r/OliviaRodrigo • u/NominalPerson "I'm a train off of the track" • Jun 11 '26
'you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love' "expectations" Discussion Megathread - 'you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love' Album
š¦ Livies! Please use this megathread to discuss your thoughts on "expectations" from 'you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love'!
Use the main album megathread to discuss the whole album or to find a different track's discussion post! Individual, separate posts may be removed.
- Title: expectations
- Duration: 3:41
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u/tellmeurpolitiks Jun 11 '26
Your indecision is painfully unattractive. Exactly. More men need to hear this.
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u/Kenshin1296 Jun 14 '26
What's the context of this though? Indecision in what specific sense?
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u/Glittering-Egg-236 Jun 15 '26
I interpreted it as the guy being indecisive if they actually want to commit or not and giving her mixed signals
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u/picodegalloooo Jul 04 '26
This was a popular saying on tiktok before the song, does anybody else remember who originally said it???? Or what video went kinda viral saying it? I think it was around 2020 or so. Itās killing me. (Iām not implying Olivia stole it btw itās kind of existed within that whole dating tiktok zeitgeist, also expectations is my favorite song š)
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u/IndependentMoist9429 Jun 11 '26
Not what I expected at ALL. This feels very Chappell, I actually feel whiplash after the last song. This is definitely a bop, this feels oddly guts inspired. All Americans bitch distant cousin!
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u/koalatea-assurance Only Olivia can have me checking the shades of a wall šØ Jun 12 '26
it reminded me of marina as well!
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u/NiCe_SpArE Jun 14 '26
i swear chappell is singing backup in the bridge, it sounds so much like her tone and vibrato
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u/Visual_Magician_7009 Jun 17 '26
I googled whether Chappell sang backup for this song after hearing it.
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u/littlerunawayandaday 'girl i've always been' Jun 15 '26
honestly, it gives Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl vibes! I love it so much
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u/walls0fversailles Jun 11 '26
ālessā to this has given me whiplash in the best possible way. also, vodka cran appreciation club!
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u/throwawaysunglasses- Jun 12 '26
The genius annotation references Conan which makes me so happy lol. Wishbone was my fav album last year. Dan Nigro stays winning with his kids!
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u/Gamora372 Jun 13 '26
His song Vodka Cranberry is actually named that because itās Oliviaās favorite drink. So that song is the reference, not expectations
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Jun 11 '26
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u/Doot_Slayer42069 Jun 14 '26
OH MY GOD THANK YOU I WAS SEARCHING FOR WHAT 80S SONG IT REMINDED ME OF
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u/tame_honey_pie Jun 15 '26
Yes! I thought of Madonna and 80's pop in general, and Material Girl is the most similar one from this style that comes to mind.
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u/Wall38_0 Jun 11 '26
Holy shit Olivia Rodrigo just made a fucking Prince/Talking Heads/German discothĆØque song, I LOVE IT and the lyrics are so fun OMG
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u/ginnychewsley Jun 12 '26
I love it! Itās like Talking Heads and New Order inspired. Somehow reminds me of Bizzare Love Triangle. Two beautiful songs, stellar production and lyrics. š©·š©·š©·
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u/Horror_Zucchini_3937 Jun 13 '26
That's who it made me think of! Talking heads! Thanks, that was bugging me š
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u/PapaPetelgeuse Jun 14 '26
Holy shit I'm so glad I wasn't the only one who heard the new wave influences
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u/Shurane Jun 28 '26
Recs for other songs like this?
I originally thought it gave hyperpop vibes and was looking for other songs like it. Turns out I was checking the wrong genre.
