Senior reacts to Olivia Rodrigo Tiny Desk Concert (Episode 331)
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- Опубликовано: 31 июл 2024
- First time listening to Riverside County singer-songwriter Olivia Rodgrigo.
Original video link:
• Olivia Rodrigo: Tiny D...
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I think on the surface, Olivia’s music may appear simple and direct. However, when you actually dig into her repertoire, you find there’s many layers to her writing. Most of her songs actually are metaphors for something deeper. Just to give some perspective (as a woman in her early 20’s).
Vampire- a metaphor about being taken advantage of/being manipulated by someone who was older than her. It’s a very relatable experience for a lot of young women.
Lacy- while it seems like lacy is about a specific girl, I believe the song actually goes deeper than that. My interpretation of it is that the song is about jealousy and insecurity that Olivia has because of the societal beauty standards she’s faced with as a young woman of color. Being Filipino-American, she grew up surrounded by girls who looked nothing like her in the industry (blonde hair, blue eyes). I think this song is a metaphor for being upset with herself for caring so much about those beauty standards. (See All American B*tch as it explores similar themes about societal expectations of women)
Making the bed- whole song is a metaphor for how we victimize ourselves for our situations when in reality, we are the ones making the decisions that land us in these situations in the first place.
As for wether or not her music will sound dated 20 years down the line, I don’t believe most of it will. Because she is so diaristic in her writing, her music is so vulnerable and authentic. These are real life experiences that people will still be having 20 years from now. With social media being so big, my generation has become so used to numbing ourselves to real feelings, whether it be through drugs, alcohol, or even just scrolling for hours on social media so we don’t have to sit with our own thoughts/feelings. I think Olivia’s music is so important to us because it reminds us of our humanness. It makes me FEEL something (which is one of her greatest attributes. Her storytelling and emotional delivery sets her apart). She’s not afraid to be self-deprecating, laugh at herself, or take accountability for her own shortcomings. Most people nowadays aren’t doing that.
Anyways, I say all this to give perspective as to why she resonates so well with people my age. Thank you for taking the time to give her music a listen even though you’re not her intended audience! I think it’s cool that she really does reach so many people, even if everyone doesn’t completely relate to her music. I hope you’ll give some of her other stuff a listen as she does explore quite a few other genres/styles in her discography.
Good comments. It's probaly true that I don't have the same level of identification, but I do understand her perfectly. I was thinking her music was more simile than metaphor, but on reflection I think you're right. BTW, I should not record videos at 4 a.m. I was a little tired and not as articulate as usual. Thanks for discussing this in such an intelligent and kind manner.
I appreciated your honest opinion. It's good to have different points of view. Olivia Rodrigo is one of my favorite artists right now, even though I'm not her target audience. But I love that she's only 20 years old and plays multiple instruments, always sings live with her band, writes her own music, and has great vocals. Her music is more raw and not vulgar, cheesy or bubbly. That's what sets her apart from the rest of mainstream artists today. I think as she grows older, her songwriting skills and music will mature beautifully. You should listen to Can't Catch Me Now, an original song she wrote for the new Hunger Games movie, and it's from the point of view of one of the main characters of the movie, not personal experience like the rest of her songs. That one is a folk song and we can see another side of Olivia. I think she will be one of the greatest one day and she'll only get better with time. Looking forward to more reactions!
That makes sense. I like your comment about what makes her unique, which she is, and what we can look forward to in the future.
I understand where you are coming from. However I guess that’s the allure of her music. It mocks genre itself. The rest of the album is a mix of 90’s style, rock and melody. When listened in order the album sounds disjointed (intentionally). These songs were curated as they all matched the theme of the performance. But the rest of the album has other genre. Perhaps worth a listen 😊
I'm interested in listening to Guts. Thanks for your comment and watching Kayleigh.
