On May 21, 2021, many hearts were broken, and feelings were evoked with the drop out of Olivia Rodrigo’s album “Sour.” I still remember the night the album dropped and how I was in bed crying and dealing with so many emotions every time a new song played.
Olivia managed to express beautifully and accurately how many of us felt when it came to love and to be heartbroken. One year later, Sour is still breaking records and winning awards. According to USA today, “Rodrigo took home three Grammys, winning best new artist, best pop vocal album for “Sour” and pop solo performance for her hit “Drivers License.”
In honor of the debut of Sour, here is a ranking of the 5 most iconic songs from the album and why they are still relevant today.
1- Traitor
Traitor portrays to perfection the feeling of betrayal one gets when the person you love changes you for someone else. Not only are the lyrics emotionally thoughtful, but Olivia’s voice and emotions while singing this song still don’t fail to give goosebumps.
Lyrics like “You gave me your word, but that didn’t matter” and “Guess you didn’t cheat, but you’re still a traitor” make this feeling of treason and betrayal extremely real and vulnerable.
Most Iconic line:
“It took you two weeks
To go off and date her
Guess you didn’t cheat
But you’re still a traitor.”
2- Favorite Crime
Favorite Crime holds so much pain inside its lyrics that it’s almost impossible to sing it without crying. In this, Olivia portrays how you feel after giving someone all of you, expecting that love to be reciprocated; instead, you get heartbroken, being left with the feeling of being someone’s favorite crime.
Most Iconic line:
“All the things I did
Just so I could call you mine
The things you did
Well, I hope I was your favorite Crime.”
3- Good 4 U
Good 4 U has a different vibe from “Traitor” and “Favorite Crime.” Good 4 U feels like being in the middle of a breakdown filled with rage, singing, and screaming about how it’s good for them that they moved on so quickly while you are breaking down. Singing it makes you feel powerful and energetic. This one has bonus points for the fantastic music video referencing Jennifer’s Body. Here you can watch the full video.
Most Iconic line:
“Maybe I’m too emotional
But your apathy is like a wound in salt
Maybe I’m too emotional
Or maybe you never cared at all.”
4- Enough for you
Enough for you encapsulates perfectly how it feels not feeling good enough for someone to be in love with you. I love it because it not only shows how heartbroken one can be and think after a breakup, but how it can also lead you to realize your worth, and how you will be enough for the right person.
Most Iconic line:
“Don’t you think I loved you too much to be used and discarded?
Don’t you think I loved you too much to think I deserve nothing?
But don’t tell me you’re sorry, boy
Feel sorry for yourself
‘Cause someday I’ll be everything to somebody else.”
5- Happier
Happier feels like an acceptance song. You internalize that person is no longer there, and they found someone that makes them happy. This obviously makes you happy, but you still don’t want them to be happier than when they were with you. This song is relatable cuz’ when you genuinely love someone, you want them to be happy, but it isn’t easy to accept it and think about it. It is kinda of a sense of competition between the new person and you.
Most Iconic line:
“I hope you’re happy, but don’t be happier.”
Ultimately, we can all agree that Sour is a piece of art that broke our hearts and made us not feel so alone while being heartbroken. One year later, these songs still make us cry and feel understood.