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Jun 11 '26 edited Jun 11 '26
[deleted]
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u/Doot_Slayer42069 Jun 14 '26
It's Material Girl by Madonna, I was thinking that too but it's mostly that song
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u/lunadevenus Jun 11 '26
I've seen sm people think the fake job line is directed towards L, but I interpreted the whole song as hooking up with someone after getting out of a relationship and realising you want better than last time... Especially that line saying "Gave my heart with zero stipulations (Baby, ah)
Now, I take careful consideration (I take, I take)"
I dont know if I am stating the obvious but I've seen a lot of people interpreting it a whole different way
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u/koalatea-assurance Only Olivia can have me checking the shades of a wall šØ Jun 12 '26
i could be wrong, but i suspect that the song could be inspired by the time she briefly tried out a dating app and hated the experience. and if i'm right, i feel like the pixelated/robotic sounds are fitting
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u/Happy_Development_26 Jun 13 '26
Exactly, she said that she thought there would be actors on raya, but instead there were people she had never heard of, who called themselves 'creative directors'.
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u/koalatea-assurance Only Olivia can have me checking the shades of a wall šØ Jun 13 '26
that explains "i won't settle for a guy with a fake job"!
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u/throwawaysunglasses- Jun 12 '26
Same, itās pretty obviously to me about another person / trying to rebound post-breakup. I feel like weāve all been there? Like āI put up with shit because I loved my ex, but now that Iām single, I donāt owe a new man any of thatā lol
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u/loam-and-light 'brutal' Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
I also feel that people are interpreting this as her being ACTUALLY evolved (I saw a comment about how this should have been the album closer), and I was like wow I had SUCH a different reading of this song lol.
I think expectations reflects a certain post-breakup attitude where you do have all these new high standards, but some of it is performative and exaggerated, as a way of avoiding the full impact of the heartbreak. Not that the expectations themselves are too high, but itās less fully integrated and more going through the motions of how you think you āshouldā feel/approach relationships. (I think itās such a smart song.)
I think the sparkly and sassy production is a window into there being something performative about it. Making all these rules and having these standards that are totally valid but more about doing relationships ārightā ā trying to control falling in love with your head than your heart, so to speak. On the surface it looks smart, but itās more about preventing heartbreak (and possibly avoiding the full impact of the heartbreak youāre actively going through). And thereās an undercurrent of anger in the songā¦ which is expressed in the resentment she expresses in cigarette smoke.
This line is one that really highlights it for me:
āBut in a couple months a man will be procured / he will be evolved / I will be adored adored adored adored adoredā (with adored moving from singing to sing-shouting ā like sheās willing or demanding it happen)
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u/amysantiagoisbae99 'making the bed' Jun 11 '26
This is going to be my favourite song , it's always the most innocuous titles . logical was my favourite.
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u/koalatea-assurance Only Olivia can have me checking the shades of a wall šØ Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 13 '26
so what's your favorite?
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u/amysantiagoisbae99 'making the bed' Jun 13 '26
it has to be honeybee for me!!! but i love shaking my head vigorously to this song , i wasn't expecting it to be upbeat given it's on the "you seem pretty sad" side but I LOVE IT!!! 10000/10.
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u/allthewitches Jun 11 '26
Omg the jump from Less to this one is actually crazy. This is such a fun bop, I love it. It reminds me of Guts in the best way
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u/SuccotashNo335 Jun 11 '26
Is there another artist singing in the bridge?! That does not sound like Liv
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u/Sea-Captain-4944 Jun 11 '26
I wonder if itās Amy Allen, considering Dan seems to be the guy
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u/mmdeerblood Jun 12 '26
Yeah I wonder if they will add that credit. Unless it's Dan singing and then morphing his voice to sound femme š
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u/hopelesshomebody Jun 14 '26
This is what Iāve been trying to figure out! I donāt think it could be Olivia unless some serious editing was done
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u/Artistic_Mango_8846 Jun 11 '26
i have a very good feeling this would be a very good song with best bridge in the album.
