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.
River
Olivia Rodrigo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They're puttin' up reindeer and singin' songs of joy and peace
Oh, I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
But it don't snow here, it stays pretty green
I'm gonna make a lot of money then I'm gonna quit this crazy scene
Oh, I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh, I wish I had river
I could skate away on
I made my baby cry
He tried hard to help me, you know, he put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty, made me weak in the knees
Oh, I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I'm so hard to handle, I'm selfish and I'm sad
Now I've gone and lost the best baby that I ever had
Oh, I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh, I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I made my baby say goodbye
It's comin' on Christmas, they're cuttin' down trees
They're puttin' up reindeer and singin' songs of joy and peace
Oh, I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
Olivia Rodrigo’s song “River” is a cover of Joni Mitchell’s 1971 song “River.” The song is about the feeling of being trapped in a monotonous life, especially during the holiday season. It's also about the melancholy feeling of lost love.
The opening lines of the song show the comparison between the festive atmosphere and the singer's personal life, highlighting the stark contrast between the outside world and her own. The line "Oh, I wish I had a river, I could skate away on" is an expression of the singer's desire to escape from her mundane life and move on to something more meaningful.
The chorus of the song repeats the line "I wish I had a river so long, I would teach my feet to fly," which is a metaphor for the singer's desire to be free from her past mistakes and her current cycle of mundane existence. The line that follows, "I made my baby cry," shows the regret that the singer feels about her actions.
In the second verse, the singer expresses her gratitude towards her partner’s efforts to make her feel better. However, she still feels restless and trapped. The line “Now I’ve gone and lost the best baby that I ever had” shows the weight of regret the singer is carrying.
Overall, the song “River” highlights the feelings of suffocation and restlessness that people often feel during the holidays, along with the pain of lost love and regret.
Line by Line Meaning
It's comin' on Christmas, they're cuttin' down trees
The holiday season is approaching, and people are cutting down trees to decorate and celebrate.
They're puttin' up reindeer and singin' songs of joy and peace
The holiday season is also celebrated with decorations and songs of happiness.
Oh, I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
The singer wishes they had an escape from the holiday season, represented by a river they could skate away on.
But it don't snow here, it stays pretty green
The artist's current surroundings are not conducive to the type of holiday escape they desire.
I'm gonna make a lot of money then I'm gonna quit this crazy scene
The artist plans to make money and leave their current situation behind.
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
The singer still wishes for a river to escape their circumstances, and desires the freedom to fly away from their problems.
I made my baby cry
The singer caused their significant other to cry due to their behavior.
He tried hard to help me, you know, he put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty, made me weak in the knees
The artist's significant other did their best to support them, and their love was both comforting and exciting.
I'm so hard to handle, I'm selfish and I'm sad
Now I've gone and lost the best baby that I ever had
The artist acknowledges their own flaws and regrets losing the person they loved most.
I wish I had river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh, I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I made my baby say goodbye
The artist repeats their desire for an escape while also acknowledging the consequences of their actions and the loss of their loved one.
It's comin' on Christmas, they're cuttin' down trees
They're puttin' up reindeer and singin' songs of joy and peace
Oh, I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
The song comes full circle as the singer again wishes for a river to escape the holiday season and their own troubles.
Lyrics © Ultra Tunes, Crazy Crow Music / Siquomb Music Publishing, RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
Written by: Joni Mitchell
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
ireadalot
So you can sing along with her :)
Comin' on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
[Verse 2]
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
It don't snow here
It stays pretty green
I'm gonna make a lotta money
Then I'm gonna quit this crazy scene
[Chorus]
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I made my baby cry
[Verse 3]
They tried hard to help me
You know it put me at ease
It left me so naughty
Made me weak in my knees
Oh I wish I had a river
I could skate away on
I’m so hard to handle
I’m selfish and I’m sad
And now I’ve gone and lost the best baby
That I ever had
(Go to chorus)
punsiella
LYRICS!
[Verse 1]
It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on
[Verse 2]
But it don't snow here
It stays pretty green
I'm gonna make a lot of money
Then I'm gonna quit this crazy scene
I wish I had a river I could skate away on
[Chorus]
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on
I made my baby cry
[Verse 3]
He tried hard to help me
You know, he put me at ease
And he loved me so naughty
Made me weak in the knees
Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on
[Verse 4]
I'm so hard to handle
I'm selfish and I'm sad
Now I've gone and lost the best baby
That I ever had
I wish I had a river I could skate away on
[Chorus]
I wish I had a river so long
I would teach my feet to fly
Oh, I wish I had a river I could skate away on
I made my baby say goodbye
[Verse 5]
It's coming on Christmas
They're cutting down trees
They're putting up reindeer
And singing songs of joy and peace
I wish I had a river I could skate away on
John Schmitt
Can we just appreciate everything in this video. Her outfit and her vocals. Also how AMAZING she sounds when she plays the piano
Kelley
Exactly
Hannah :p
Yass!!
Molly Roberts
Yess she awesome
MKVLOGS
when does the holiday special come out on disney+
SpideyMike2023- Marvel Animation Voice Actor
@MKVLOGS December 11th
MARIANA NOVOA
Can we talk about the fact that she is just 17 and she already has the VOICE of an ANGEL
Shannon Hill
I agree also I'm 17 also
Kelley
YESSSSS
jeru cells
i can only imagine her voice when shes older :0