Ranking Olivia Rodrigo’s Discography Before Her Third Album Hits The Shelves

By Kayla Harper

Olivia Rodrigo quickly rose to superstardom with the release of her debut single, “drivers license” in 2021. Since then, she has differentiated herself from any other childhood Disney star turned muscican, asserting herself as true talent in the modern pop-punk/rock music scene. Rodrigo has even gained attention from classic acts such as The White Stripes’ Jack White, or The Cure’s Robert Smith -who is featured on her third album, you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love (out tonight)!

Both singles, “Drop Dead” and “The Cure” have been on repeat, making it evidently clear Rodrigo has continued to learn and grow as a musician and lyricist, setting you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love up to be her best album yet.  However, there’s been some ups and downs, lots of teenage angst and heartbreak to get to this point, here is Rodrigo’s discography ranked before the new record hits the shelves at midnight tonight!

 

28. “hope ur ok” 

Besides the fact that something about artists using abbreviations in their song titles (“ur”) is infuriating and immature, “hope ur ok” has a sweet sentiment, but doesn’t fit in on SOUR at all. It feels haphazardly attached to the end of the album, but strays from thematic cohesivity of the rest of the record -which wouldn’t matter so much if it wasn’t done so incredibly well.

 

27. “1 step forward, 3 steps back”

Where Rodrigo has many strong songs that have continued to age well with the rest of her discography despite their teenage angst and youthful perspective, there are also those that haven’t. “1 step forward, 3 steps back” feels easily forgotten compared to the rest of her catalog, existing in a place that is lyrically cliche and musically tiring.  Interpolating the piano melody from Taylor Swift’s “New Years Day” which is thematically much more intriguing and lyrically complex, whenever I hear the piano melody begin, I’d rather go listen to that song.

 

26. “enough for you”

Despite being Rodrigo stating many times that “enough for you” is her favourite song she’s ever written, it’s one you outgrow simply because of it’s inherently teenage mindset. Yes, it’s a universal experience, not feeling like enough for the person we love despite all we do just to please them, but it’s been done before, many times before, and in less cliche, more intriguing ways.

 

25. “logical”

“logical” is another one that grows tiring overtime, simply for it’s overused metaphors (“two plus two equals five”) and victimizing approach. Another song about being “too young”, “too soft” about how he “lied”,  once again, universally relatable, but eventually you grow out of it as you face bigger and more complicated problems. Especially because Rodrigo has so many songs saying the same thing across her past two albums, and a lot that say it much better.

 

24. “teenage dream”

“teenage dream” would’ve been a lot higher in this ranking if I was still 19, but one of the beautiful things about growing up with an artist who starts as young as Rodrigo, is getting to grow up together, and find different songs hit you harder at different phases of life. “teenage dream” captures the anticipation, excitement and dread of growing older and leaving your teenage years behind.

 

23. “bad idea, right?”

When “bad idea, right?” first came out I thought it was a joke because the lyricism was so bad, however, it eventually grew on me for it’s sass, humour and intriguing, fun instrumental, which at sometimes has just too much going on. Plus, we’ve all been there at least once with someone, right?

 

22. “stranger”

“stranger” is a laid-back acoustic track about moving on and closure with strong lyrical imagery, well wishes and clarity. There’s nothing bad about it, Rodrigo just has more interesting and better songs in her discography.

 

21. “scared of my guitar”

Again, “scared of my guitar” is a laid-back acoustic track, this time exploring avoidant tendencies. As a songwriter myself I can understand and relate to the honesty that comes with songwriting, the one place we can explore all our emotions without having to share them with somebody else.  “scared of my guitar” feels like a confession of suppressed feelings the narrator is too scared to share as they’ll most likely hurt their partner in doing so.

 

20. “favorite crime”

“favorite crime” offers a more interesting twist on a breakup song by suggesting there’s two people responsible for the heartbreak endured. Rodrigo sings that she is just as responsible for allowing herself to be treated poorly and get her heartbroken by this person. “favorite crime” also stands out lyrically on SOUR, offering more surprising metaphors and straying from the cliches and overally blunt undertones of the rest of the record.

