Olivia Rodrigo’s Comeback Single ‘Vampire’ Is A Messy, Dramatic Triumph

Reaching an even higher level of drama than anything on her first album, SOUR, Rodrigo’s ‘vampire’ just became one of the best songs of the year.

Dearly beloved, we are gathered today to discuss an epic ballad about betrayal, gaslighting and narcissism… but enough about Colleen Ballinger and her 10-minute ukulele non-apology video!

Olivia Rodrigo is a much more sympathetic character — and it’s precisely that relatability that’s made her arguably the biggest new artist of the decade so far. In the first half of 2021, her debut single ‘drivers license’ was a heartrending power ballad that built into a phenomenon — four of the nine tracks on her debut album SOUR have well over a billion Spotify streams. With no deluxe edition or bonus tracks, SOUR’s momentum only stopped because Rodrigo willed it; because sooner or later, she’d have to retreat from the public eye and live enough life to document it in a new set of songs.

Two years later — and she’s still only 20! — ‘vampire’ is the lead single to her second album GUTS, due in September. Like ‘drivers license,’ ‘vampire’ opens with soft piano chords, this time playing a nostalgic progression that evokes Elton John or the Beatles. But Rodrigo cuts through the atmosphere with a set of breathless, wordy verses: “Hate to give the satisfaction asking how you’re doing now/How’s the castle built off people you pretend to care about?”

As the song, which reunites her with producer Dan Nigro, builds from heart-pounding kick drums into slamming power chords, it begins to feel more and more like a train coming off its tracks. Rodrigo dissects an older ex-lover who exploited both her youth and newfound fame, delivering accusations with venomous precision: “The way you sold me for parts/As you sunk your teeth into me, oh/Bloodsucker, fame fucker/Bleedin’ me dry like a goddamn vampire!”

How literal is the relationship she sings about? It doesn’t matter, as long as the message comes through. ‘vampire’ is a thrilling, terrifying portrait of how it feels to be gaslit and manipulated by someone in a position of power — the flipside of Billie Eilish’s gentler ballad ‘Your Power’. By the time the final chorus hits, Rodrigo has worked her magic again — reaching an even higher level of drama than anything on SOUR. It’s instantly one of the best songs of the year.

 

The music video, directed by Petra Collins, is just as gripping. As Rodrigo sings on an award show stage, she’s injured by a falling spotlight. She breaks away from the camera, looking desperately to the crowd for someone to help her. But as the stage lights on fire, cops try to drag her away, and she runs away from the Hollywood glitz and glamour. As the song ends, she floats above the city — bloodied, joyful, and free. Olivia Rodrigo is ready to reclaim her pain — again.

Main Image Credit: Olivia Rodrigo by Larissa Hofmann