Guts were spilled on Sept. 8, 2023 when Olivia Rodrigo released her second album titled GUTS. Her new album includes 12 songs. With her calm, but passionate take in the music industry, she has outdone her work as a singer at the age of 20.
Her song “Vampire” reflects on the ability to give in to someone who can easily manipulate your life. Rodrigo’s use of an analogy to compare a person to a vampire was brilliant. Not only did she use details that suggest a feeling of lifelessness, but she adds to how a dominant figure can take over your judgment. Her lyrics “went for me and not her, cause girls your age know better” suggests the idea of a predator-prey relationship.
Rodrigo has exceeded the expectations with her song “Get Him Back!” It starts off with a short story about a guy she wants to get back together with by making him feel jealous as a plan for her revenge. The chorus was outstanding with the addition of contrasting a love-hate relationship. She sings “I wanna break his heart, stitch it right back up…I want to kiss his face with an uppercut” suggesting a paradoxical feeling of love and hate. It’s got a catchy ring to it that leaves the lyrics engraved into your brain. It can be considered a fan favorite for sure.
On the other hand, “love is embarrassing” did not satisfy the standards. Compared to her other songs, the introduction could have been better. It had a good beat, but not much to go with it. Rodrigo continuously starts off her songs talking about a guy. It has gotten too repetitive. The song is mainly about feeling humiliated after spending so much time focusing on one person to come back. The ending somewhat made up for the slip in the beginning. It’s not my favorite song, but I did like the repetition of “I give up, give up, I give up everything,” which further enhances the idea of giving up everything for someone that’s not worth the time.
Currently one of her most popular songs is “Bad Idea Right?” It’s about knowing that seeing her ex-boyfriend isn’t the best idea, but doing it anyway as a way of “reconnecting.” The use of the electric guitar towards the end was everything. It definitely added to the feel of the song. Connecting recklessness with a loud instrumental beat worked out perfectly.
Most of her songs include a lot of repetition and rhetorical questions as part of her lyrics. Not to mention, all of her songs in this album are in lowercase. It’s safe to assume that it’s because these songs are to be heard with emotional thought with feelings experienced on the inside, since they are mainly about love.
To hold so much capability as a young adult is astonishing. Getting to listen to the vocals Rodrigo provides to each and every song is a gift. All the effort she provides does not go unnoticed. From her biggest hit “Driver’s License,” to releasing her second album that has already received a lot of recognition. Rodrigo is leaving her mark as a talented young singer.
