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Olivia Rodrigo: "Guts"

 I'm not an Olivia Rodrigo expert, but I've listened to more than one analytical podcast, and here are the two observations I like:


*Rodrigo is, in every way, a child of Broadway. She was nurtured by Broadway God Tim Federle, and she made her name on "High School Musical." To me, Broadway means: (1) using heavily detailed observations, and (2) showing evidence of a sense of humor. 

*One of Rodrigo's great skills is the performance of "cringe." As an actor, Rodrigo actually delivers "line readings" while she is singing. Her choice of tone can put a kind of "top spin" on certain sentences. Recalling an ex, she says, "He was so much fun! And he had such weird friends!" The line has an "airhead" tone, and underneath, there is audible self-loathing. It's fun to listen to.

Many big breakup anthems ("We Are Never Getting Back Together," "Green Light," "Dear John," "Rolling in the Deep," "You Oughta Know") address the ex, as in a kind of letter. "I want you to know...I'm happy for you..."

By contrast (and in at least one notable case), Rodrigo, like the ingenue in a musical, just talks straight to her audience. She makes her "I Want" declaration:

I met a guy in the summer, and I left him in the spring.
He argued with me about everything! 
He had an ego and a temper and a wandering eye....
He said he's six foot two, and I'm like, dude, NICE TRY.

But I miss him some nights, when I'm feeling depressed....
Till I remember every time he made a pass at my friend.
Do I love him? Do I hate him? I guess it's up and down.
If I had to choose, I would say right now:
I wanna get him back....

I admire the sense of authority in these lines; the writer cuts to the chase.

Rodrigo makes herself into a character--and it's hard to look away. It's a gift.

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