"The Grudge" | |
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Song by Olivia Rodrigo | |
from the album Guts | |
Released | September 8, 2023 |
Length | 3:09 |
Label | Geffen |
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Lyric video | |
"The Grudge" on YouTube |
"The Grudge" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo. It is the tenth track on her second studio album, Guts (2023), which was released on September 8, 2023, by Geffen Records. Rodrigo wrote it with its producer, Dan Nigro. A piano ballad, "The Grudge" details how Rodrigo's relationship with a person went south after sharing an unpleasant phone call.
After the commercial success of her debut studio album, Sour (2021), [1] Olivia Rodrigo continued collaborating with Dan Nigro, who had produced all of the tracks on it. [2] The follow-up album, Guts (2023), was conceived when she was aged 19, a year that she described as "lots of confusion, mistakes, awkwardness & good old fashioned teen angst". [3] The album and its title were announced on June 26, 2023, and its lead single, "Vampire", was released four days later. [4] [5] Following fan speculation that "Vampire" was about American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, Rodrigo responded in The Guardian by stating "I mean, I never want to say who any of my songs are about. I've never done that before in my career and probably won't." Rodrigo also added "I was very surprised when people thought that". [6] [7] The song reached number one in various countries, [8] [9] including the United States, where it became her third number one single on the Billboard Hot 100. [10] "Bad Idea Right?" was chosen as the follow-up single. [11]
Rodrigo wrote "The Grudge" with Nigro. [12] On July 31, 2023, Rodrigo revealed a video clip which included clues about Guts' tracklist, intended for fans to decode. It featured her relaxing in a bedroom, unpacking boxes, and experimenting with various devices, including an electric keyboard and a retro typewriter. [13] On August 1, 2023, Rodrigo revealed the tracklist, which features "The Grudge" as the tenth track. [14] The song was released as a track of Guts on September 8, 2023, via Geffen Records. [15]
"The Grudge" is three minutes and nine seconds long. [15] Nigro provided production and vocal production, and he engineered the song with Ryan Linvill. He plays acoustic guitar, electric guitar, percussion, piano, bass, synthesizer, and mellotron and Linvill plays acoustic guitar, saxophone, bass, and synthesizer. Mitch McCarthy mixed the song, and Randy Merrill mastered it. [12]
"The Grudge" is a piano ballad, which finds Rodrigo "reflecting on a soured relationship with someone whom she once admired, admitting at the end that 'even after all this, you're still everything to me,' according to Billboard 's Hannah Dailey. [16] In the song, she recalls that her "entire world was changed" after receiving a phone call from this person during a Friday in the month of May. She goes on to describe the subject as someone who has "everything and [they] still want more"; its release was followed by some fans speculating that the song was about Swift and addressed alleged soured relations between the two after Rodrigo gave the latter songwriting credits on her song "Deja Vu" in July 2021. [16] [17] [18] However, several critics have interpreted the song to be about Rodrigo's regret and inability to forgive after a romantic breakup. [19] [20] According to Billboard, the song depicts Rodrigo's "racing thoughts", mental arguments, daydream about an overdue apology, and other details, in order "to find some solace in a crushing breakup." [21] Music journalist Rob Sheffield wrote, Rodrigo "torments herself over a breakup, arguing with him when she's alone in front of her bedroom mirror". [20]
In the first verse, Rodrigo expresses anguish about the subject deceiving her and announces that her confusion about the falling out of their relationship still continues. She hangs onto the incident and still thinks about it often. During the chorus, she confesses trying to forgive the person but not having the strength to do it. In the second verse, Rodrigo dreams that the subject is apologetic and wonders if their relations ended up being spoiled because the person was insecure about Rodrigo's success. [7]
In a ranking of all songs on Guts, Billboard's Jason Lipshutz named "The Grudge" the 9th best track and stated that the song encapsulates "her racing thoughts as she does everything she can" and "the vulnerability is beautifully rendered [...] with details leaping out of Rodrigo's mouth and a harrowing final line that drops into oblivion". [21]
Some critics reviewed "The Grudge" in the context of its potential references to Swift. Cosmopolitan 's Samantha Olson praised the bridge: "One thing about this bridge is that it seriously stings. As it potentially ties back to her budding relationship with Taylor, the flower line can allude to how the Midnights singer gave Olivia her flowers". [7] The A.V. Club 's Mary Kate Carr also noted the fan speculation and added: "Since Swift has cornered the market on writing songs about public feuds, so does that count as double inspiration?" [22]
Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Guts. [12]
Chart (2023) | Peak position |
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Australia (ARIA) [23] | 13 |
Canada (Canadian Hot 100) [24] | 18 |
Global 200 ( Billboard ) [25] | 14 |
Greece (IFPI) [26] | 35 |
Ireland (IRMA) [27] | 6 |
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [28] | 10 |
Portugal (AFP) [29] | 48 |
Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan) [30] | 2 |
UK Singles (OCC) [31] | 45 |
US Billboard Hot 100 [32] | 16 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Canada (Music Canada) [33] | Gold | 40,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [34] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Olivia Isabel Rodrigo is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She first rose to prominence for starring on the Disney Channel series Bizaardvark (2016–2019) and the Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019–2022).
