Feature Photo: Kathy Hutchins / Shutterstock.com
Our list looks at the Real Meanings Behind Songs On Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour Album. If you read our Top 10 Olivia Rodrigo Songs list, than you know about the songs on her Sour album. Do you know the real meanings behind the songs on the album? We will get into what the meanings are when we get to our list. Olivia Rodrigo released Sour in 2021. She won numerous Grammys for her work on this album. Olivia Rodrigo wanted to talk about her relationships on this album. She wrote and co-wrote on this album. She also wrote a couple of songs with singer and songwriter Taylor Swift for the project.
The album peaked at number one in several countries. The project sold over three million copies. The album features the singles “Drivers License,” “Déjà Vu,” “Good 4 U,” “Traitor” and “Brutal.” All of the songs on the Sour album cracked the Top 20 on the Hot 100 list.
# 1 – Brutal
The first song on our list of the Real Meanings Behind Songs On Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour Album is “Brutal.” The song has a rock beat. The song is the fifth single released from the album. The song has a pop beat. The track is about teen angst. The song is about the fear teenagers face when they are about to become adults. She talks about the insecurities they face and the fear of being out of place in the world. She goes into detail about how teens resent the idea that they are living their best years now.
She wanted to give an honest portrayal of how it feels when you are lost and insecure about life. The singer wanted to write this song based on how she felt about approaching adulthood. The song is for people who feel sorry for themselves so she wanted to write a song for people who are down. Her fans enjoyed the song because it was a hit for the artist. The song peaked at number 12 on the Hot 100 charts and number one on the rock and alternative charts. The song sold over one million copies.
# 2 – Traitor
The next song on our list of the Real Meanings Behind Songs On Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour Album is “Traitor.” The song has a pop and rock beat. “Traitor” is the fourth single from the album. The song is about betrayal. Olivia Rodrigo felt betrayed when she saw her ex out with his new girlfriend. She was still upset about their breakup while he was moving on with his life. She said that he didn’t cheat on her, but she still considers him a “traitor.” She questions everything about their relationship. She wondered how honest he was with her after everything that happened.
She wasn’t happy that he dated another woman two weeks after they broke up. There were rumors the song is about her ex-boyfriend actor and singer Joshua Bassett and actress and singer Sabrina Carpenter. Joshua Bassett and Sabrina Carpenter were seen together after he broke up with Olivia Rodrigo. There were also rumors that he dedicated a song to Olivia Rodrigo. He wrote a song called “Lie Lie Lie” and people thought the song was about her. Olivia Rodrigo didn’t confirm that the song is about him, but that didn’t stop the fans from wondering if he’s the subject of the song. The song peaked at number nine on the Hot 100 charts. The single sold over two million copies.
# 3 – Drivers License
The song has a rock beat. This is the first single from the album. This is the jam that introduced the world to Olivia Rodrigo. In case you are wondering, this song is not about her getting her driver’s license at all. “Drivers License” is a metaphor for her realization that her boyfriend isn’t interested in her anymore. She drives through her ex-boyfriend’s neighborhood wondering if he was telling her the truth about how he felt about her. The singer expresses how devastated she is about losing her boyfriend. She was driving around with her new license and remembered how much she missed him.
She wrote about how she felt when he broke up with her. She assumes he’s with a blonde girl. She made her feel self-conscious and insecure. The singer said the woman was older than her. If you want to play lyrical detective, there could be clues that indicate she’s talking about actress and singer Sabrina Carpenter. She talks about the girl being a blonde and older than her. Sabrina Carpenter is four years older than Olivia Rodrigo. Olivia Rodrigo’s fans thought the boyfriend in question was Joshua Bassett. She didn’t confirm this, but her fans have fun wondering if it’s true. The song reached number one in different countries. The song sold over five million copies.
