Rodrigo's debut studio album, SOUR, topped the charts globally and was met with widespread critical acclaim. She is nominated in seven categories at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best New Artist, Album of the Year for SOUR, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year for "drivers license". Time named her the 2021 Entertainer of the Year and Billboard named her the 2022 Woman of the Year.
Rodrigo signed with Interscope Records and Geffen Records in 2020. She negotiated the record deal to secure for herself ownership of the masters of her music. On January 8, 2021, she released her debut single, "drivers license", which she co-wrote with producer Dan Nigro. Within the week of its release, "drivers license" was critically acclaimed, and broke Spotify's record twice for most daily streams ever for a non-holiday song with over 15.7 million global streams on January 11 and over 17 million global streams the next day. It went on to break another Spotify record for the first song in history to hit 80 million streams in 7 days. The song debuted at number one on Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one in numerous other countries. Rodrigo stated in an interview that "It's been the absolute craziest week of my life ... My entire life just, like, shifted in an instant."
On April 1, 2021, Rodrigo released her follow-up single, "deja vu", which debuted at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first artist to debut their first two releases in the top 10 of the Hot 100. The third single preceding her debut album, "good 4 u", followed on May 14, 2021, and became her second single to debut at number one on the Hot 100. SOUR, her debut studio album, was released on May 21, 2021, to critical acclaim. Charlie Gunn of The Forty-Five called it "the greatest coming-of-age album since early Taylor Swift or Lorde". Slate's Chris Molanphy said its first three singles alone established Rodrigo's "early status as Gen-Z's most versatile new artist". According to Clash critic Robin Murray, Rodrigo is regarded as one of Generation Z's finest artists, while Variety dubbed her "the Voice of her Generation" in its cover story of Rodrigo. SOUR debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and spent a total of five weeks at the spot, becoming the longest-reigning number-one album by a female artist in 2021.
In June 2021, Rodrigo premiered SOUR Prom, a prom-themed concert film on YouTube. On December 6, 2021, Rodrigo announced a world tour, including tour stops in the United States, Canada, and Europe. Three days later, she was named Entertainer of the Year by Time. In an Instagram post on December 24, 2021, Rodrigo uploaded a snippet of a Christmas song called "The Bels" that she wrote and recorded at age five. According to Billboard, Rodrigo closed 2021 as the best-selling singles artist worldwide, placing eight songs on the year-end Global 200 chart, including "drivers license" at number four, "good 4 u" at number nine, and "Deja Vu" at number 27. In the US and UK, SOUR was respectively the third and fourth best-selling album of 2021. SOUR and "drivers license" were also respectively Spotify's most streamed album and song globally. The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) ranked Rodrigo as the tenth best-selling artist of 2021 and SOUR as the second best-selling album of 2021.
On February 17, 2022, Rodrigo announced and released the trailer of her Disney+ documentary film 'Olivia Rodrigo: driving home 2 u', which was released on March 25, 2022.
Rodrigo cites Taylor Swift and Lorde as her idols and main musical inspirations, and also dubbed herself Swift's biggest fan "in the whole world". She dubs The White Stripes band member Jack White her "hero of all heroes". Her other influences include Alanis Morissette, Kacey Musgraves, Fiona Apple, St. Vincent, Cardi B, Gwen Stefani, and Avril Lavigne.
1 step forward 3 steps back
Olivia Rodrigo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just to ask you how you were
All I did was speak normally
Somehow I still struck a nerve
You got me fucked up in the head, boy
Never doubted myself so much
Like, am I pretty? Am I fun, boy?
'Cause it's always one step forward and three steps back
I'm the love of your life until I make you mad
It's always one step forward and three steps back
Do you love me, want me, hate me? Boy, I don't understand
No, I don't understand
And maybe in some masochistic way
I kinda find it all exciting
Like, which lover will I get today?
Will you walk me to the door or send me home cryin'?
It's one step forward and three steps back
I'm the love of your life until I make you mad
It's always one step forward and three steps back
Do you love me, want me, hate me? Boy, I don't understand
No, it's back and forth, did I say something wrong?
It's back and forth, goin' over everything I said
It's back and forth, did I do something wrong?
It's back and forth, maybe this is all your fault
Instead it's one step forward and three steps back
And I'd leave you, but the roller coaster is all I've ever had
Yeah, it's one step forward and three steps back
Do you love me, want me, hate me? Boy
I don't understand
No, I don't understand
Olivia Rodrigo's "1 step forward, 3 steps back" is a ballad about a tumultuous and emotionally unstable relationship. The song describes the singer's struggle to comprehend their partner's erratic behavior, which constantly leaves them feeling uncertain about their relationship's future. She calls him to ask how he's doing, but despite speaking normally, it often leads to a fight, making her question how he feels about her. The chorus follows the pattern of one step forward, three steps back, suggesting that actions that move the relationship forward are always met with a setback.
The second verse shifts the lyrics to the singer's perspective, and she explains how she craves the allure of the instability in the relationship, which is frustrating and incomprehensible. She even finds the repetition of the drama exciting, wondering what kind of lover she'll get that day, someone who will walk her to the door or someone who will make her cry on the way home. She's back and forth, and it's unclear if she or her partner is to blame for the constant turmoil.
Despite the relationship's downsides, the chorus concludes that the singer feels trapped, and she cannot imagine leaving the roller coaster of the relationship, which is all she's ever had. The song's final lines echo the confusion of the choruses: "Do you love me, want me, hate me? Boy, I don't understand. No, I don't understand."