“diary” is a great choice of word you used to describe her lyrics. it’s very personal yet people can still relate. that shift in lyricism seems to come from Taylor Swift when she brought over that type of lyricism from country music into pop genre. i recommend you check out “Can’t catch me now”, a new song by Olivia that she wrote for a movie soundtrack based on a book. the lyricism there may be more of your “wheelhouse” with the vagueness but still relatable.
Thanks so much for the comment. Well written.
She talks about her work as her diary.
What is that first song?
Love is Embarrasing. I've provide the original video link in the description if you want to see the whole set list and other notes.
thx for your interesting review,
a fellow senior music lover in his early 50's here, to me Olivia Rodrigo really still seems like a diamond in the rough given she just turned 21yrs old, hoping she will capitalize more on faster rock influenced pieces.
for context, the last time i have been equally exited for a new style of popular music has been when Linkin Park rose to mainstream fame...
that being said i also want to highlight the flawless sound engineering of the NPR tiny desk crew as well as the bands and artists vocal perfomances.
Thanks for watching and for your insightful commentary.
I feel like you would like Harry styles. You should react to him :))
Sorry for the delay is responding. I've added this to my spreadsheet for a future community poll. Thanks so much for the suggestion.
@@wallbangerreactions of course and thank you sm:)
I haven't forgotten about your suggestion, but Styles records for Columbia Records and there is an excellent chance any reaction will be copyright blocked. I've had terrible luck with Columbia. Think I'm going to have to bail. Sorry.
@@wallbangerreactions ohhh it’s okay!!
They should have ditched the electric guitar for this gig.
Hadn't thought about that.
_So, other than Olivia is probably not your cup of tea, I could not make a lot out of your review_ You say using words like far-our and groovy can anchor music to a particular era and that is right, but other than her incessant and not very time dependent swearing for effect, Olivia does not use any words like that. The second of her songs "Vampire" does use vampire and some vampire related stuff, but that has been steadily around for wow almost 100 years, and talking about a vampire boyfriend but not a real vampire is innovative and metaphorical. Her music may most resemble some 1960 Beatles even the early like "I want to hold your hand" / "I saw her standing there" these are juvenile, but have aged fine and fresh. Comparing to Fiona Apple, there is some similarity, but Oliva is more dynamic and less (sorry) boring. Much of her stuff may be most similar to that from Avril Lavigne. Avril first album is 20 now and holding up very well: Sk8erboi / Complicated. Finally, while it is not anchored by vocabulary to the '60, Van Morrison's Astral Weeks sounds by phrasing, instrumentation and so forth solidly anchored to the late '60 early '70s . Your review here did not help me.
Your comment is fair, but it's exceedinly negative. I will never understand the need for people to rain on other people's parades. When I watch videos, I never write stuff like this...I just move on. With that said, I like the Avril Lavigne comment.
@@wallbangerreactions -- I was trained in formal academics and it can cause me to be more negative than maybe I should be at times. Appologies if I stepped on you. You did get me thinking about what ages well and what doesn't. Aging well and being identifiable with an age may not be the same thing. Most of the music I have listened to seems to be aging pretty well except maybe for the Moody Blues who I really liked in the '70 and don't seem as good now. Finally, a further word I have taken an attachment to Olivia R that is prettty srong, so I may have over reacted. Also, I mainly did not like her stuff on first listening, but got very attached later.
Thanks so much for the second comment. You've also got me thinking. When I look at a song like Love is Embarrising, there are all these phrases about "needing space" or "staying in bed for a week" or "crucifying myself"...but then, you look at the lyrics to Lacy and it's a whole different ballgame. Very much in the classic poetic style. Lacy is a really interesting song.
I agree with you 100% on the Moody Blues. I was also a fan and now don't enjoy them nearly as much. Compared to Astral Weeks, which you mentioned earlier, the Moody Blues sound quite dated. Take care. @@jamesdeich6102
I think you're too old for Olivia's music maybe there's a chance you can relate to her if you're in your forties.
Save this comment and read it back to yourself in the future.