After a two-year long music break, Olivia Rodrigo came back with her sophomore album titled “GUTS,” which was released on Sept. 8, 2023. After the success of her first pop album, “Sour,” which came out in May of 2021, Rodrigo decided to take more of a pop-punk style to “GUTS.”
If you do not know who Olivia Rodrigo is, she was on shows such as “Bizaardvark” and “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” which are all on the Disney Channel.
Rodrigo has a very angsty feel to this album. She talks about her love life and self insecurities, which are relatable to many teenagers. The first track, titled “all american b****,” is one of the more angry, rock songs out of the 12 tracks.
“I pay attention to things most people ignore” are lyrics that represent Rodrigo’s insecurities within herself that call to many teenagers today with insecurity issues. Many people resonate with this lyric because it is common for teens to pay attention to small flaws within themselves.
“bad idea right?” is the second track that appears on “GUTS.” In most of this track, Rodrigo is speaking and instead of singing, which many people either hated or loved. She talks about how she is unable to get over an ex-boyfriend and still wants to get back together.
“Yes I know that he’s my ex but can’t two people reconnect?” are lyrics from the song that talk about delusions that teenage girls go through when they are in relationships. Many teenagers go through this stage in their life where they have to get over a past lover, and Rodrigo passionately talks about the delusions that come with it.
“vampire” is the third track from the album, which is more of a sad ballad. It dives deep into the many flaws of an ex-lover and talks about how it feels to be taken advantage of. She compares the way that she was treated in her past relationship to how a vampire treats its victim.
“Bleeding me dry like a damn vampire” are the words Rodrigo uses to describe how she was treated in her relationship. This song uses a mythical creature, a vampire, and compares it to something real, which is extremely clever and lyrically inclined.
“lacy” is the fourth track on the album, which explores the jealousy that girls feel towards other girls who are supposedly inferior to them.
“And I despise my jealous eyes and how hard they fell for you” is how Rodrigo describes the platonic relationship between the girl that she is jealous of. Jealousy is a huge problem teenagers face across the world and this song describes how it can take over your emotions.
“ballad of a homeschooled girl” is a pop-punk song that centers around the idea of being socially awkward due to being homeschooled. According to the National Home Education Research Institute, there were 4.3 million teenagers being homeschooled in 2022, including Rodrigo herself.
“Each time I step outside, its social suicide” is a lyric that describes how Rodrigo and many other teens feel whenever they are put in an environment where socialization is needed.
“making the bed” is the sixth track featured on the album, which is more of a sad ballad. It discusses the idea of being self-aware and knowing when you cause problems in a relationship.
“But it’s me who’s been making the bed” is one of the many lyrics that Rodrigo uses to describe how you must be self-aware whenever a mistake is made.
“logical” is the seventh featured song that talks about how love makes people’s judgments twisted and overall changes you as a person.
“I guess love is never logical” is the anger Rodrigo, along with her audience, feels about love. She discusses how going through relationships makes you feel more stupid than you were before. In the song, Rodrigo’s voice cracks to imply her sadness and anger about love, which shows her passion.
“get him back!” is the eighth song on the album that features the double meaning of wanting an ex-boyfriend back but wanting to get revenge on him at the same time. Many girls go through this post-break-up phase with a mix of being upset and angry. This song is more on the pop-rock side, but is also a fun song that you can dance to.
“Oh, I want sweet revenge, and I want him again” are Rodrigo’s words that describe the post-break-up feelings and how your anger can get in the way of your judgment. This is one of the many lyrics that Rodrigo uses that describe the many relatable feelings she has over losing an ex.
“love is embarrassing” is a song that talks about feeling embarrassed over an ex-boyfriend, and projecting those feelings onto your views on love. It is more of a pop song as opposed to “get him back,” which is more of a pop-rock song. It has more of an angsty feel as well.
“For some weird second thing, a loser who’s not worth mentioning” is how Rodrigo describes these feelings of embarrassment regarding love. Putting up a front and trying to ignore those feelings is a state that many teenagers go through.
“the grudge” is another song featured on “GUTS” that refers to the heartbreak of having someone close to you betray and hurt you. This resonates with many people because it is a song that speaks to feelings of abandonment and betrayal.
“How could anybody do the things you did so easily?” is a question Rodrigo states in the song many times. This is a reaction to hurt and also a question that people ask after someone has hurt them.
“pretty isn’t pretty” is a song that speaks about the insecurities that many teenagers now have, because being pretty is not enough in today’s society. The song spreads that feeling of never being enough for people, but has a pop sound to it.
“When pretty isn’t pretty enough, what do you do?” is a lyric Rodrigo repeats throughout the song, describing the thought of never feeling comfortable enough in your own skin. The song speaks to the insecurities of today’s society, which can be very relatable to many teens.
“teenage dream” is the finale of Rodrigo’s “GUTS,” and she ends the album strongly. The main message of this song is that growing up can be hard, and teenage years go by very fast. Many students at Hills definitely feel similarly to this, since childhood time is borrowed.
“Got your whole life ahead of you, you’re only nineteen” is one of the lyrics in the song that describes how it feels growing up while still feeling so small. Students moving to college can also resonate with this song, but anyone can relate to it.
Rodrigo’s “GUTS” is an album that many can resonate with, mainly the younger generation. “GUTS” is a fun album that also discusses very relatable content that different groups of people can relate to in their own way.