 

19. “traitor”

When SOUR first came out, “traitor” was the song for every teenage girl going through the most devestating heartbreak of her life (because she’s 16 and the world is ending). It beautifully captures anger and sadness in an emotional ballad about betrayal, one of the most difficult emotions to navigate. Lyrically specific, vocally emotional, and musically nostalgic, it remains a pivotal track in Rodrigo’s discography and holds itself up against the numerous heartbreak songs throughout.

 

18. “love is embarrassing”

For a last minute addition to GUTS, “love is embarrassing” is a stellar pop track that feels at home in a discography of songs about heartbreak and navigating teenage relationships and emotional immaturity, especially when we realize the embarrassing extents we go to for “love” do not end in our teenage years.

 

17. “obsessed”

“obsessed” feels like a confession of a universal experience, comparing oneself to their partners past-lovers, wondering what parts of yourself remind them of their ex, what things about their ex you lack they miss and the pointless, but inevitable jealously of the person who came before you. Again, Rodrigo’s ability to sing these songs with true emotion over raging guitars and angsty basslines are what make them such strong tracks.

 

16. “good 4 u”

Again, please just spell it out -oh well at least it captures Rodrigo’s age at the time. “good 4 u”  is a petty track that perfectly captures not just teenage angst, but angst and anger that comes with watching someone who wronged or hurt you move on with their life and do well, meanwhile you’re crashing out over it still. It was one of the tracks that set Rodrigo apart from other pop artists at the time, like most of SOUR she utilizes REAL instruments, guitars, drums, keys and all, a dying practice in modern pop music.

 

15. “so american”

The first love song in Rodrigo’s discography is anything, but cliche, cleverly comparing the cultural differences in her and her partner’s relationship is what made their love unique and in turn this song.  However, throughout the specific lyricism she manages to make it a universally relatable love song in her outwardly passion and deeper confessions, “I’m gonna marry him…I might just be in love”.  Like being in love, “so american” feels like flying.

 

14. “happier”

While “happier” is yet another breakup ballad on SOUR, what makes it stand out against the rest is the lyrical and thematic twist that is all too realistic – the portrayal of acceptance, of moving on and wishing your partner well, but in reality still being broken and bitter inside, “find someone great, but don’t find no one better / I hope you’re happy, but don’t be happier”. 

 

13. “girl i’ve always been”

Aside from the lack of importance in the title (I get the lowercase aesthetic put please have some self respect and capitalize the “i”) “girl i’ve always been” is the best of the GUTS (Spilled) tracks.  A short, but strong contender against the rest of the bonus tracks, it’s a confessionally captivating  self-assured track that feels uniquely personal in the way Rodrigo sings it and the way there’s no other like it in her discography so far. It’s not sad, or happy, it just is.

 

12. “brutal”

Rodrigo and her producer, Dan Nigro, are amazing at picking opening tracks. “brutal” was a last-minute addition to SOUR, but SOUR would not be complete without it. It sets up the bitter, anxious, angsty attitude which will become the tone for the rest of the record.

 

11. “ballad of a homeschooled girl” 

Despite being the “ballad of a homeschooled girl”, I think most socially awkward and anxious girls relate to this track regardless of their schooling situation. This track encompasses the angsty pop style Rodrigo settles into on GUTS, roaring guitars and drums at the forefront of the production. It’s thematically refreshing, straying from themes of breakups and betrayal to a more humorously honest self-evaluation, making it a strong track in her discography.

 

10. “making the bed”

“making the bed” feels like a track written for the place in your early twenties where you’re not quite here or there, yet, somewhere in-between trying to figure out who you want to be on your own terms, while trying to live up to people’s expectations of you. The feeling of not being in control of your life, while realizing you are the only one who truly is. These are overally universal feelings, but they can feel complex, and Rodrigo summarizes them in such a perfect way with her twist on the cliche, you make the bed you lay in.

 

09. “vampire”

Aside from opening tracks, Rodrigo is also excellent at choosing lead singles (“drivers license”, “drop dead”) that introduce a new era, while not feeling like an abrupt departure from the past. “vampire” was a brilliant way to transition from SOUR to GUTS because it contained similar themes of heartbreak, while feeling more mature in it’s approach.  “vampire” is the track I was thinking of when I ranked “logical” so low -it does all the same “too young”, “manipulation”, he “lied”, but in a much better way, not only is it more musically interesting and less lyrically cliche, it establishes the narrators inferiority in this relationship, without sounding overly victimizing.