# 4 – 1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back
The song has a pop track. The track is about a toxic relationship. Olivia Rodrigo wasn’t sure who her boyfriend was going to be from one day to the next. She pours her heart out about how he changes his moody behavior too often. He is constantly upset and it bothers her. He takes his anger out on her. She’s basically dealing with emotional abuse in her relationship. When she makes him mad he tends to snap at her. She doesn’t do anything to make him upset, but he still gets upset anyway. His problems are giving her self-esteem issues. She feels like the relationship isn’t moving in the right direction. She feels like it’s going backwards instead of forward.
Things change in the second verse of the song. She’s become used to the way he treats her. She has gotten to a point where his outbursts turn her on. The singer knows that she’s in love with her boyfriend, but she wants him to stop treating her badly. He makes her feel as if there’s something wrong with her. Here is a fun fact about the track. Singer and songwriter Taylor Swift co-wrote the song with her. The song wasn’t released as a single, but it peaked at number 19 on the Hot 100 charts. The single sold over 500,000 copies.
# 5 – Déjà Vu
The next song on our list of the Real Meanings Behind Songs On Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour Album is “Déjà Vu.” The song has a pop beat. “Déjà Vu is the second single from the Sour album. The single is about an ex who does the same things with his new girlfriend that he did with her. Olivia Rodrigo wrote this track about a relationship that didn’t work out. She talks about how the boyfriend moved on with another girl and he’s repeating the same things he did with her. He’s basically having the same relationship, but with another person. The theme of the song is similar to “Drivers License.”
Olivia Rodrigo talks about the things they used to do together. She questions whether he’s going to call out her name while he’s with the new girlfriend. The “Brutal” singer was inspired to write this track because she always experienced “déjà vu.” She thought it would be a good idea to write a song about experiencing “déjà vu.” She wanted to talk about how a relationship could go through déjà vu. She’s not angry with him for leaving her. She’s worried about the girl who is taking her place in the relationship. The singer accuses him of using the things she showed him in their relationship to make his new one better. Taylor Swift helped write this song with Olivia Rodrigo. The song peaked at number three on the Hot 100 charts. The song sold three million copies.
# 6 – Good 4 U
The song has a pop and punk rock beat. This song calls her ex out for moving on with another woman so quickly. She sarcastically lets him know that it was great that he moved on from her so easily. She congratulates him on doing good things with his life even though she is upset. She goes into details about the things she has done for him in order to improve himself. She talks about getting him therapy when he needed it in order to be a better person. She realized it made him a better person since it ended up working out for him.
The popular singer sarcastically congratulates him on his new life with a new girlfriend. She is upset that he has moved on, but the thing that upsets her is the fact that he didn’t waste any time moving on with his life. She also doesn’t like how he didn’t care about their relationship. He acts as if their breakup didn’t matter to him. It hurts her to realize that he never cared about her at all. This hit single peaked at number one on the Hot 100 charts. This is her second single to reach the number-one spot on the charts. The song sold over four million copies.
# 7 – Enough for You
This acoustic ballad has a pop beat. The song is about a person who changes in order to please the other person in your life. You make the sacrifice to change, but you find out that it isn’t enough for the person. You go through so many steps to change yourself for the person you love, but it’s not enough. She delves into the things she did in order to make herself more loveable for the guy she thought she loved. She was waiting for him to compliment her, but he’s not the type of person to do that. She wanted him to acknowledge the changes she made to please him.
Olivia Rodrigo talks about the hurt she felt when he left her for someone else. She couldn’t believe that he left her when she did everything she could to be the person he wanted. She shifts gears towards the end of the song. She believes she will be everything for the next person she finds. She believes he will love everything about her. She refuses to let her ex-boyfriend keep her from being happy. She hoped that her ex would be crying while she’s happy with another love. Olivia Rodrigo wrote this song while she was on social media. The song wasn’t a single, but it peaked at number 14 on the Hot 100 charts.
# 8 – Happier
The song has a folk and pop sound. The track is about her struggling to move on from a past relationship. She doesn’t want him to be happy with his new girlfriend. The singer wants him to be happy, but not “happier” than he was with her. She opens the song talking about wanting them to be happy. She sings his girlfriend’s praises. She talks about how pretty and sweet she is. She wonders if she’s enough for him to forget about her. Things don’t stay sweet for too long. The song takes a “sour” turn when she gets to the second verse of it.
