Olivia Rodrigo’s Vampire: Moving from Sadness to Anger

Olivia Rodrigo is back with her upcoming sophomore record and if her lead single Vampire is anything to go by…get ready to embrace the anger. I have to say up front, I am a huge fan of anger in music and a good woman centred murder ballad, see No Body No Crime for a great example, so I am all for it. I love sad songs and songs about emotional suffering as well…not a huge fan of happy songs…what does that say about me? Well, no time for that therapy session. Let’s sink our teeth into this track…see what I did there…sorry…

First off, musically this track starts off very similarly to the arrangement in Driver’s License. If you play them front to back, the first two minutes or so seems almost identical. However, the song really jumps off after the second bridge / chorus when some electro noise and percussion take more of a leading role. The raw electro injections into the back half of this track helps highlight themes of anger and resentment, while Driver’s License’s more traditional pop back half with snaps and lush synth fits the track’s themes of grief and loss. This is an aside, but Driver’s License is such an amazing track…go listen to it now and come back for the rest of this review.

Lyrically, Vampire is further down the emotion colour wheel from Driver’s License‘s overall vibe. Vampire marks the move from Driver’s License’s longing, grief and sadness to anger, rage and just a “fuck you” energy. For example, in Driver’s License Rodrigo sings about driving by her ex’s house thinking about the future they could have had together, while Vampire starts with “Hate to give the satisfaction asking how you are doing now / How’s the castle built off people you pretend to care about?” Yikes. Instead of a relationship being a source of a shared future and endless opportunities, she compares her ex to a creature that can only live by sucking the life out of those around him…a parasite. This is some of her best writing with lines like: “Girls your age know better” and “The way you sold me for parts / As you sunk your teeth into me.” Much like Rodrigo’s other work, Vampire’s lyrics open up more and reward you with multiple listens.

One common thread between her two monster singles is that her vocal is out of this world. She can go from a fragile whisper to belting out such a powerful and emotive chorus. The only modern women I can think of that can do that are Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Rihanna…and that’s some good company. Other women vocalists with that range were Janis Joplin, early Madonna, Aretha Franklin, Joni Mitchell and maybe Alanis Morissette, but it is a rare skill in modern pop. I think her follow – up record to Sour is going to be amazing and we could have a Rihanna or Harry Styles run where her first handful of records are just bangers. Until then, enjoy one of the top 10 tracks of 2023.

Listen to Vampire