a girl so in love

Olivia Rodrigo’s first-time exploration of requited love

by Kiana Golchin

Olivia Rodrigo’s third studio album “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love,” is surprisingly uncontroversial for an artist who has been riddled with contention since her musical debut in 2021. That surprise quickly wears off after the first listen. In the three years since her last album, Rodrigo has successfully refuted critiques of lyrical immaturity, derivative sound, and repetitive subject matter while maintaining the girlish charm and relatability that draws listeners to her in the first place.

The album maintains its impact from beginning to end, but its first half is what gives the record its novelty. It begins with the “girl so in love” collection of songs, featuring seven tracks following Rodrigo’s progression from infatuation to devotion. Requited adoration has not been a concept prevalent in Rodrigo’s catalogue—in fact, up until now, it has hardly existed at all.

The album’s first two songs, “drop dead” and “stupid song,” perfectly represent the gratification of developing a crush and then watching it come to fruition. The third, “honeybee,” deepens that infatuation into something more earnest, filled with sentiments of gratitude to God and hopes for the relationship’s permanence. The hopeful and profound song is a satisfying conclusion to this initial triad; Rodrigo seems, finally, to have found the healthy, secure, “forever” kind of love that she has spent much of her career searching for.

“maggots for brains,” the next song in the series, subtly begins to undermine that confidence. This track describes the classic desire to spend every waking moment with a partner, but pushes it to a severity that calls the relationship’s health into question. Singing that she feels like “a sad shell of a woman,” “bored out of her skull,” “dirty,” and “rotten,” the assurance in Rodrigo’s successful healing falters. The emotional dullness she describes suspiciously resembles the symptoms of depression, which doesn’t tend to be a development of a healthy relationship.

The next song, “u + me = <3” does little to restore that confidence. Its lyrics, while joyful and loving, are almost satirically juvenile, writing off legitimate concerns about the relationship in favor of embracing a state of childish, blissful ignorance. Rodrigo follows it with “my way,” another deliberately immature song centered around feeling threatened by her partner’s ex-girlfriend and staking her claim over him. Not much is done to reassure the robustness of her romance.

“purple,” the finale of this half, confirms the fears that have been slowly building. In fact, it also serves as the first song for the latter, darker half of the record. Seemingly loving lyrics are laid over a painstakingly melancholic instrumental, before giving way to a chorus that ends with a startlingly mournful chord that cuts through the sweetness of the song thus far. Its effect is almost physical, uncovering the sinking feeling of realizing that something loved is not something good. The lyrics shift over the course of the song in a way that removes any residual hope that the relationship is sustainable. Rodrigo admits, “I had big dreams ‘til I tied myself to you,” before closing the outro with “melt with you ‘til I just feel sad,” a crushing line that finally makes explicit what has been quietly unraveling throughout the song.

The second half of the album fulfills the “you seem pretty sad” portion of its title. Its tracks more closely resemble the rest of Rodrigo’s catalog, filled with laments of heartbreak and resentment, but these songs are significantly more mature and developed than her previous ones both lyrically and sonically. This is in part due to the buildup from the first half of the album, which creates something that deserves to be grieved. When love is finally requited, its deterioration can no longer be blamed on the default, almost simple feeling of being unloved. That sentiment almost feels callow now, completely paling in comparison to the devastation of being filled with love, both given and received, and still having it not be enough.

Rodrigo’s catalogue has always been relatable, but a bit archaic for anyone who has experienced the complexities of life and love beyond an under-the-bleachers-at-recess kind of affair. “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love” advances her music to the next level, sweeping in the next tier of heartbroken people whose emotions Rodrigo has put into words and melodies. Divorcees and widows may still find little of themselves in her perspective, but this album undeniably marks a shift in maturity and insight—one that has clearly resonated with the audiences who have catapulted it to 2.91 billion streams.