She questions how he treats the new woman in his life. The singer/actress wants to know if he compliments his girlfriend. Does he tell her sweet nothings the way he used to do with her? She knows he doesn’t mean what he says to her. She is an expert because he didn’t mean the things he said to her. This is another track that wasn’t released as a single, but the fans loved it. The track peaked at number 15 on the Hot 100 charts and sold over one million copies.
# 9 – Jealousy, Jealousy
The song has an alternative rock beat. The title of the song may have you believe that it’s about her jealousy over her ex-boyfriend being with another woman. You will be surprised to find out that’s not true. “Jealousy, Jealousy” is about the way she feels about people on social media. She feels insecure about the people online. She’s jealous that the people in her age group seemingly having a great life while she doesn’t have one. The beautiful girls online make her feel insecure. She talks about how they have what they want because they have rich parents. She informs the listeners that the girls have cute boyfriends. They don’t have any problems. The singer wanted her fans to know that they shouldn’t compare themselves to anyone else on social media. The song peaked at number 24 on the Hot 100 charts.
# 10 – Favorite Crime
The track has a folk and pop beat. The jam is about a girl who takes responsibility for her role in her relationship ending. She felt like she stayed in the relationship for too long. She should have got out before it was too late. She thought she was a willing participant in the crimes he committed against her. Everyone saw how he was treating her, but she didn’t see it. She uses the title as a metaphor for him dumping her being a crime. He left her heartbroken after what he did to her. She was naïve by staying with him so she could be with him.
Olivia Rodrigo talks about how she was able to hate him with a smile on her face. She talked about what she did for him throughout the relationship. She did enjoy parts of their relationship. The singer regrets enabling his behavior and allowing it to go on for as long as she did. She did things she wouldn’t normally do in order to keep him. She did all of that and she ended up losing him anyway. The song peaked at number 16 on the Hot 100 singles charts. The single sold over one million copies.
# 11 – Hope UR Ok
The last song on our list of the Real Meanings Behind Songs On Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour Album is “Hope UR Ok.” The song has an alternative rock sound. Olivia Rodrigo switches things up for this song. She was bitter on the other tracks. She closes the album talking about wishing people well. She wants to dedicate this song to people in her life. The people are dealing with different issues. She hopes they could make the best of things in their lives. She talks about different stories in the song. She gives the listeners an inside look at what happened to the people she knew. The songstress talks about people who aren’t as blessed as she is.
She wanted to give some shine to people in her life who get ignored. She wanted to help build up their self-esteems. She wanted them to know they were loved. She was concerned about how the special people in her life were feeling. This track is one of the few that’s not based on a romantic relationship. The song peaked at number 29 on the Hot 100 charts.
Real Meanings Behind The Songs On Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour Album article published on Classic RockHistory.com© 2022
Classicrockhistory.com claims ownership of all its original content and Intellectual property under United States Copyright laws and those of all other foreign countries. No one person, business, or organization is allowed to re-publish any of our original content anywhere on the web or in print without our permission. All photos used are either public domain creative commons photos or licensed officially from Shutterstock under license with ClassicRockHistory.com. All photo credits have been placed at the end of the article. Album Cover Photos are affiliate links and the property of Amazon and are stored on the Amazon server. Any theft of our content will be met with swift legal action against the infringing websites.
