olivia rodrigo sets a record

that's really a really refreshing from an older artist

Another thing "Brutal" reminds me of--feel-wise, if not totally musically--is Courtney Barnett stuff like "Pedestrian At Best".

^That’s really funny; I’ve been trying to “sing” Brutal in my head the past day or so, and keep singing that song instead (I just listened to the CB album last week).

Oh wait, not that CB song—the one about swimming.

This supports the points that ufo (and others) have been making about "just-in-case" songwriting credits, but it's really surprising to me: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/olivia-rodrigo-adds-taylor-swift-st-vincent-jack-antonoff-co-writes-to-deja-vu-1193659/

We're talking about a few shouted lines, the melodic similarity seems so minimal. It does not seem good for creativity for songwriters to be running scared (IMO, but other songwriters/artists have made similar comments).

It only happens/matters when your record is a smash hit though. So it seems like a good policy to write what you want and then chip off the percentages once there's a big pot of money and everyone comes calling.

I think this is great:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FaCO7pNx08

ok actually giving paramore a credit for "good 4 u" is the biggest stretch yet lol? like is there any sort of similarity at all beyond pop punk with the same chords in the chorus because that is not worth a writing credit

they did that now? ugh

My conspiracy theory is that Olivia Rodrigo is an industry plant with the purpose of pushing the boundaries for songwriting credits by making it even more acceptable to sue over moderate similarities in songwriting, instead of outright rips, in this post-Blurred Lines world.

Also, just want to add that there is a guitar tag in there that is a ripped-straight-from-the-pages-of-a-1995-Guitar-World rendition of Welcome to Paradise by Green Day. You think I'd get a finders fee from Reprise if I turned her in?

it sounds to me like the same chords in the chorus with the same melody sung over it with a similar cadence (in the beginning). it does diverge after the beginning. it sounds so clear in the mashup that I don't understand how people feel this is breaking new ground (but maybe this mashup makes drastic changes to either song that I don't recognize). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YB-rn6f--XY

my first thought when i heard that song was hey this sounds like misery business... sounds way more like misery business than that other song sounds like pump it up

maybe this is just bound to happen for a pop star that mines all these different eras of rock music instead of r&b/rap/pop/disco/whatever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qX7a2p5_JsM

The Taylor Swift/Paramore mashup coulda been a hit

great video

Yeah, I thought that was very well done. It initially persuaded me that the songs were more similar than I was perhaps willing to admit, but then confirmed my suspicion that their similarity isn't particularly exceptional.

i'm sure a billion people have said this already but every time i hear her post-driver's license singles out in the wild, i'm surprised anew at how much better her post-driver's license singles are than driver's license

Me too. I never want to listen to "Driver's License," I always want to listen to "Good 4 You."

Driver's License grew on me, but yeah, most of the songs on the record are more interesting than that one, esp. the singles

the "like a damn sociopath" bit is maybe the musical moment of the year for me...

that 10-min. video is really well done, good stuff.

The thing about "like a damn sociopath" is -- I mean, it's felt, it hits, to an extent, but to some extent I'm too old for it -- the song ISN'T about a sociopath, it's about somebody who's in love with you and then isn't, which is a foundational part of teenage life -- of course if you're the person no longer loved you're gonna see it as a lie and a betrayal -- "you said you'd love me FOREVER but that was not actually a FACTUALLY CORRECT STATEMENT" -- a signal that something is actually badly wrong with the soul of the person who no longer loves -- but, like, I can't inhabit that feeling, all I can do is observe it being well-captured and to some extent dimly remember a time in my life when it would have made sense

a song so great, it can contain the line "Your apathy's like a wound in salt" and still be the best song of the year!

maybe you're just emotional

xxp i just think it sounds cool when she yells it

I am totally not in a demographic to like her music but "Good 4 U" is a jam and I (not so) secretly love it whenever I am out and about in public and it gets played.

Nobody posted this yet and it only "dropped" last week so...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGUy2UmRxJ0

Every generation has an "I'm Eighteen" I guess...
I am an old man and I think it sounds like Elastica which is fine with me.

Courtney love claiming she stole the cover art concept from Hole is some pathetic stuff

That's a real three girl rhumba right there.

Nobody posted this yet and it only "dropped" last week so...

It’s a good video!

The thing about "like a damn sociopath" is -- I mean, it's felt, it hits, to an extent, but to some extent I'm too old for it -- the song ISN'T about a sociopath, it's about somebody who's in love with you and then isn't, which is a foundational part of teenage life

Conversely, since my partner pointed it out, I have a hard time imagining the teenager who found a therapist for her ex and bitterly observes his new automotive purchase and career success. Makes sense that it was co-written by a teenage girl and a middle-aged man. Catchy tune, though.

Maybe teenagers who are Disney stars are really like this idk

This is a good performance (below). Her Tiny Desk Concert goes up tmrrw, and tour tix go on sale Friday (I briefly entertained the idea of checking out the seats, but this Austin City Limits crowd reminded me of who her actual fan base is, and... nope, ha ha.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_rYWBle1_4

I was surprised at the venue she's playing here: it's a big venue but it's not the stadium you would expect for a chart-topping global superstar.

i think it's really quite rare to go straight to playing arenas, even for pop acts who have been as successful as her right out the gate, so not surprising that she's just starting at the next step down. she also only has half an hour of material

That seems reasonable. I remember when Adele played the Riviera in Chicago after 21 came out. Seems crazy in retrospect.

Yeah, I was pleased to see that OR is playing the Greek Theater here (a venue I enjoy). I'm reaching out to a guy a know with a preteen daughter to see if they're going, maybe I can tag along...

she talks about that here with phoebe

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18UGudtPZHE

Her Tiny Desk Concert was filmed in a DMV office; nice gag!

man, could they have pushed her guitarists further off to the sides on Austin City Limits? they're not even in the straight-on shot, they're off in the shadows.

it's weird! and it feels icky.

Ended up trying to buy tix for one/either of the Greek shows (my pal & his family were in, if I could snag 'em) – it was a frustrating/depressing experience. Cool idea for her two play two shows at a smaller venue, but the scheme clearly couldn't support the demand for Time's "Entertainer of the Year."

(If my number had come up in the "Verified Fan" lottery thing, it may have gone differently. Right now, I could buy "AXS Premium" tickets for a mere $1,099 each – not including fees, that's where they get ya)

yeah I signed up for the Verified Fan thing and was notified that I'm on the waitlist last night so I think the only thing this Verified Fan service does is notify you ahead of time that you have no chance in hell of getting a ticket, saves me the time and minor stress of trying to get a ticket come 10am on Friday morning

She has a longform "Road Trip" thing on Disney+ with some nice performances (new arrangements / instrumentation) in picturesque settings.

The doc is also sprinkled with "in-studio" clips from the Sour sessions – including the moment when Dan Nigro (purportedly) hits upon the "Brutal" riff; Olivia starts improvising a melody/lyric; and (in the next clip) they record the finished song the next day. (This action is kicked off by some mini angst around needing one more "upbeat track" for the album.)

(Nigro says "I'll go home and listen to some Elvis Costello" – just kidding)

She's doing "Seether" on tour:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1hniLIF7IU

(content warning: rapidly flashing lights)

(also: severely '90s fashion)

Trying to place this into my own time frame, I decided it would have been like Debbie Gibson covering "Leader of the Pack" on her first tour.

I think your math is off... 1987 - 28 = 1959

(that's assuming you're going for that level of precision, lol)

OMG, she's also doing "Complicated":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFS1XL3ns5w

I feel like I am being personally targeted.