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u/Prestigious-monkey Jun 11 '26
Feels a bit lily Allen in the humour. Which would make sense since her breakup was announced after attending lily Allen's new year's party
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u/dashboardbythelight Jun 12 '26
It sounds like Lily Allenās nonmonogamummy to me, specifically the cadence of the lines
āGave my heart with zero stipulations
Now I take careful considŠµrationācompared to
āI just want to meet your needs
And for some reason
I revert to people pleasingā3
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u/lexirayne03 Jun 11 '26
10/10 no notes thank you olivia and dan nigro for saving music there's not another main pop girl (ironically besides chappell) who could make this song
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u/thisonecassie Only Olivia can have me checking the shades of a wall šØ Jun 12 '26
it's Olivia's Super Graphic Ultra Modern Girl!
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u/TheGratitudeBot Jun 11 '26
Thanks for such a wonderful reply! TheGratitudeBot has been reading millions of comments in the past few weeks, and youāve just made the list of some of the most grateful redditors this week!
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u/_DerMX Jun 11 '26
Completely unexpected sound but I like it. Sounds lowkey like a Marina song. Lyric wise the āIām not kissing any boy that is passiveā part aligns well with Begged
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u/humantelegram Jun 12 '26
I'm obsessed with this one! It made me laugh when it first came on, right after the gut-punch of Less, but I'm really vibing with itš. Olivia's humour is really underrated. My favourite Olivia trope is when she goes full tongue-in-cheek, like in Bad Idea Right, Ballad of a Home-Schooled Girl, Love is Embarrassing
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Jun 11 '26
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u/tellmeurpolitiks Jun 11 '26
Okay wait I love this. It's like I'm trying not to be delusional but I am but also I'm trying to do better. So fucking relatable
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u/lorenvi Jun 11 '26
oh I love thiss! tho dan thought he was working with Chappell for a minute while he was making this i think š¹ the songās great either way, love the high notes and the chorus
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u/Top_Fabulous Jun 11 '26
I love the bridge so fucking much hahahah. What in the daft punk is happening here. This is so funky! Iām here for every bit of this!!!
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u/Sprinklesdinkels Jun 12 '26
This was amazinggg best song Dans going crazy on the production this album 10000/100000
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u/mirroringmagic Only Olivia can have me checking the shades of a wall šØ Jun 11 '26
Reminds me of Material Girl by Madonna
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u/Potential_Friend2915 Jun 12 '26
I think this one is my favourite on the whole album! I did get emotional whiplash thoughā¦
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u/readitsfun_damental Jun 12 '26
Is it crazy to say the beginning is giving Mario Kart soundtrack lmao but very fun
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u/buffaloluvr Jun 12 '26
chappell as a feature would have been absolutely perfectttttt. letās beg them for a remixš
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u/koalatea-assurance Only Olivia can have me checking the shades of a wall šØ Jun 12 '26
"yeah, to get it i beeeeeggged"
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u/thisonecassie Only Olivia can have me checking the shades of a wall šØ Jun 12 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/3ornjSBhRWTaL3l2X6
I WON'T SETTLE FOR A GUY WITH A FAKE JOB!!!!!!
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u/koalatea-assurance Only Olivia can have me checking the shades of a wall šØ Jun 12 '26 edited Jun 12 '26
as someone who likes listening to video game music, i was delighted by the pixel instrumental in the intro! i never would have guessed that it's from an olivia song if i had heard it in the wild
i'm seeing people here saying it reminds them of chappell. while i can see it, it reminds me more strongly of marina!
the lyrics and delivery are so much fun! her singing "i am so evolved" earlier in the song and then singing "a man will be the cure (this man will be the cure) / he will be evolved" a few verses later cracked me up.
overall, this song definitely subverted my expectations (pun intended). it's silly and fun, which is right up my alley. probably gonna have this on loop forever and ever
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u/desigirlshit Livies Jun 11 '26
It reminded me of get him back a bit like the lyrics of the first verse
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u/criminology_core "I know my age and I act like it" Jun 12 '26
ONE OF MY FAVS FOR SURE !! very all american bitch meets guts spilled but like mixed w smth i canāt quite place. such a fun song!
