Something about me—that I don’t often like to admit—is that I am a die-hard Olivia Rodrigo fan. If you don’t believe me, here’s a screenshot of my Spotify Wrapped from 2022.
Needless to say, I was eager to listen to her sophomore album GUTS that came out on September 8th. If you’re unfamiliar with Olivia Rodrigo, I’d describe her songwriting as emotional and slightly naive, but in a way that perfectly captures the absurdity of being a teenager. I always feel a tinge of nostalgia when listening to her music, despite the fact that I’m probably in my prime teenage years? It’s a bizarre mix that somehow manifests itself in record-breaking songs that almost anyone can enjoy, and the 12 songs on GUTS are certainly no exception.
Weirdly enough, I realized as I was listening to her new album that my favorite songs were not the ones that brought out her beautiful vocals—instead, they were the angsty and pop-rock leaning ones. Although I loved the ballads on her first album SOUR, there was something slightly off about most of the ballads on GUTS, whether it was the beat, chorus, or lyrics.
But that doesn’t mean I hated this album. So, without further ado, here are my top 5 tracks on GUTS:
- “get him back!”
Right now, this might be my favorite track on GUTS, likely due to the fact that I find the lyrics hilariously witty. “And when hе said something wrong, he’d just fly me to Francе,” feels like the perfect way to describe men who truly have no idea what they’re doing, and this line makes me giggle a little each time I hear it. Additionally, I think I flipped a little the first time I realized that the line “I wanna get him back” has a dual meaning…one being that she wants revenge, and the other being that she still wants to be with this guy. Honestly, as someone who constantly has strong feelings toward people, this is pretty much how I feel 24/7.
- “bad idea right?”
This was the second song that Rodrigo released as a single, back in August. Even though I know a lot of people are probably sick of it being overplayed by now, “bad idea right?” is still one of my favorites. I love how the verses feel more spoken than sung (mostly because that means I can “sing” it!), and there’s something about the beat that really speaks to me. To me, this song feels like if I met up with a friend that I hadn’t talked to in a few months and tried to explain to them my whole life story.
- “ballad of a homeschooled girl”
Okay, maybe I just think that all of Olivia Rodrigo’s lyrics are funny, because some of the ones in “ballad of a homeschooled girl” genuinely made me gasp when I first heard them. “Every guy I like is gay,” and “Thought your mom was your wife” remind me of the random thoughts that I have every once in a while but never share with anyone. I think these lyrics also make Rodrigo feel more human, and a lot of the awkward situations that she describes are things that I can relate to.
- “all-american b*tch”
When I first listened to “all-american b*tch,” I actually didn’t like it. The minute GUTS came out and I connected it to my big speaker to hear this as the first track, I actually got scared that I wouldn’t like the album. However, it’s really grown on me. I think what initially shocked me was the fact that she switches the vibe so quickly, from soft and sweet in the verses to angry and violent in the chorus. Maybe I just wasn’t expecting it? But now, this is definitely one of my favorites, from the melody to the lyrics to the way I can feel the teenage angst emanating through the speakers. Also, I really like the way she says “coca-cola bottles” (but how on earth do you use them to curl your hair??).
- “pretty isn’t pretty”
Last but not least, “pretty isn’t pretty.” I think out of all of my top 5 songs, this is the closest we’re going to get to a not-so-angsty ballad. To me, “pretty isn’t pretty” feels like an adventure through a high school from a rom-com and perfectly sums up the misery of being a teenage girl. I can totally see bits and pieces of this being the theme song for a sit-com. The beat of the song is also incredibly catchy and the lyrics almost feel optimistic, despite the relatively heavy subject matter. This song feels like the perfect balance between being slower-paced but not sad and still captivating.
Overall, I don’t think any of the songs on GUTS are necessarily bad, but there are definitely some that I will be listening to more than others—and I think it’s definitely worth listening to this album, in full, at least once in your life.
I’m not a big Olivia Rodrigo listener – the most I hear of her songs is 30-second audios on TikTok. Still, I somehow know the words to a lot of her biggest hits when someone plays them in the car. When “vampire” came out this summer, I never actually listened to the song by itself, but a friend played it over the speakers at work and I sang every word. I think that speaks to how catchy a lot of her songs are. She has a way of writing songs that are not only relatable, but fun to sing along with. That being said, I don’t think I’ve ever purposely queued one of her songs on Spotify. For me, she’s the kind of artist I would sing along to if I heard one of her songs, but she’s not my go-to. However, after reading your reactions to her new album, I am definitely interested in checking it out.
I really liked your review of guts, I think it offered a really good window into your perspective and your experience through the album. Personally I’ve been a huge fan of Olivia Rodrigo since before SOUR and when SOUR did come out, I was obsessed with it. I became enraptured with her music for its deep and introspective lyrics as well as the careful and thoughtful attention to detail with the production of the album. I however had a little bit of a different experience when GUTS came out. I think it’s interesting because we kind of had opposite experiences with the album. I had much more of a connection with the slower songs like “lacy” and “the grudge” while the loud angsty songs kind of startled me. That being said, I think that our different perspectives show something really cool, which is that the album is very diverse and can connect with people in a multitude of ways.
Hi Kate!
I loved your honesty even at the beginning when you said you didn’t like admitting that you were a die-hard fan. Although I don’t listen to Olivia Rodrigo too in-depth, you have made me want to listen to her more often. For your third song, “ballad of a homeschooled girl, ” I agree that some lyrics can make an artist look more human than someone way higher than any average high schooler. Some people are just the definition of, “I thought it so I said it” and I feel like that is happening with her saying these things not a lot of people would want to say. Something I related to the most within your fourth song, “all American b*tch” was the fear of not liking an album from one of your favorite artists. I feel like that fear brings you down from the excitement of the new content you’re receiving. However, I feel like we end up eating the album up anyway lol. Overall, I think you did an amazing job ranking these songs. I will take a listen after this!
Thank you for a sharing the artist, Olivia Rodrigo. Nice approach to listing the songs from her sophomore album GUTS. You discuss them and provide some insight. You seem to connect to this artist, I hope she has longevity.