Thursday 4/22: Olivia Rodrigo—"Deja Vu"
Today, we share our thoughts on the recent single from emerging pop titan Olivia Rodrigo.
Welcome to Endless Scroll, the brainchild of Eli Enis (he/him), Eric Bennett (they/them), Michael Brooks (he/him) and Miranda Reinert (she/her). Since Feb. 2019, we’ve been a weekly podcast about music, the internet, and where those two things intersect. On Substack, we’re also a M-F newsletter about songs. Our format is simple: a link to a song and a short take from each of us about what we think of it. Each day of the week has a corresponding genre: Monday is indie, Tuesday is punk, Wednesday is hip-hop, Thursday is pop, and Friday is misc. Three days of the week are free but you can get access to all five weekly posts by subscribing for $5/month via Substack or $2/month via our Patreon.
Today, we share our thoughts on the recent single from emerging pop titan Olivia Rodrigo.
Olivia Rodrigo—"Deja Vu"
Michael Brooks:
A few weeks back when we were listing our favorite songs of the year so far on the podcast, I stepped up to the plate and went to bat for “Drivers License,” a take that I still think is good and correct. Naturally, expectations for Olivia Rodrigo and her music were through the roof after that track demolished streaming records, but how do you follow up a song like that? “Deja Vu”, her latest single, is another damn good song from the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series actress, proving that she might in fact be the real deal. There seem to be rumors about what people Rodrigo is referring to in both of her singles, but I’m in my late twenties so I’m going to try my best and stay out of whatever teenage beef is going on in the Olivia Rodrigo extended universe.
Her ex is exhibiting weirdo behavior all throughout the song, and if he somehow ruined “Uptown Girl” for Olivia Rodrigo he’s going to be in a world of hurt whenever I see him. With that being said, this dude that she’s talking about in the song is a total dweeb and I’m glad that she’s moving on because she can do so much better. I can remember being eighteen and getting my heart broken for the first time and y’know what it really does suck, but don’t worry Olivia Rodrigo, things do get better. There’s not a lot of people in pop right now that can sum up the feelings of being young and in love like Rodrigo and as far as I’m concerned she’s two for two on these singles so yeah, I’m absolutely stoked to check out her debut when it drops next month.
Eli Enis:
I’m….siding with Michael Brooks here. I thought “Drivers License” was an undeniably spectacular breakup ballad, and “Deja Vu” manages to recapture the visceral imagery, biting emotion, devilishly clever lyricism, and catchy-as-hell vocal moves as its predecessor. It’s way more bombastic and upbeat than the rainy “Drivers License”, and the story itself is has jumped forward in the heartbreak stages of grief from raw devastation to sneering bitterness—but in a way that’s more, “Pfft, OK”, than outright resentful. The song itself has incredibly loud drums that actually sound a little beefier than what you would expect from someone in the Lorde/Taylor Swift lane, and although her vocals are obviously still developing, she already has a preternatural grasp on melody and form. This song rules. Play it loud.