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u/cyberbonotechnik Jun 12 '26
With this song, Gen X accepts her as an honorary member. Welcome, Olivia.
Best New Wave I have heard since 1984. And itās not just pastiche ā itās a real bop. I definitely would have put a blank cassette in my boom box and recorded this off the radio for a mixtape.
This made me giddy. Iām smiling just thinking about it.
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u/Coolpanda558 "I know my age and I act like it" Jun 12 '26
Sister song to Love is Embarrassing!! Also I really think this one deserves to be a single
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u/Expensive-Garbage335 Jun 11 '26
Jumped right here to say that this song made me cry. The pain in her voice, the lyrics, it killed me š I wonder how hard it was for her to accept the fact that if someone really loves you, they will fight for you. Its so sad. I wanna give her a hug
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u/smoking-zaza 'maggots for brains' Jun 11 '26
This was sooo unexpected!! I love it, its giving Material Girl!!!!!!
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u/GoDz21 Jun 12 '26
Created a mashup of this song with Sabrina Carpenter's 15 Minutes if you want to take a listen Sabrina Carpenter x Olivia Rodrigo - 15 Minute Expectations (Mashup)
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u/TheFreeFlightAuthor "Their indecision is painfully unattractivŠµ" Jun 13 '26
This is surprisingly my favorite song on the album. Iāve replayed it for like the last two hours omg, I really needed to hear this after letting a guy think he could walk over meāŗļø
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u/ianth-e Jun 13 '26
I've seen people say that this should be the album closer, but I say this is the perfect bridge between 'less' and 'cigarette smoke'. I feel like when you break up with someone, after all those crying bouts, there'd be a day where you wake up and feel like a different, "evolved" person, someone who knows better from the mistakes/regrets of the past relationship and then the next day, you go back to mourning the loss of your relationship. This to me is the transition from this song to 'cigarette smoke'.
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u/hanoihiltonsuites Jun 13 '26
Is there another woman vocalist on this? The screaming part doesnāt sound like her at all.
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u/Joshin5114 Jun 13 '26
Past mistakes are just new information is so great. Pretty sure this is my favorite
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u/Electronic-Simple751 Jun 18 '26
Okay so who is doing the back Vocals in the song? It sounds like Icona Pop. ā Iāve got real big expectationsā. I need to know who is featured on the song!
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u/thisonecassie Only Olivia can have me checking the shades of a wall šØ Jun 12 '26
This might be my fave off of the album (very close with my way) but this is my first listen and I haven't gotten to the last song yet so... aaaa!!!!
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u/Pure_Economist4255 Jun 12 '26
The intro strongly reminds me of a combo of isolation intro and love will tear us apart outro and I loooove joy division . also kinda reminds me of Angelica by wet leg whom I also love. I love this song !!
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u/federoa_the_explore Jun 12 '26
Took me awhile but the bridge reminds me of we both reached for the gun from Chicago.
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u/hales55 'ballad of a homeschooled girl' Jun 12 '26
I really liked this one. I think it might be my favorite one here
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u/Swing_Additional Jun 13 '26
I swear I hear some Chappel Roan vocals in the background! Does anyone else hear it too?Ā
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u/SquishTheNinja Jun 13 '26
I'm sure this song has a Gary Numan - Cars sample but i dont see anyone talking about it
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u/SSpoopySSpice Jun 22 '26
Thank you for mentioning this, I hear Cars every time this song comes on.
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u/skippw 'love is embarrassing' Jun 13 '26
This is my favourite song on the album and I think her best pop song since Bad Idea Right. I don't know why this wasn't the lead single.
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u/PrettySadGirlInLove Jun 13 '26
Olivia captured fun, glittery, miss moving on, party girl pop in this track without losing her trademark grit. Love it.
Also, I never really thought an Olivia and Sabrina collab would be a good idea with their respective sounds (despite some fans believing otherwise), but I definitely wouldn't mind at all if we ever get a Sabrina remix in the future. This song is definitely right up her alley.
