Olivia Rodrigo released “Stupid Song” as the third single from her latest album, You Seem Pretty Sad For A Girl So In Love. The title of both the song and the album reminds us of the awkwardness, the anxiety, and occasionally, the sad feelings that accompany love.
Never Looked So Blue
The song opens with Rodrigo singing about how being in love can feel isolating. It’s like experiencing the blues in New York City, one of the world’s densest and most exciting cities.
New York City’s never looked so blue,
My friends are smoking blunts in the bathroom.
They say that honest love is a cage that makes you feel free,
And all the girls at this party are so cool,
That’s never been a thing that I could do.
But I can’t help but imagine what you say when you speak with me.
Many sentiments behind “Stupid Song” were informed by Annie Ernaux’s book Simple Passion. Rodrigo told The New York Times, “I was really inspired by all of the ways in which love makes you insane and miserable. I think that there’s a lot more to mine there than, ‘Yay, oh my God, he’s so hot, he loves me.’”
You’re a spark in the dark, and my clothes all caught aflame,
You should feel how I feel when somebody says your name.
I’m a car speeding down the boulevard without a brake,
And I want you more than any stupid song could ever say.
Totally Insane
“Stupid Song”, like Ernaux’s book, details the many humiliations of the heart. Here, Rodrigo tells her partner how she obsesses about him in the middle of the night. It’s a vulnerable place to be. Telling someone how much you want them, need them, can’t seem to breathe without them. That’s a lot of trust to put in someone. The trust not to abuse the overwhelming sense of yearning.
Every night like the one before,
Dream of you from like 1 to 4.
Positively and truly sure,
Nobody’s wanted somebody more.
On her third album, Rodrigo transitions from pop-punk to indie new wave. And if you are at all familiar with the drama of the 1980s best new wave, then you’ll appreciate the epic sadness a girl so in love can feel.
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