Olivia Rodrigo Sour Album Ranking

By Kayla Harper

INTRODUCTION

Disney star, Olivia Rodrigo shocked the world in 2021 with the release of her debut album, Sour. Initially, many people didn’t assume much of it since most childhood Disney stars releasing music up until this point never really offered much in terms of a music career.  However, Sour changed this assumption and is considered by many to have made the list of best debut albums of all time. Topping charts, winning Grammys and breaking records, Sour took Rodrigo from a childhood Disney star, to the next female pop music sensation.  Since then, Rodrigo has maintained a steady level of success, touring the world and releasing her sophomore record, Guts.

While I definitely prefer Guts, Sour was a staple during grade 10, its blunt and bitter vulnerability carried me through my first heartbreak, here is my ranking of all eleven tracks on Rodrigo’s debut album.

 

11. 1 step forward, 3 steps back

It’s not that it’s a bad song, it’s just the most forgettable.  Additionally, whenever it comes on the opening piano chords sampled from Taylor Swift’s “New Years Day” just make me want to listen to that song instead, especially because it’s one of my favourite Swift songs.  Though they are thematically different and shouldn’t be compared, the interpolation automatically makes that comparison in my head and since “New Years Day” is lyrically just a better song, “1 step forward, 3 steps back” always feels disappointing.

 

10. hope ur ok

“hope ur ok” has a really sweet message, coming from a place of sincerity and sympathy. However, it’s another one that becomes forgettable when combined with the other tracks on the album. I also cannot stand the trend of using abbreviations in the song titles on this record (ex. “ur” instead of “you’re”), I am a bit more obsessive about grammar than most. Until the bridge, the song is sonically boring despite being heavy in storytelling, but Rodrigo’s lyrics in this one do not draw me into the story enough to be invested.

 

9. enough for you

“enough for you” is well-written, although the lyrics lack any metaphorical depth, they are blunt, deeply vulnerable and widely relatable. Despite being melodically and sonically redundant, this works for the style of song.  The fingerstyle acoustic riff paired with Rodrigo’s soft, raw vocals draw listeners into the track evoking feelings of sadness and disappointment..  The only reason it’s ranked low is that I just prefer the other tracks and if I’m going to listen to slower, sad songs, I usually go for the ones with lyrics that make me think deeper beyond their surface level meaning. However, I do think this song is written perfectly from the perspective of a teenage girl going through a heartbreak in which she gave everything she had to someone who left for something “better”.

 

8. favourite crime 

I love the duality of guilt and blame in “favourite crime” as it’s quite uncommon in breakup tracks to partition the blame equally among both individuals.  Unlike Rodrigo’s typical blunt writing style, she does incorporate more metaphorical comparisons throughout this track, with the main extended metaphor being the ways both lovers treated each other as a crime. Among all the ballads on Sour, “Favourite Crime” is definitely one of the stronger ones in my opinion.

 

7. jealousy, jealousy 

On a personal level “jealousy, jealousy” did not seem relatable in the same way that “Pretty Isn’t Pretty” off of Guts didn’t really connect with me. Both songs are relatable to many people, especially teenage girls on a wider scale –I’m just not someone who’s overly insecure about my looks or abilities and I don’t compare myself to others in that way, I have much more important things to stress about. However, upon further analysis, “jealousy, jealousy” isn’t a whiney, insecure anthem, it goes far beyond that.  It touches on aspects of lifestyles, achievement, dreams, etc.  Which is something I can relate to.  It’s ironic, but as Rodrigo’s singing the lyrics there’s jealousy that she’s complaining whilst living the life most people dream of; selling out venues across the world, selling albums, ets.  Sonically “jealousy, jealousy” is also a lot more interesting than most songs on the album.

 

6. traitor

“traitor” really hit the spot when I was going through my first breakup and even listening now it brings me back to that time of my life. Although I prefer the live version, even the studio track does an excellent job at conveying the deep emotions of betrayal and heartbreak through Rodrigo’s exceptionally vulnerable vocals and the instrumental track. I also love specificity in lyrics and “traitor” has that a lot…”brown guilty eyes…two weeks…”.

 

5. good 4 U

“good 4 u” is definitely the most guts-esque song on Sour. Between the bassline and pop-rock drums, it’s giving early 2000s Avril Lavigne and Paramore…which makes sense considering the similarities to Paramore’s “Misery Business” were so close they ended up receiving writing credits and royalties.  The overall tone, lyrics and instrumental convey feelings of anger and pettiness very well. The way she sings “good for you” reminds of the track “happier” off the same album because you can tell it’s sarcastic and she doesn’t actually mean this person well.  This is the track you put on when you actually need to get over it and stop crying.

 

4. happier

“happier” reminds me of “Get Him Back” from Guts because of the double meaning in the song’s title that is later revealed in the chorus…”I hope you’re happy, but don’t be happier”.  Wishing someone well is often the mature and right thing to do, and we say it not because we mean it, but because we feel we have to.  Obviously when going through a breakup, you don’t really want them to be happy, initially, and the thought of that person being happy with anyone else is sickening, this song conveys that well.

 

3. brutal 

For a last minute addition to the tracklist, “brutal” is the perfect album opener for Sour. introducing us to the state of mind Rodrigo was in when writing it and containing the sass, attitude and teenage-grunge aesthetic that would be carried through to the rest of the record.  It encapsulates being a teenage girl/young adult well. Despite these years being “the best in our life” they’re also super scary as we’re undergoing so many changes and learning who we are, which can make them feel like the worst at times, but usually that’s just us being overly dramatic which this song portrays well.

 

2. drivers license 

I adore songs that use a surprising metaphor, analogy or symbol as the title and carry it through the track to tell a story the way “drivers license” does.  From the title, “drivers license”, a first time listener cannot correctly infer what the song is about as easily as a song like “enough for you”, so all the figurative language becomes surprising and in turn more intriguing.  This otherwise unrelated concept of getting a driver’s license unlocks an entire room of memories and emotions for these two individuals, whereas for most people it’s simply just getting a driver’s license –I think poems that can tell those kinds of stories in such an organic way are the best kind.

 

1. deja vu 

Despite liking Guts significantly more than Sour, “deja vu” is one of my all-time favourite songs from Rodrigo. Something about the way it’s sung is so satisfying to me, the mix of light/airy soft vocals and more powerful assertive ones is balanced to create a beautiful and surprising melody –I also love a song with a good build up to the bridge.

With the bridge in mind I did want to touch on the ridiculous Rodrigo vs. Swift controversy surrounding this song, since the bridge of “deja vu” was heavily inspired by the bridge of Swift’s “Cruel Summer” (stated by Rodrigo herself) Rodrigo’s team retroactively gave Swift and collaborator Jack Antonoff writing credits and royalties.  However, as stated by Antonoff himself the credit and royalties had already been granted before him or Swift even became aware of the decision to do so.  Swift never sued Rodrigo and never even requested royalties on the track.  Rodrigo has also stated many times there’s no bad blood between them.  Stop pitting female artists against each other for your entertainment.

Anyway, back to the song, the lyrics in “deja vu” are specific, detailed and vivid in their use of imagery to convey emotions of hurt, jealousy, pride, betrayal, etc.  I love lyrics that are heavy in storytelling and figurative language, which Rodrigo utilizes well in this song, whilst maintaining her blunt approach that is consistent with the rest of the album. It summarizes the aftermath of a relationship well; watching the person you loved move on with someone new is never easy, it makes you feel replaceable and in turn angry, this song captures that well.