She has Risen: Olivia Rodrigo Resurrects with Latest Single ‘drop dead’

After a 3-year hiatus, everyone’s favorite sad girl Olivia Rodrigo is back with lead single “drop dead” off her upcoming third studio album, “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love.”

The song debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, making Rodrigo the first artist in history to debut the lead single of each of her albums at No 1.

The song, produced by Rodrigo’s longtime collaborator, Dan Nigro, begins with synths — a telltale signal she’s about to shock and change the world with new sonic experimentation.

With this newfound dreampop sound, and hopefully the rest of the album, Rodrigo can finally leave the rock and punk genre many fans are desperately pushing her to be in, allowing the 23-year-old to take her final form as the indie pop princess she seemingly longs to be. 

As soon as Rodrigo opens her mouth on “drop dead,” she pulls listeners in with each line as she builds up to the chorus. Once she reaches the hook, it crescendos as rich synths play behind with Rodrigo’s voice following suit — an overstimulation greatly appreciated. 

“One night I was bored in bed / And stalked you on the internet / It’s feminine intuition / ‘Cause I always had a vision of us standing like this,” Rodrigo sings as she goes back and forth between her falsetto and head voice, emulating the rises and drops of a rollercoaster ride.

Rodrigo perfectly encapsulates the feeling of having an online crush and finally being with them after plotting for so long — an incredibly common experience and the biggest dream of some. 

This is off-brand for Rodrigo, as unfortunately, her world-stopping ballads are often inspired by the men who continually traumatize her. The change is welcome and appreciated by hopeless romantics and yearners. 

As seemingly the only biological “Taydaughter” it’s a given there’s always a certain “je ne sais quoi” added with the bridge, and Rodrigo did her big one in the most talked about part of the song.

“Pisces and a Gemini / But I think we might go really nice together / If you let me stay the night / Well, I think I might just have to stay forever,” Rodrigo sings in the bridge.

And there it is, a direct reference to Rodrigo’s now ex-boyfriend and Gemini — which hurts to write — Louis Patridge. The couple was together for two years and the actor remains the only muse Rodrigo’s written a happy love song about —  2023’s “So American.” 

Rumors circulated that when the pair broke up in December, Rodrigo had to scrap her love-themed album in which he serves as the muse. However, this song both dispels and gives truth to the whispers. She’s not scrapping the album, but their relationship will likely remain the hot topic. 

After the initial shock of who the lyrics are talking about so blatantly, listeners leave their trance with a now-classic scream and edgy guitar riffs that occur at the tail end of the bridge before she comes back down quietly back into the final chorus — a pattern that’s becoming one of her staples.

“drop dead” is a thrilling, idealistic pop hit that ranks among Rodrigo’s strongest work. If the album sounds anything like this and the single doesn’t serve as an outlier, she secured herself an album of the year win at next year’s Grammys.

“drop dead” is out now and available to stream everywhere.