Olivia Rodrigo’s new release ‘deja vu’ shows she’s so much more than just a one-hit-wonder after her chart-topping song ‘drivers license’.
“she is a very talented, up-and-coming young artist.”
Released on 1st April 2021, the ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ actress takes the well-known concept of a breakup song and adapts it so that her song accuses her ex-love of reusing all the things they did together.
Just 18 years old, her career as both an actress and a singer was massively boosted by her role in Disney’s revamp of the ‘High School Musical’ franchise. Olivia Rodrigo has gained huge support from both Disney and Taylor Swift, though it’s evident that she is a very talented, up-and-coming young artist. Her first single ‘drivers license’ went viral on TikTok, and 12 days after its release, it had amassed over 46 million views on YouTube and been used in over a million TikToks.
The first four words of the song, “car rides to Malibu”, seem to directly continue Olivia Rodrigo’s first single, ‘drivers license’ – showing that this song is a continuation of the breakup songs Rodrigo has written so far. Rodrigo’s flowing vocals instantly contribute to the soft opening of the song, backed by the light synths used in this part of the song. Rodrigo sings about all the “unique” things that she and her ex-boyfriend used to do, and how he must get “deja vu” now that he’s doing them with his new girlfriend. From “car rides to Malibu” to sharing “strawberry ice cream” and “trading jackets laughing “bout how small it looks” on him, Rodrigo creates a nostalgic, reminiscent tone of how happy they were together, and how much fun they had together.
Pop culture and authenticity
Rodrigo’s pop culture references to “watching reruns of Glee” and playing Billy Joel’s ‘Uptown Girl’ add to the genuine nature of her relationship with her ex and reinforces the idea that all these things they did together are no longer authentic as he’s doing them with his new girlfriend.
The positive feel of the track continues even as Rodrigo accuses her ex-love of “reus[ing]” all that they did together with his new girlfriend. She questions when he’s “gonna tell her that we did that too” and how everything in his relationship with his new girlfriend is “all reused”. This insinuates that Rodrigo is convinced that her ex-boyfriend isn’t yet over her, and instead tries to recreate memories with “a different girl”.
Though the lyrics are sad, they build up a strong nostalgic sense that adds to the reminiscent tone of this song. It feels as if Rodrigo is somewhat celebrating what she had with her ex-lover and that, even though things clearly didn’t work out, what they had was genuine and authentic – contrasting the new relationship he has started.
Musical depth
“This song provides both a summer-like escape and a vivid storyline”
Rodrigo uses synths up until the end of the first chorus, before drums and a guitar are added in, adding more depth. The repetitive drum rhythm continues, and the synth comes back in during pauses between verses – with the texture building back up in the choruses. This song’s upbeat feel is provided by the altering use of instruments, showing Olivia Rodrigo’s musical talent due to the powerful atmosphere she creates. As the audience of this song, the building texture heightens both the mood and the tone of the song to intensify the listener’s sentimental feelings towards the song.
This song provides both a summer-like escape and a vivid storyline – backed by Olivia Rodrigo’s incredible voice, lyrics and songwriting that makes ‘deja vu’ so poignant and lasting.
Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘deja vu’ is out now via Geffen Records.
Hannah Cochrane
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