“good 4 u” by Olivia Rodrigo, Thursday, September 16, 2021

"My my, hey hey/ Rock 'n' Roll is here to stay" declares Neil Young in his 1978 song.  Rock music has had lasting presence in pop culture since the age of Chuck Berry and Little Richard. Some points in the '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, and '00s the genre took the primary spots on radio charts outside of the genre. However, around the end of the '00s, Hip Hop decimated the genre. The rock bands left standing, mostly traded their axes for acoustic guitar, keyboards, EDM beats, or Trap rhythms. Much of the rock music was indistinguishable from other genres, and that trend continues into the 2020s. However, just as rock bands cross over to the pop charts, the late 2010s to 2021 is seeing pop singers experiment with rock music. From Miley Cyrus performing with Metallica to rappers like Post Malone and Machine Gun Kelly flirting with emo, some may argue that Rock is seeing a mainstream resurgence. Enter Olivia Rodrigo's "good 4 u," the first guitar-driven song to top the British pop charts for more than four weeks since 2003's "Bring Me to Life" by Evanescence. 

YOU BOUGHT A NEW CAR AND YOUR CAREER'S REALLY TAKING OFF. Disney Channel star-turned musician Olivia Rodrigo released her debut album Sour back in May this year. The album is one of the biggest of the year for several reasons. Critics loved how self-aware Rodrigo's lyrics were for the late teenage years. Musically, listeners and critics loved the genre-bending of the songs. Rodrigo was influenced by pop, synth-pop, punk, and metal. The album's second single, "good 4 u," taps into the angry girl rock song, popularized in the '90s by Fiona Apple and Alanis Morissette--critics even calling Sour the Jagged Little Pill for Generation Z. While modern "sad girl" music influenced by these '90s stars, artists like Lana Del Rey, Lorde, and Billie Eilish, has tended to avoid heavy guitars and drums as if it were an embarrassing trend, Rodrigo leans into it on "good 4 u." Many listeners have cited a similarity between Rodrigo's second chart-topping hit and Paramore's breakthrough single, "Misery Business." Rodrigo admitted to taking the inspiration for parts of the song and eventually gave writing credits to Paramore's Haley Williams and Zac Farro. Rodrigo's hit takes a few jabs at her assumed ex, co-star Joshua Bassett, who reportedly got famous, according to Rodrigo, on the coattails of her success. The lyrics of the song use sarcasm, even including a singing-laugh more commonly heard in musical theater than pop or rock music. Whereas the lyrics are about rage, the video is pure revenge. Some may feel a similarity to the "Misery Business" video. The video shows Rodrigo burning down a house, losing her mind with rage, yet looking cute and pretty all along the way.

I'VE SPENT THE NIGHT CRYING ON THE BATHROOM FLOOR. "Good 4 u" captures the grief of the "loser" of a break up. This is in contrast to the "victor" who is doing great with someone new. While some breakups occur completely mutually, but those kind of break ups don't make good rock songs. Keane's "We Might as Well Be Strangers" takes a sad approach of two people who don't know each other anymore. But in "good 4 u" the listener is either 1) passive aggressively rubbing the speaker's face in his success or 2) genuinely misses the other person and is even looking for her affirmation. Either way, Rodrigo calls him a "damn sociopath." Allan back in 2014 would answer the second, completely self-absorbed, blind to Kelly's affections and unaware that the ship had sailed. "I'm going to start attending another church across town," she said one day at church. "It's Pastor Shim. I tried as much as I could. He's run off all of the other Korean teachers. He's so controlling of us." "Well, we can still keep in touch, I hope," Allan said. "Of course. I couldn't dream of not seeing you." The KakaoTalk messages used to be frequent tennis matches between them full of emojis, usually initiated by Kelly, asking an English grammar question, but Allan would always ask something personal about her day. However, he started noticing that the messages became less and less frequent. The meetings stopped, too. When he messaged her the answers were short. He asked to meet up at a cafe. Her answers were non-comital. "Should have made that move," Abram said, shaking his head. "But, I can see why you didn't. It's so clear." "And what is that?" "You want someone younger. Kelly maybe a young soul, but you need someone your age. Someone to start the family God wants you to make." "I just wish that I could still have that friendship." "It's unnatural for men and women to be friends. When you do settle down and get married, do you think your wife will want you hanging out in cafes with an older woman you clearly have chemistry with?" 

Read the lyrics on Genius.

Mash-up with "Misery Business":