American singer and actress Olivia Rodrigo has released two studio albums, one reissue, three extended plays (EPs), ten singles, and ten music videos. She also is a part of the soundtrack for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and also contributed to the soundtrack of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, releasing ten promotional singles from it, with "All I Want" managing to chart worldwide at a peak position of 119. After signing with Interscope and Geffen Records in 2020, she released her debut single "Drivers License" in January 2021, which propelled her to international fame. "Drivers License" debuted at number one in the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States, where it stayed for eight consecutive weeks, and topped the charts in 25 other countries. Subsequently, "Drivers License" was certified six times platinum in the US by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), eight times platinum in Canada by the Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA), seven times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), three times platinum in Norway and Portugal, two times platinum in United Kingdom, Poland, New Zealand and Sweden, and platinum in 10 other countries.
"Deja Vu" is a song by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo. It was released on April 1, 2021, through Geffen and Interscope Records, as the second single from her debut studio album, Sour (2021). Rodrigo wrote the song with its producer Dan Nigro, with Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, and St. Vincent receiving writing credits for its interpolation of Swift's 2019 song "Cruel Summer". An incorporation of various pop sub-genres, "Deja Vu" is about heartbreak and explores Rodrigo's anguish about her ex-partner repeating things they did in his new relationship.
Sour is the debut studio album by the American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo. It was released on May 21, 2021, by Geffen Records. The album was written by Rodrigo and producer Dan Nigro. Originally planned as an EP, Sour was expanded into a full-length album following the viral success of her debut single, "Drivers License".
"Favorite Crime" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo. It is the tenth track on Rodrigo's debut album Sour, which was released on May 21, 2021, through Geffen Records. It is a folk-pop and indie pop ballad, written by Rodrigo and its producer Dan Nigro.
"Traitor" is a song by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo. It was released to US mainstream radio on August 10, 2021, through Geffen Records, as the fourth single from Rodrigo's debut album, Sour (2021). An indie pop and guitar-rock ballad, the song was written by Rodrigo and Dan Nigro, and produced by the latter.
"Brutal" is a song by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo. It was released to Italian radio on September 3, 2021, through Geffen Records, as the fifth and final single from Rodrigo's debut album, Sour (2021). "Brutal" was written by Rodrigo and Dan Nigro, and produced by the latter.
"Good 4 U" is a song by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo. It was released on May 14, 2021, through Geffen and Interscope Records, as the third single from Rodrigo's debut studio album, Sour (2021). The song was written by Rodrigo and its producer Dan Nigro who co-produced it with Alexander 23; Hayley Williams and Josh Farro were given co-writing credits due to influence from Paramore's "Misery Business" (2007).
"Vampire" is a song by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo. Geffen Records released it on June 30, 2023, as the lead single from her second studio album, Guts (2023). Rodrigo co-wrote the song with its producer Dan Nigro. A pop rock tune, "Vampire" is driven by piano and rock instrumentation consisting of electric guitars, synthesizers, and programmed drums. An accompanying music video for the song directed by Petra Collins was released simultaneously.
Guts is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo, released on September 8, 2023, through Geffen Records. It was written and recorded with Rodrigo working closely alongside Dan Nigro, the producer and multi-instrumentalist of her debut album Sour (2021). Inspired by the period of time immediately following Sour's success, Rodrigo conceived Guts hoping to reflect the process of maturity she experienced toward the end of her teenage years.
"Obsessed" is a song by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo. It was released on March 22, 2024, through Geffen Records, as the only single from Guts (Spilled), the 2024 deluxe edition of her second studio album, Guts (2023).
"Bad Idea Right?" is a song by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo from her second studio album, Guts (2023). It was released by Geffen Records as the second single from Guts on August 11, 2023. Rodrigo co-wrote the song with its producer, Dan Nigro. An accompanying music video directed by Petra Collins was also released on August 11.
"Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl" is a song by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo for her second studio album, Guts (2023). Rodrigo wrote it with Dan Nigro, who produced it.
"Lacy" is a song by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo from her second studio album, Guts (2023). Rodrigo wrote it with its producer, Dan Nigro. The song became available as the album's fourth track on September 8, 2023, when it was released by Geffen Records. A folk-pop song in the vein of her debut studio album, Sour (2021), "Lacy" chronicles Rodrigo's obsession over the beauty of a female figure whom she addresses by the same name and her resulting envy and self-hatred.
"Get Him Back!" is a song by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo from her second studio album, Guts (2023). Rodrigo wrote it with Dan Nigro, who co-produced it with Alexander 23 and Ian Kirkpatrick. The song was sent to Italian radio as the album's third single on September 15, 2023. "Get Him Back!" was inspired by Rodrigo's tendency to enter into her relationships due to people's expectations and details both her desire to return to her ex and get vengeance on him. Some critics picked the song as a standout.
"All-American Bitch" is a song by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo. It is the opening track on her second studio album, Guts (2023), which was released on September 8, 2023, by Geffen Records. Rodrigo wrote it with her producer Dan Nigro. A folk song that transforms into a pop-punk song midway, "All-American Bitch" was inspired by an essay written by Joan Didion that used the titular words. Its lyrics are about the societal expectations placed on women.
The Guts World Tour is the ongoing second concert tour and first arena tour by the American singer-songwriter and actress Olivia Rodrigo in support of her second studio album, Guts (2023). It began on February 23, 2024, in Palm Springs in California, and will conclude on October 18, 2024, in Sydney, Australia, comprising 86 shows across North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania. The Breeders, Chappell Roan, PinkPantheress, Remi Wolf and Benee serve as supporting acts.
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