Real Meanings Behind The Songs On Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour Album

Real Meanings Behind The Songs On Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour Album

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

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