If Olivia Rodrigo bringing back sweet 2000’s era pop punk with ‘Good 4 U’ last year was your jam, her latest single ‘Bad Idea Right?’ is going to be music to your ears, and its accompanying video is a must-see too.
While heartbreak has been a consistent topic throughout Rodrigo’s work, ‘Bad Idea Right?’ takes a more playful and fun approach than many of her other songs, as she and co-writer Dan Nigro tell a story of an ex-boyfriend reconnection that she knew was a bad idea but went through with anyway. Layered with sarcasm, its entertaining to hear Rodrigo’s inner dialogue as she goes through with her immediately-regrettable decisions, and noisy punk instrumentation gives the song a frenetic energy that carries high from start to finish. It’s rare you’ll hear a guitar solo this discordant in a song this popular.
The music video, directed by frequent collaborator Petra Collins, is just as entertaining, featuring Rodrigo’s perilous journey to her ex’s house, hitching an ill-fated ride in a stranger’s truck bed and having a slushie accidentally dumped on her by a stranger on a bus. It’s surreal aesthetic culminates in an seriously explosive ending, as ex blows up in a flurry of fireworks as Rodrigo is laid next to him. As fiery as the song is, the visuals match it to a T.
“Bad Idea Right?” marks the second single Rodrigo has released towards her upcoming sophomore album GUTS, which is set for release via Geffen Records on September 8. It’s predecessor ‘Vampire’ (which also had Petra Collins-directed video) debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 when it was released back in June, marking her biggest debut of all time for multiple streaming platforms. A piano-only version of ‘Vampire’ was made available online last month, a stripped-down version of the chart-topping hit that features an intimate performance of Rodrigo at a piano.
Watch the music video for Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Bad Idea Right?’ below.
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