The Meaning Behind Olivia Rodrigo’s Newest Top Ten Hit, “Honeybee”

Olivia Rodrigo‘s third album, You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love, was released on April 12. It’s been a massive success since its release, hitting No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Additionally, it peaked at No. 1 on the UK Albums chart and the Top Rock & Alternative Albums chart. The album’s three singles reached the top five, with “Drop Dead” peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Now, another song from the album has appeared in the top ten that wasn’t a single. For the week of June 27, the track “Honeybee” has entered the top ten, debuting at No. 9. The song serves as a continuation of the sentimental, relatable songwriting Rodrigo is known for. The song is laced with metaphors describing the vulnerability of a new love and hopefulness.

Within the lyrics, the term “honeybee” is a nickname for the new lover. It’s also representative of the narrator’s admiration of the new love, much like a bee to honey. Rodrigo appears to be in disbelief of her feelings, and is worried that it could easily go away. “Pick me up, walk me home / Man, it feels like God threw me a bone / Sticky sweet, tangerine / Would you sit and keep me company?”

“Honeybee” Is Another Example of Olivia Rodrigo’s Strongest Songwriting Ability

Also, this sense of worry appears in the lines “And I hope I never see what your face looks like goin’ / A face, I swear, that I could spend my whole life knowin’ / Here’s to hopin’.” Rodrigo is unapologetically vulnerable, which is her strong suit when it comes to songwriting. She turns herself inside out for the listener.

In a promotional video posted to Instagram, Rodgrio broke down the lyrics of the new track. She stated, “This was, I think, the first love song that I wrote for the album, which was very important. It was basically my adventure into trying to write a song that was a ‘love song’ but it also had some element of sadness or fear or melancholy; all of my favorite love songs have those elements.”

Rodrigo went on to say, “I remember writing this song and being really happy for a few days after being like, ‘Yeah, yeah, I feel really good about this,’ and that doesn’t always happen when you write a song, so it was a special feeling.”

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