiss me and I might drop dead”. Olivia herself has explained that the song refers to an unforgettable first date she had, with the carefree feeling of wanting to dance and kiss all night matched perfectly by a tune that just makes you want to get out into the world and run and explore.
The music video features exactly that, but inside and around the stunning palace of Versailles in Paris (the lyric “you’re looking like an angel on the walls of Versailles” therefore being brought into reality). Never before had an artist been given private access to the building and grounds, but Olivia continues to outdo herself with every track she drops. The video emphasises the joy expressed in the song’s pace and lyrics, thriving off the youthful freedom that is so central to her work.
But this song is notably different to the teenage angst and breakup ballads that defined her generational previous albums, SOUR and GUTS. Only once before has she written something closer to a conventional love song with ‘so american’, and so this change of direction might suggest a third album that features a more positive view on love and relationships.
As she has stated, this is just the first chapter of you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love, so be prepared for the whirlwind journey that comes with an Olivia Rodrigo record, and to laugh, cry, scream, and dance around to one of the best songwriters working today.
Follow this link to listen to ‘drop dead’.
