The rising pop star Olivia Rodrigo, has recently released her sophomore album, GUTS. This album has twelve tracks and two singles “Vampire” and “Bad Idea, Right?.”
Her first single for the album, Vampire, is about her mistake being with a guy who made her look dumb. He is a master manipulator and Olivia explains that with lyrics saying “Cause I’ve made some real big mistakes, but you make the worst one look fine” and “You’re so convincing, how do you lie without flinching”.
Hanging out with an ex is a Bad Idea, Right? That’s exactly what Olivia is saying in her second single, but sometimes it’s hard not to and he’s so convincing by sending her his new address.
With her debut album Sour being released in 2021, it topped the charts and broke many records. GUTS has a lot of pressure to be just as good and better than Sour. On the first day of GUTS being released, September 8th, Olivia Rodrigo had 60 million streams on Spotify worldwide. Many were speculating the album and how well it would do but this album perfectly describes the teenage experiences that some go through.
Tracks like “Get Him Back” “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl” and “Love Is Embarrassing” are upbeat pop songs that embody a teenage homeschooled girl going through all the emotions of her first love and the breakup.
Tracks like “Logical” “Making The Bed” “Pretty Isn’t Pretty” and “Lacy” are softer songs. They recognize mistakes, wishing you were someone else, wishing you were prettier, everything in your life going wrong and you’re just trying to clean it up. Another side of teenagers that maybe don’t always get talked about, or things that we put aside.
In total, there are twelve tracks on Olivia’s album, GUTS. She also released nine vinyl records in different colors, and on each vinyl, there is a secret song. The tracks include “Obsessed,” “Girl I’ve Always Been,” “Scared of My Guitar,” and “Stranger”.
This writer’s favorite track is “Making The Bed”. The track resembles a person in a messy state of mind. It’s a phase in life when everything is just going wrong, and you don’t know what to do so you just try and clean it up and “make the bed”. The most impactful lyric is “Every night I wake up, from this one recurring dream, I can’t stop at the red light, can’t swerve off the road, I read somewhere it’s cause my life feels so out of control”. I feel like this lyric describes what it’s like to feel like you can’t control your life and so you start having all these dreams that make it feel more real.
Another fan favorite is “Lacy”. Many believe that this song is about Gracie Abrahms, another singer-songwriter who opened for Olivia on her first tour. Gracie is known for her ribbons in her hair and for being the person everyone wants to be. The lyrics “Like ribbons in your hair my stomachs all in knots, you’ve got the one thing that I want” are the lyrics that fans believe about Gracie Abrahms and Taylor Swift. Olivia and Taylor are friends and a dream of Olivia’s was to open for Taylor. Gracie got the opportunity to open for Taylor at The Eras Tour, so many think maybe they had a falling out, but Olivia recently cleared the air and has no problems with anyone.
Overall, this album is about a vulnerable teenage girl feeling all the emotions. Living the teenage dream but also wondering when it will get better, when will she feel like she’s in control. With so much pressure for this album as it has been two years since her debut album, she did a phenomenal job and this album is incredible.
Interviewed some friends and got their opinions about the album. Many said how much they loved the album, how they could relate to some songs, and how they loved the new genre Olivia is stepping into. “Best album ever. I love how it really deep dives into her life and she gives real emotion”.