The Grudge (song)

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"The Grudge"
Song by Olivia Rodrigo
from the album Guts
ReleasedSeptember 8, 2023 (2023-09-08)
Length3:09
LabelGeffen
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Dan Nigro
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.

Background[edit]

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]

Composition[edit]

"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]

Reception[edit]

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]

In relation to Swift[edit]

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 and personnel[edit]

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Guts.[12]

  • Olivia Rodrigo – vocals, background vocals, songwriter
  • Dan Nigro – producer, songwriter, engineer, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, percussion, piano, vocal producer, bass, synthesizer, mellotron, background vocals
  • Ryan Linvill – additional producer, engineer, acoustic guitar, saxophone, bass, synthesizer
  • Randy Merrill – mastering
  • Mitch McCarthy – mixing

Charts[edit]

Chart performance for "The Grudge"
Chart (2023) Peak
position
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

Certifications[edit]

Certifications for "The Grudge"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[33] Gold 40,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[edit]

  1. ^ Blistein, Jon (June 13, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo Is Finally Ready to Release New Music". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  2. ^ Unterberger, Andrew (February 23, 2022). "Woman of the Year Olivia Rodrigo Is Writing New Music (and Reuniting with a Big Collaborator)". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 22, 2023. Retrieved June 15, 2023.
  3. ^ Dailey, Hannah (June 26, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo Announces Sophomore Album Guts: Here's When It Arrives". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  4. ^ Shafer, Ellise (June 26, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo Announces Sophomore Album, Guts, Coming in September". Variety. Archived from the original on June 26, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  5. ^ Denis, Kyle (June 21, 2023). "Fans Think Olivia Rodrigo Shared a Snippet of New Song 'Vampire': Listen". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 22, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2023.
  6. ^ Snapes, Laura (September 2, 2023). "'I had all these feelings of rage I couldn't express': Olivia Rodrigo on overnight pop superstardom, plagiarism and growing up in public". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 17, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c Olson, Samantha (September 8, 2023). "Fans Theorize That Olivia Rodrigo's 'The Grudge' Lyrics Are About Taylor Swift". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  8. ^ Brandle, Lars (July 7, 2023). "Taylor Swift Sets Chart Record in Australia with Top-Five Sweep". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  9. ^ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100: Week of July 15, 2023". Billboard. July 11, 2023. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  10. ^ Trust, Gary (July 10, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo's 'Vampire' Debuts as Her Third Billboard Hot 100 No. 1". Billboard. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  11. ^ Dailey, Hannah (August 7, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo Announces Next Guts Single 'Bad Idea Right?': Here's When It Arrives". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 7, 2023. Retrieved August 7, 2023.
  12. ^ a b c Geffen Records (2023). Guts (Media notes). Olivia Rodrigo.
  13. ^ Dailey, Hannah (July 31, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo Teases Guts Tracklist with Mysterious Video: Can You Decode the Clues?". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  14. ^ Dailey, Hannah (August 1, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo Unveils Guts Tracklist: 'All American B—h,' 'Get Him Back' & More Song Titles". Billboard. Retrieved August 1, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Rodrigo, Olivia (September 8, 2023). "Guts". Apple Music (US). Archived from the original on June 30, 2023. Retrieved June 30, 2023.
  16. ^ a b Dailey, Hannah (September 8, 2023). "Here's Why Fans Think Olivia Rodrigo's 'The Grudge' Is About Her Rumored Fallout with Taylor Swift". Billboard. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  17. ^ Gonzales, Erica (September 8, 2023). "Who Is Olivia Rodrigo's Song 'The Grudge' Really About?". Elle. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  18. ^ Spanos, Brittany (July 9, 2021). "Olivia Rodrigo Adds Taylor Swift, St. Vincent, Jack Antonoff Co-Writes to 'Deja Vu'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 9, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  19. ^ Williams, Sophie (September 8, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo – 'Guts' review: pop sensation secures her place as a generational talent". NME. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  20. ^ a b Sheffield, Rob (September 8, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo Crushes the Expectations and Delivers Another Witty, Pissed-Off Classic". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  21. ^ a b Lipshutz, Jason (September 8, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo's Guts: All 12 Songs Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
  22. ^ Carr, Mary Kate (September 9, 2023). "Olivia Rodrigo's Guts sounds familiar in the best way possible". The A.V. Club. Retrieved September 9, 2023.
  23. ^ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  24. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  25. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  26. ^ "IFPI Charts". www.ifpi.gr. Retrieved September 20, 2023.
  27. ^ "Official Irish Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  28. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. September 18, 2023. Retrieved September 16, 2023.
  29. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo – The Grudge". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved October 15, 2023.
  30. ^ "Veckolista Heatseeker, vecka 37". Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved September 15, 2023.
  31. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
  32. ^ "Olivia Rodrigo Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  33. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Olivia Rodrigo – The Grudge". Music Canada. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
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