Line by Line Meaning
Called you on the phone today
I contacted you through a phone call
Just to ask you how you were
I inquired about your wellbeing
All I did was speak normally
I didn't use any unusual tone or language
Somehow I still struck a nerve
My ordinary conversation still managed to upset you
You got me fucked up in the head, boy
Your behavior and actions are affecting my mental state negatively
Never doubted myself so much
I have never been so unsure of my own worth
Like, am I pretty? Am I fun, boy?
I am questioning my attractiveness and whether I am enjoyable to be around
I hate that I give you power over that kind of stuff
I despise that you have control over my self-esteem and self-worth
'Cause it's always one step forward and three steps back
The progress in our relationship is always short-lived
I'm the love of your life until I make you mad
You only care for me until I upset you, then everything changes
Do you love me, want me, hate me? Boy, I don't understand
I am confused about your true feelings towards me
And maybe in some masochistic way
Perhaps in a twisted manner
I kinda find it all exciting
I sort of find this instability thrilling
Like, which lover will I get today?
I wonder which version of you I will interact with today
Will you walk me to the door or send me home cryin'?
Will you treat me kindly or hurt me before I leave?
No, it's back and forth, did I say something wrong?
It's a constant cycle of uncertainty and doubt about my actions and words
It's back and forth, goin' over everything I said
I keep obsessing over every little thing I said and wondering if it triggered your anger
It's back and forth, did I do something wrong?
I keep questioning if my actions were inappropriate
It's back and forth, maybe this is all your fault
I start blaming you for the instability in our relationship
Instead it's one step forward and three steps back
Our romantic progress is always followed by regression
And I'd leave you, but the roller coaster is all I've ever had
I would break up with you, but this unpredictability is all I have ever experienced in love
Do you love me, want me, hate me? Boy
I am unsure of your emotions towards me
I don't understand
I cannot comprehend the constant instability in our relationship
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Jack Antonoff, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pepperminty
Driver license - depression
Deja Vu - envy
Good 4 u- rage
Brutal- self destructive
Traitor- mournful
1sf,3sb-selfless
Enough for u- thoughtfulness
Happier- acceptance
Jealousy jealousy- self esteem
Favourite crime- blameful
Hope ur ok- open minded
This album is great ❤
Sabrina Swift
Olivia Rodrigo - 1 step forward, 3 steps back (Lyric)
I called you on the phone today
Just to ask you how you were
All I did was speak normally
Somehow I still struck a nerve
You got me fucked up in the head, boy
Never doubted myself so much
Like, am I pretty? Am I fun, boy?
I hate that I give you power over that kinda stuff
'Cause it's always one step forward and three steps back
I'm the love of your life until I make you mad
It's always one step forward and three steps back
Do you love me, want me, hate me? Boy, I don't understand
No, I don't understand
And maybe in some masochistic way
I kind of find it all exciting
Like, which lover will I get today?
Will you walk me to the door or send me home crying?
It's one step forward and three steps back
I'm the love of your life until I make you mad
It's always one step forward and three steps back
Do you love me, want me, hate me? Boy, I don't understand
No, it's back and forth, did I say something wrong?
It's back and forth, going over everything I said
It's back and forth, did I do something wrong?
It's back and forth, maybe this is all your fault
Instead it's one step forward and three steps back
And I'd leave you, but the roller coaster's all I ever had
Yeah, it's one step forward and three steps back
Do you love me, want me, hate me? Boy
I don't understand
No, I don't understand
Malu DiCaprio
Liguei para você no telefone hoje
Só para perguntar como você estava
Tudo que eu fiz foi falar normalmente
De alguma forma eu me sair bem
Você me ferrou da cabeça, garoto
Nunca duvidei tanto de mim
Tipo, eu sou bonita? Eu sou divertido, garoto?
Eu odeio ter te dado poder sobre esse tipo de coisa
Porque é sempre um passo para frente e três para trás
Eu sou o amor da sua vida até te deixar louco
É sempre um passo para frente e três para trás
Você me ama, me quer, me odeia? Menino eu não entendo
Nao eu nao entendo
E talvez de alguma forma masoquista
Acho tudo emocionante
Tipo, qual amor eu vou conseguir hoje?
Você vai me acompanhar até a porta ou me mandar para casa chorando?
É um passo para frente e três para trás
Eu sou o amor da sua vida até te deixar louco
É sempre um passo para frente e três para trás
Você me ama, me quer, me odeia? Menino eu não entendo
Não, é para frente e para trás, eu disse algo errado?
É vai e volta, repassando tudo que eu disse
É para frente e para trás, eu fiz algo errado?
Vai e volta, talvez seja tudo culpa sua
Em vez disso, é um passo para frente e três para trás
E eu te deixaria, mas a montanha-russa é tudo que eu já tive
Sim, é um passo para frente e três para trás
Você me ama, me quer, me odeia? Garoto
Não entendo
Nao eu nao entendo
MTV
HOW ARE YOU WRITING THE THOUGHTS IN MY HEAD ON EACH SONG???
Daya oof
Hi
emilia helena
Ah mtv you're finally here
Anushka Roy
Exactly😭
Gabriella Hernandez
AHHHHH
R.L.T
MTV what's up???? how was your week so far?
Pepperminty
Driver license - depression
Deja Vu - envy
Good 4 u- rage
Brutal- self destructive
Traitor- mournful
1sf,3sb-selfless
Enough for u- thoughtfulness
Happier- acceptance
Jealousy jealousy- self esteem
Favourite crime- blameful
Hope ur ok- open minded
This album is great ❤
IFRAH
1sf3sb should be DOUBT.
Kane bubbles🖤
I completely agree this album is great! 💜🖤💜💜💜💜
Lenalol_❤️❤️
Same