Olivia Rodrigo: Drop Dead review - a maximalist rush of infatuation that’s just a bauble short of festive
The Guardian • • entertainment
Key Points:
- Olivia Rodrigo's new single "Drop Dead" features fresh, relatable lyrics about modern romance, capturing the obsessive intensity of online-infatuation with a catchy melody destined to linger in listeners' minds.
- Rodrigo, who rose to fame in 2021 after a Disney Channel career, has become known for acute, self-aware pop songs about love, blending pop-punk and rock influences, and collaborating with artists like Robert Smith of the Cure.
- "Drop Dead" marks a stylistic pivot from her previous punky breakup anthems to a lush, romantic rush with maximalist strings and soaring vocals, drawing comparisons to Chappell Roan and Taylor Swift's melodic style.
- The music video, set in the Palace of Versailles and directed by Petra Collins, visually complements the song's themes of escapism and emotional intensity, featuring Rodrigo in a dynamic, almost cinematic portrayal.
- The track conveys a complex emotional narrative of obsession and vulnerability, suggesting that intense love leads to messy, ambiguous endings rather than neat resolutions, resonating with Rodrigo's trademark raw honesty.
