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.
The Rose Song
Olivia Rodrigo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Wonderin' if I am good enough for your time
You love me but for all the wrong reasons
Am I somethin' to you and not someone?
'Cause I feel trapped on this pedestal you put me on
You tell me that I'm beautiful but I think that's an understatement
'Cause I am more than what I am to you
And I won't be confined to your point of view
I'm breakin' through the glass you put me in
'Cause my beauty's from within, oh
My beauty's from within, oh
So, I am done livin' my life just for you
You watched me wither and now you watch me bloom
You're hidin' in the dark but I'm reachin' for the sun, woo
'Cause I am more than what I am to you
You say I'm pretty but I've got magic that you never knew
And I won't be confined to your point of view
I'm breakin' through the glass you put me in
'Cause I am more than what I am to you
You say I'm perfect but I've got thorns with my petals, too
And I won't be confined to your point of view
I'm breakin' through the glass you put me in
'Cause my beauty's from within
The Rose Song by Olivia Rodrigo is a powerful expression of self-discovery and self-worth. Rodrigo sings about trying to live up to someone else's expectations and feeling trapped on a pedestal. The singer laments about wondering if she's good enough to deserve their love and attention, and feeling like they only like her for the wrong reasons. However, the chorus is where Rodrigo makes her point and asserts her independence. She is more than what the other person sees her as, and she's breaking through the glass ceiling they've put her under. Her beauty comes from within, and she won't be confined to someone else's narrow perspective.
The song is a relatable anthem for anyone who has ever struggled with feeling like they're not good enough or worrying that someone only likes them for superficial reasons. It's a call to action to break free from societal expectations, embrace your true self, and demand to be seen as more than what meets the eye.
Overall, The Rose Song is a celebration of self-love and self-discovery. It encourages listeners to embrace their unique qualities and not let anyone else's expectations hold them back.
Line by Line Meaning
All my life, I've seen myself through your eyes
Throughout my life, I have always viewed myself from your perspective
Wonderin' if I am good enough for your time
I often question whether I am worthy of your attention
You love me but for all the wrong reasons
Your love is misguided and rooted in superficial qualities
Am I somethin' to you and not someone?
Do you see me as an object rather than a person?
'Cause I feel trapped on this pedestal you put me on
I feel confined by the image of perfection you have created for me
You tell me that I'm beautiful but I think that's an understatement
You compliment my external appearance, but I am much more than that
'Cause I am more than what I am to you
I am not defined by your perception of me
You say I'm perfect but I've got thorns with my petals, too
I am not flawless, and I have my own flaws and imperfections
And I won't be confined to your point of view
I am breaking free from the constraints of your narrow-minded perspective
I'm breakin' through the glass you put me in
I am shattering the limitations that you have set for me
'Cause my beauty's from within, oh
My true beauty comes from within myself
So, I am done livin' my life just for you
I am no longer living my life to please you
You watched me wither and now you watch me bloom
You witnessed my decline, and now you are observing my growth
You're hidin' in the dark but I'm reachin' for the sun, woo
While you remain in the shadows, I am striving for greatness
You say I'm pretty but I've got magic that you never knew
You only see my outward appearance, but there is something special about me that you haven't discovered
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Olivia Rodrigo
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
N M
Lyrics:
All my life, I've seen myself through your eyes
Wonderin' if I am good enough for your time
You love me but for all the wrong reasons
Am I somethin' to you and not someone?
'Cause I feel trapped on this pedestal you put me on
You tell me that I'm beautiful but I think that's an understatement
[Chorus]
'Cause I am more than what I am to you
You say I'm perfect but I've got thorns with my petals, too
And I won't be confined to your point of view
I'm breakin' through the glass you put me in
'Cause my beauty's from within
[Bridge]
Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh-oh
My beauty's from within
Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
[Verse 2]
So, I am done livin' my lifе just for you
You watched me wither and now you'll watch mе bloom
You're hidin' in the dark but I'm reachin' for the sun, woo-ooh
[Chorus]
'Cause I am more than what I am to you
You say I'm pretty but I've got magic that you never knew
And I won't be confined to your point of view
I'm breakin' through the glass you put me in
'Cause I am more than what I am to you
You say I'm perfect but I've got thorns with my petals, too
And I won't be confined to your point of view
I'm breakin' through the glass you put me in
'Cause my beauty's from within
Aanya Pagaria
“You say I’m perfect, but I’ve got thorns with my petals too” THAT JUST HITS HARD
SeasondBlaze
I thought it said. “But I’ve got the wounds of my petals too” lol
Aanya Pagaria
@SeasondBlaze That’s also a pretty good line!
ELLIE WOLF
It’s a great line but it contradicts the lyric we’re she says “You tell me that I’m beautiful but I thinks that’s an understatement”
Nipun Mahajan
@ELLIE WOLF Hey, nice perspective. But I don’t think it necessarily contradicts with the previous lyric. The thorns with the petals, (as I see it) is a metaphor for ‘imperfections’. When she says that quoting her as beautiful is an understatement, I feel she is trying to convey that she is not JUST beautiful. She is smart, intelligent, she has her own aura. It is not about the looks. It is about the person. Thats why she says something all the line of ‘am I something to you and not someone’ and ‘you love me for all the wrong reasons’ as in the person should see through her and acknowledge, embrace her qualities.
Well, that’s just my take. Let me know what do you think :)
elodie
Right I got chills at that part-
ItsBritt
The fact that she wrote this song within an hour is MINDBLOWING. Pure talent.
Ntomboxolo Prudence Tyindyi
wait what really
ItsBritt
@Ntomboxolo Prudence Tyindyi yh she really did
Preppy_
Omg she’s amazing. They should play this in a hospital. My beauty is within