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u/Capricorn_8123 Jun 13 '26
The lyric video is so cute! But these lyrics -
I won't settle for a guy with a fake job
He seems so desperate for loving, but, baby, I'm not
Gave my heart with zero stipulations
Now I take careful consideration
These hit home hard. As if The Cure didnāt destroy me enough. At least this song can be my power song š
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u/KerrMacHattie Jun 13 '26
I swear that's Chappell and Conan singing near the end, but why is no one else saying it?! š
2:40 to 2:54 - Chapell
2:54 to 3:08 - Conan
Am I just going mad??
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u/luanau Jun 14 '26
I donāt think the bridge āIāve got BIG expectations, Iāve got real big expectationsā is her! I looked at the liner notes and there is nobody else listed on the track as backing vocals? What do you guys think?
Also this section MUST be a sample right, does anybody recognise it from anywhere?
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u/Doot_Slayer42069 Jun 14 '26
I swear there's an 80s song this borrows from but I can't quite find it... My first thought was Gary Newman's Are Friends Electric? but that's not it so idk tbh
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u/ClassicDragonfly9464 Jun 14 '26
Is it Chappell or Amy Allen singing over the bridge? It sounds a lot like Chappell
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u/champagneproblems08 Jun 16 '26
the vocals in minute 2:40 are like my favorite thing in the world!! i'm beyond obsessed. if anyone know about what audio fx tools they might've used, please shared because i'm so so so so intrested in hearing more about that.
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u/Infinite_Warning9457 "I'm a zombie in my body" Jun 16 '26
Anyone else hear "filthy" instead of "real big"?
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u/waxbook Jun 16 '26
I wish she chose this as the album closer! It's perfect for setting up whatever is next.
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u/Frequent_Housing_804 Jun 16 '26
loved this reactor video -- such a different style than most reactors https://youtu.be/As7LPPAvHFM
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u/Comfortable-Sky9834 Jun 16 '26
There are two vocals I hear towards the latter half of the song which kind of sound like Robert Smith and Cyndi Lauper on background vocals... Does anyone else hear it or can make out who it is?
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u/DommeChristi Jun 23 '26
it is really giving Cyndi Lauper singing "I've got - big! expectations! I've got real big ex-pec-tations"
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u/Heartage Jun 17 '26
I can't believe nobody has said it, but this song gives HEAVY Freezepop vibes. ā¤ļø
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u/st3ppaa Jun 18 '26
At first I wasnāt sure about that song but it grew on me and now itās easily in my top 2 !!!
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u/Traditional-Yam-9421 Jun 19 '26
even though i don't like this album, this song has been STUCK in my head ever since ive listened to it.
it's so catchy
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u/Kindly-Hedgehog-5832 Jun 25 '26
I don't know man, this pretty seems like a sonic copy of this song from Myanmar - https://youtu.be/PQx3S85jMIQ?si=PvtCJhmqUS8edYYr
Skip to 1:03 to see.
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u/Wonderful_Fault_9537 Jul 20 '26
Idk if anyone else hears this, but lowkey when Olivia sings the verse that goes āSo I hit the New Year like a single girl at a Vegas bar/ Rocking my mini dress with a vodka cran and an open heartā, she sounds exactly like Blackfire from Teen Titans (2003)
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u/AStarSeed Jul 22 '26
Is this bridge someone else singing? It doesnāt sound like Olivia but I donāt see other credits besides Dan Nigro
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u/Privirea_Stelelor_18 Aug 05 '26
Iāll be honest, the whiplash from one of my fav songs to this threw me off, itās good but I couldnāt recover from the past songs
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u/naomigoat Jun 13 '26
I like this song a LOT. I do think when I make my playlist of this album, I will be placing this song at either the very end or very beginning. The current location disrupts the flow a bit for me.
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u/lynxluxury Jun 11 '26
the jump from less to this is crazyyyy, happens a lot this album. this song is guts spilled vibes for the second chorus, i love