![Rob De Luca of Spread Eagle, Sebastian Bach & UFO: 10 Albums That Changed My Life From humble East Coast origins to grandest stages worldwide, veteran bassist Rob De Luca has seen and done it all. De Luca first hit the local Boston rock and metal scene in the late 80s after meeting guitarist Paul DiBartolo, bonding over Van Halen before forming Bang. Regional success came quickly, but eventually, the members of Bang went their separate ways, with De Luca and drummer Tommi Gallo heading to NYC and hooking up with Ray West and, later, DiBartolo to form Spread Eagle. By 1990, Spread Eagle was on the fast track, with a contract through MCA Records and a self-titled debut album poised to crush skulls. But poor timing and MCA's sad indifference left Spead Eagle out in the cold despite being a hard-boiled answer to Guns N' Roses's West Coast sleaze. Spread Eagle's first chapter came to an end in '95. As for Rob De Luca, his nimble fingers and gift for melody and songwriting kept him moving forward. Soon, he found a gig with former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach and the legendary outfit UFO. And in 2010, after coupling up with Ray West and his cousin Rik De Luca, Spread Eagle retook flight. During a break from Spread Eagle's increasingly busy touring schedule, Rob De Luca dialed in with ClassicRockHistory.com to run through the ten albums that changed his life. But only after adding, "I made a playlist of these songs, including some I've written or co-written. Do you hear any of these albums' influence on me?" Listen here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3LWJuhDrE8JmzhsmTeIDUq 10) Gentlemen by Afghan Whigs (1993) Here's an entry that was so important to me. This may be the darkest break-up album of all time. Greg Dulli has been in many projects, but I feel Gentlemen is his zenith. Somewhat undefinable at times but always profound and honest. Listen to "Gentlemen," "Fountain and Fairfax," and "What Jail Is Like." 9) In on the Kill Taker by Fugazi (1993) By this time, I had been sucked in and spit out by the major-label record industry. Glam came and went; grunge was history, too. I was searching for new sounds. When I heard Fugazi's twin guitar approach, I knew this was what was missing. Fugazi may be considered a less polished sound than the albums above; however, once you "get it," it hits you like a ton of bricks, and there's no going back. From the moment I heard Fugazi, I went to every NYC show after. It's easily some of the best concerts of my life, and possibly my favorite bassist in Joe Lally. And their DIY ethics refused to charge us more than $5 a show! In on the Kill Taker is a powerful album demonstrated in songs such as "Smallpox Champion," "Great Cop," and "Public Witness Program." 8) Appetite for Destruction by Guns N' Roses (1987) I discovered many of these albums (sometimes long) after they were released. However, I was at the right place at the right time for this one. Steve Ostromogilsky had a Berklee College of Music lunch card and used to sneak out sandwiches for me. One day, he invited me to hang out at his place and listen to music. As we got off the train, he put Sony Walkman headphones on my ears and said, "Hey, check out this brand-new group." A song like "It's So Easy" was so different from the popular Sunset Strip sound at that time. Me and about 499 other informed rockers were lucky enough to see them on their first East Coast tour at the sold-out Paradise on Commonwealth Avenue, Boston (the same street Aerosmith started on). I saw Gn'R every tour after until I took a break when Buckethead joined. Gn'R is the band I've been lucky enough to see the most times live, almost 100! Everyone on this album is just stellar. Axl [Rose] had the tones, power, melodic sensibilities, and foresight to do what no other singer did then. Slash's playing was beyond memorable. Duff [McKagan] is one of the most underrated bassists in rock history, and learning his Appetite basslines is a masterclass. Steven [Adler] had the natural swing, and Izzy [Stradlin] was the secret weapon songwriter. Everything that's been heralded about this gem is deserved and true. Check out "It's So Easy," "Out Ta Get Me," and "Mr. Brownstone.' 7) Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd (1975) Another contender for my favorite album and band of all time. Using The Beatles machine (same recording studio, engineer, record label), Pink Floyd made what I feel is their strongest, most cohesive album (my second favorite of theirs would be Animals). This list mainly consists of bands with an instantly recognizable sound. Floyd is certainly no exception to that! This album included a solid handful of undeniable rock radio classics, bookended by two halves of the mind-blowing song "Shine on You Crazy Diamond.' That song was written about former band member and founder Syd Barrett. It would be hard to live in a world without this album. Check out "Welcome to The Machine," "Shine on You Crazy Diamond (parts 6-9),' or even better yet, listen to the whole thing in one sitting! 