Rodrigo's debut studio album, SOUR, topped the charts globally and was met with widespread critical acclaim. She was 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.
On June 30, 2023, Rodrigo released the lead single to her sophomore album, "Vampire." The single would debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and several other countries' music charts, and her record GUTS released on September 8, 2023. The album debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 among other countries' charts, and its singles "Bad Idea, Right?" and "Get Him Back" debuted in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 — making Rodrigo the first female artist to chart all of her singles in the region. GUTS was nominated for six GRAMMYs — Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, with "Vampire" being nominated for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance, and "Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl" being nominated for Best Rock Song. The record was promoted through a Tiny Desk contest, RSD exclusive vinyls, among other mediums.
Rodrigo would also release the single "Can't Catch Me Now" as the soundtrack song for "The Hunger Games: Ballads of Songbirds and Snakes," which was met with critical acclaim for its lyricism, imagery, and connection to the novel and film. The song was performed at select "GUTS World Tour" dates as well as the shows she headlined for iHeartRadio's annual Jingle Ball, which included venues she would later tour on the "GUTS World Tour," such as Los Angeles' Kia Forum and New York City's Madison Square Garden.
The "GUTS World Tour" would kick off on February 23, 2024 in Palm Springs, California, with Chappell Roan as its special guest. The tour was met with virality and critical acclaim for Rodrigo's vocals, stage presence, and visuals — dubbed as one of the most impressive arena tours to date. The tour featured songs from GUTS SOUR and the GUTS (spilled) track "obsessed," which was only available on vinyl at the time. On tour, Rodrigo announced GUTS (spilled), a deluxe edition of GUTS which released March 22, 2024 and included five additional tracks. The five tracks debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 — to date, each song in Rodrigo's discography has appeared on the chart.
In April 2024, Rodrigo was a special guest to No Doubt's Coachella performance. The pop star continued her "GUTS World Tour" throughout 2024, where she performed six nights in Los Angeles, being the first woman to headline Intuit Dome, and is set to close off the tour internationally in Asia.
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
@ireadalot2422
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)
@mariananovoa5969
Can we talk about the fact that she is just 17 and she already has the VOICE of an ANGEL
@shannonhill4901
I agree also I'm 17 also
@kelley7097
YESSSSS
@jerucells
i can only imagine her voice when shes older :0
@hannahp4437
IKR!!!!!!
@miawren8652
guysssss i was the 1,000 like :))
@nickaveiga2487
SHE. DID. THAT. Like Joshua said once "she's gonna change the music industry" AND SHE WILL!
@aaronpina7286
honestly and that was so cute🥺
@adrianamar6485
When did he say that?
@n.m3565
Yes she will watch her become the next Taylor Swift and I can say I've been here from the beginning 😭❤