 

08. “pretty isn’t pretty”

“pretty isn’t pretty” has become of Rodrigo’s most captivating tracks for young girls who grew up in the age of social media, where unrealistic beauty expectations are at the forefront of everything we’re consuming.  Someone can meet all the requirements and there’s still a plethora of hate comments, and examples of someone who is, “doing it better”. Regardless of one’s confidence, beauty and privilege, it’s hard not to get sucked into these vicious cycles, and there’s something reassuring hearing it from a successful woman such as Rodrigo whom so many young girls look up to -everyone deals with it, even your childhood idols.

 

07. “get him back!”

I love when a title has two meanings and “get him back!” is just that, throughout the track, we’re back-and-forth between, “do I love him? do I hate him” wanting to get him back, “I want sweet revenge” and to get him back, “I want him again”.  Throughout the fluctuating emotions on the track, is a petty and humorous undertone, something that has become a classic Rodrigo breakup song.

 

06. “jealousy, jealousy” 

“jealousy, jealousy” is one of the most interesting tracks off Rodrigo’s debut, SOUR. Falling into the same category as “pretty isn’t pretty”, it delves into the toxic comparison inherent to all people, but that has become amplified growing up in the age of social media.  We are constantly seeing the best parts of everyone’s lives, the “highlight reel”, and cannot help but feel worse when we see every good, bad and ugly angle of our own lives.  All of this sung over an angsty bassline, achieves the frustration, inevitability and pointlessness of the emotion perfectly.

 

05. “lacy”

The first time I heard “lacy” I was blown away by the lyrical specificity and surprising metaphors as it’s not something Rodrigo had been known for prior, with her blunt lyrical approach.  It all made sense when Rodrigo revealed she wrote it for a poetry class she took to develop these skills. “lacy” is a romantic confession of admiration over a delicate acoustic riff and intrinsically poetic lyrics. It’s easily the strongest lyricism in her discography so far.

 

04. “the grudge”

“the grudge” is a heartbreaking song about betrayal and the admittance that one cannot and is not ready to move on. You don’t always have to forgive and forget in life and “the grudge” expresses that delicately without being malicious or vengeful, just as the truth, which is what makes it so heartbreaking and stand up so strongly in Rodrigo’s discography.

 

03. “all-american bitch”

As previosuly stated, Rodrigo knows how to open an album like no other and “all-american bitch” is no exception. The track revolves around feminism and conveys the frustrations perfectly by balancing on society’s “ideal” over a delicate and repetitive picking pattern before exploding into an non-conformative crashout.

02. “drivers license”

Rodrigo’s debut single and the lead single from her record-breaking debut album, SOUR, “drivers license” is still her most iconic song to date. Maybe it’s just a personal connection to it, but even if it wasn’t around for it, the song brings you back to your first heartbreak like no other, feeling the weight of the world crash down on you at the first time you experience feeling wanted just to no longer feel wanted.  The  imagery and analogies used in “drivers license” were new and refreshing, part of what made it so successful. From the title, “drivers license”, a first time listener cannot correctly infer what the song is about as easily as a song like “enough for you”, so all the figurative language becomes surprising and in turn more intriguing.  This otherwise unrelated concept of getting a driver’s license unlocks an entire room of memories and emotions for these two individuals, whereas for most people it’s simply just getting a driver’s license –I think poems that can tell those kinds of stories in such an organic way are the best kind.

 

01. “deja vu”

“deja vu” is the most interesting in Rodrigo’s discography lyrically, thematically and sonically. The mix of light/airy soft vocals and more powerful assertive ones is balanced to create a beautiful and surprising melody, paired with lyrics that are specific, detailed and vivid in their use of imagery to convey emotions of hurt, jealousy, pride and betrayal. It summarizes the aftermath of a relationship well; watching the person you loved move on with someone new is never easy, it makes you feel replaceable and in turn angry.