6) Decade by Neil Young (1977) About this time, I started playing guitar. As a beginner, it was comfortable jamming to this album because the chord changes were simple—a great "first ten years" retrospective of Neil's stunning, unique songwriting. Neil is a treasure who always writes from the heart and stands up for what's right. Check out "Southern Man," "A Man Needs a Maid," "Down by The River," and "After the Goldrush." 5) Highway to Hell by AC/DC (1979) When I heard this album, I was firmly "me." My life would be 100% focused on hard rock music forever. AC/DC are like air; they're ubiquitous. Everyone knows them and their incredible songs. However, as a young teen in Wilmington, Delaware, I only had WMMR 93.3 FM Philadelphia and a few friends to inform me about the world of Rock outside my bedroom. AC/DC had not gone mainstream, and their albums were available primarily in the USA as imports. To put things more in perspective, I only knew two people in the world who had heard of AC/DC. A friend had an import that we played in Steve Buckley's basement, which sounded ripping. When Highway to Hell was released, WMMR started spinning the title track, and I immediately bought the album, listening to it every single day after school. Then WMMR announced AC/DC was coming to the Spectrum in Philly, supporting Ted Nugent! I liked Ted but loved AC/DC, so my good friend Mick Cummins and I bought tickets, and he drove us up to the Spectrum (where we saw most of our concerts). Bon Scott was in fine form, and the band went over great. Although the crowd knew Ted better, Angus [Young] wouldn't let anyone upstage him. I'll never forget it! Unfortunately, Bon would be gone in 6 months. Check out "Walk All Over You," "Touch Too Much," "Shot Down in Flames," and "If You Want Blood (You Got It)." 4) Toys in the Attic by Aerosmith (1975) By the time I heard this, I was now in my teens. I had a childhood friend up the street, Jim Linberg (we're still good buddies). His older sister had a great album collection, including Toys in The Attic. Once I heard that groove, my taste changed. I lost interest in rock music that didn't have some sort of "swing" feel to it. I think Rocks is a slightly better Aerosmith album (and possibly my favorite album of all time), but both are perfect or very close. Check out "Uncle Salty," "Adam's Apple," "No More No More," "Round and Round," and "You See Me Crying." 3) Alive! by Kiss (1975) When I was still a little kid, I asked for Cheech and Chong's Up in Smoke album for Christmas. The entire family came over for an enormous feast, and I dropped the needle. When my mother heard the content, she turned off the album and said I had to exchange it. My mom was cool, but I was young and knew much more about life than she suspected. Anyway, the next day, she drove me back to the store. In the music section, promoted on an "endcap" was a Kiss Alive! display. I had never heard of Kiss, but that cover picture told me I had to have it! My first foray into hard rock. Check out “Strutter.” I went through my Kiss phase very quickly, I believe in a matter of months because I discovered the previous entry, Aerosmith's Toys in the Attic. 2) Honky Chateau by Elton John (1972) When I was a wee lad, my parents bought a used Volkswagen camper van from my uncle Ozzie. My favorite Elton John album is Yellow Brick Road, but Honky Chateau is great and easily one of his best. It sent me down a lifelong rabbit hole of loving everything about the 1970s partnership between Elton and lyricist Bernie Taupin. The simple beauty of voice, the master songwriting, the perfect backing band, the clear, unobtrusive recordings, and always Bernie's incredible lyrics. The day this album was released, Elton became an unstoppable force that conquered the music industry. Check out "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters" and "Rocket Man." 1) Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band by The Beatles (1967) Another tape that was included in the VW Camper. The van had a bunch of music tapes, and one was Sgt Pepper. I was too young to understand the sophistication of the music, but that was one of the many skills of The Beatles. They attracted listeners at every level, even little kids. I still feel that immediate connection to Sgt Pepper; now, I hear so much more. It's an album that changed the world and the world of music. Check out "Lucy in The Sky with Diamonds," "A Day In The Life," and "Fixing a Hole."](http://www.classicrockhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Shutterstock_1815495569-1-300x200.jpg)
