Ranking GUTS By Olivia Rodrigo: A Perfect Pop Punk Comeback
This article was written by The Zillennial Zine’s fall editorial intern Raven Minyard. Find her on Instagram at @raven.minyard. If you would like to share an article with The Zillennial, send us an email at thezillennialzine@gmail.com.
It’s been one week since Olivia Rodrigo released her second album GUTS, and it’s safe to say she did not have a sophomore slump. Dubbed an “instant classic” by Rolling Stone, GUTS feels like a modern callback to early Avril Lavigne, Demi Lovato and Miley Cyrus, making it the perfect album for Zillennials. Rodrigo’s wit shines through in songs like “all-american bitch” and “ballad of a homeschooled girl,” while she expresses her vulnerability in tracks like “logical” and “the grudge.” Her talent is obvious throughout the entire album, so it feels somewhat impossible to definitively rank which track is best. But today, we’re going to try anyway. Read on for our GUTS Olivia Rodrigo ranking and decide if you agree with our opinions.
12. vampire
I want to start by saying GUTS is a no-skip album for me. It was extremely difficult to decide what songs would go at the bottom of my ranking when they’re all so well done. It usually takes a while for me to come up with a definitive ranking when it comes to albums I love, so it’s very likely that “vampire” could just be in last place because it was the first single and the novelty has worn off. A common theme throughout the album is Rodrigo singing to or about a toxic, manipulative ex, and “vampire” expertly uses symbolic imagery to describe how this ex mentally and emotionally drained her.
11. teenage dream
Rodrigo closes her album with “teenage dream,” a song in the same vein as “Nothing New” by Taylor Swift, in which she expresses her anxieties around her career and aging. In the chorus, Rodrigo sings “Got your whole life ahead of you, you’re only nineteen / But I fear that they already got the best parts of me.” This reinforces the idea that society, and the media specifically, only view women as valuable when they’re new and young. The song, and the album, end with the repeated lyrics “They all say that it gets better / It gets better the more you grow / Yeah, they all say that it gets better / It gets better but what if I don’t?” The use of repetition shows that these thoughts are repeatedly running through her mind, and the fact that the album ends on this question, as if Rodrigo is wondering what is to become of her career, is brilliant.
10. the grudge
GUTS’s tenth track “the grudge” describes the aftermath of a relationship that Rodrigo just can’t shake. She compares her recurring thoughts and feelings to holding a grudge, and the title is also reminiscent of the 2004 horror movie The Grudge, which implies that these are nightmares that she just can’t escape. As one of the slower songs on the album, Rodrigo’s painful lyrics are the focus on this track.
9. pretty isn’t pretty
If there’s one song that every girl can relate to on GUTS, it’s this one. It critiques the ever-evolving and increasingly demanding beauty standards for women, stating that you can change everything about yourself and it will still never be enough. By the time you achieve one standard, trends have already changed and something else is considered prettier. Rodrigo sings that “none of it matters and none of it ends,” encouraging listeners to stop wasting time trying to achieve perfection when it will never be perfect enough.
8. ballad of a homeschooled girl
Another extremely relatable song on GUTS is “ballad of a homeschooled girl.” In this song, Rodrigo expresses her struggles with social situations, playfully blaming them on the fact that she was homeschooled. This is an anthem for the socially anxious and those who overthink every social interaction they have. With lines like “it’s social suicide, wanna curl up and die,” this is a fun and dramatic but realistic depiction of how it feels trying to navigate the world as a teenager.
7. bad idea right?
Olivia Rodrigo made the right decision when she made “bad idea right?” GUTS’s second single. So many of the songs on this album reflect the aftermath of toxic relationships, and Rodrigo does a good job of balancing true pain and bad decisions you can laugh at later. This track focuses on the latter, as she knows it’s a bad idea to see her ex but does so anyway. This is a fun song to sing with your friends and one that you can listen to on repeat without getting tired of it.
6. all-american bitch
Remniscient of our favorite early 2000s pop rock, “all-american bitch” turns the “America’s Sweetheart” stereotype on its head. Rodrigo opens the album by softly listing her “good” All-American girl traits, then turns it all around with the guitar-heavy chorus. This song perfectly encapsulates what it feels like to be a young woman and how society’s expectations for how we’re supposed to look and behave are never realistic. This is a perfect album opener because it shows listeners that Rodrigo isn’t going to pull punches – we’re going to see her authentic self.
5. love is embarrassing
This track has been incredibly underrated so far. “love is embarrassing” explores the feeling of ending a bad relationship and realizing how embarrassing you acted while you were in it. But at least we got an amazing song out of Olivia’s embarrassment! This is an incredibly catchy, fun song that, like so many others on this album, feels like it could be in an early 2000s teen movie. Most of us can agree that being delusional is fun, and this song is the perfect soundtrack for being cringey in love and having fun with it anyway.
4. lacy
If you’re a fan of “Heather” by Conan Gray, then you’re sure to love Olivia Rodrigo’s “lacy.” This track blurs the lines between jealousy and infatuation. With lines like “I feel your compliments like bullets on my skin” and “Well, aren’t you the greatest thing to ever exist?” listeners can feel Rodrigo’s sarcasm and envy while also acknowledging that there is a level of sincerity buried underneath. She can’t decide if she loves, hates or wants to be Lacy, and we can feel that conflict perfectly throughout the song.
3. logical
One of Rodrigo’s best ballads, “logical” shows us her vulnerability as she sings about a toxic, manipulative relationship. In my opinion, this is the most emotional track on the album, and Rodrigo’s pain truly comes through in her voice. She questions herself and wonders if she’s made up all of the pain she felt. She compares her doubt to thinking “two plus two equals five” signaling that the love interest is so manipulative that he has her believing things she knows aren’t true. If this were a Taylor Swift song, it would definitely be a track 5.
2. making the bed
In “making the bed,” Rodrigo plays with the expression “You’ve made your bed, now lie in it.” She sings about not wanting to be where she is, pushing people away and feeling like the victim, all the while knowing she feels this way because of her own actions. This song perfectly captures what it feels like to have anxiety about who you feel you are behind closed doors, when you can “pull the sheets over [your] head.” Rodrigo’s vulnerability while expressing her self-loathing lands this song in the number two spot.
1. get him back!
Already being described by fans as perfectly depicting female rage, “get him back!” is a scream-in-the-car-worthy revenge song. What makes this song work so well is the double meaning in the phrase “get him back.” Rodrigo knows her ex was toxic and that she should want nothing to do with him, but part of her still misses him. She’s torn between wanting to get revenge and wanting to be with him. This feeling is something so many people can relate to, and Rodrigo makes it FUN. An instant fan-favorite, it’s no surprise that “get him back!” is my top song on GUTS.
Do you agree with our GUTS Olivia Rodrigo ranking? Which song from the album is your favorite? Let us know in the comments!