Everyone seems to be getting Olivia Rodrigo wrong. She's one of the few pop stars who has made it big in the current era of fragmented music streaming, but so much of the narrative has been about whose songs she's stealing from, whether it be Taylor Swift, Elvis Costello or Paramore. Rodrigo's new album Guts arrives next Friday: while we wait patiently, we take a close listen to her new singles "vampire" and "bad idea right?" to subvert the narrative. These songs show that she isn't stealing from pop music, but rather uses a deep repertoire of musical predecessors to write very crafty music.
Songs discussed:
Olivia Rodrigo – vampire
Olivia Rodrigo – bad idea right?
Olivia Rodrigo – driver's license
Olivia Rodrigo – brutal
Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Pump It Up
Olivia Rodrigo – good 4 u
Paramore – Misery Business
Olivia Rodrigo – deja vu
Taylor Swift – Cruel Summer
Radiohead – Creep
Scala & Kolacny Brothers – Creep
Lana del Rey – Get Free
David Bowie – Space Oddity
Elvis Presley – That's When Your Heartaches Begin
Roy Orbison – Oh, Pretty Woman
Talking Heads – And She Was
The Breeders – Cannonball
Liz Phair – Supernova
Wet Leg – Chaise Longue
The Beatles – Twist And Shout
Rage Against The Machine – Killing In The Name
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