In early January of this year, American teen singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo released her debut single titled Drivers License. Rumors quickly spread that she had written the song directed towards her High School Musical the Musical: the Series co-star Joshua Bassett, who is also an American singer-songwriter, and the "blonde girl" Rodrigo had seemingly wrote about in her song, Sabrina Carpenter, another American singer-songwriter. These three have all released songs that the public have believed are directed towards one another. These artists use their music to express their emotion. They use it as a way to communicate with each other and the audience. A way to express the emotion and heartbreak they are all experiencing over what is most likely the same situation. And even though it may seem that the artist's had exact experiences in mind when creating these songs, the audience can connect and apply their songs to their own life. Therefore, I will be arguing the thesis that music connects people emotionally.
For some background, it is believed that Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett were dating until he had left her for Sabrina Carpenter. Though none of these artists have confirmed this, fans around the world have speculated and have come up with many theories that ultimately result in Bassett leaving Rodrigo for Carpenter.
The first song of this so-called "trilogy" is Drivers License by Olivia Rodrigo. This song received a widespread of critical acclaim as people praised her for her songwriting, emotional vocals, and the meaning of the song. She has said that the song is about a heartbreak that was very confusing to her, and that "putting all those feelings into a song made everything seem so much simpler and clearer". With a combination of the descriptive lyrics and minimalist instrumentation, fans felt connected to Rodrigo through her use of music to tell her story. Fans could relate, imagine, and emphasize with Rodrigo's experience. She used music to connect with her audience, the songs subject, and express her emotions in the best way she knew how to.
This song features a recorded sound of her mother's car starting, syncopated hand claps, piano, and kick drums. As the song progresses there is a long crescendo in the verses followed by the strong, emotional chorus. Harmonies chime in loud and clear during the bridge of the song. It is an overall slow paced song, but the color tones of her voice vary throughout, starting small, reaching its peak, and then settling down once again. It is known to be a power ballad that blends bedroom pop, indie pop. and power pop styles.
Fans have speculated Drivers License to be about Joshua Bassett because he was the one who taught her how to drive.
"I got my driver's license last week
Just like we always talked about
'Cause you were so excited for me
To finally drive up to your house."
Along with this, Bassett rumored to have wrote his single, Anyone Else, about Olivia Rodrigo when he had liked her but she was in another relationship at the time.
"Guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me."
Bassett and Sabrina Carpenter were seen hanging out starting the summer of 2020, in which fans jumped to the conclusion that Rodrigo directed a line towards Carpenter.
"And you're probably with that blonde girl
Who always made me doubt.
She's so much older than me
She's everything I'm insecure about."
Though none of these artists confirmed anything regarding the drama around this song, it is clear Rodrigo is using her music to get her emotions across. Whether it be that her lyrics are just oddly descriptive or that she intended every single part of the song, she used her music to connect to people emotionally.
The second of the "trilogy" was Sabrina Carpenter's song: Skin. This was released not even a month after Rodrigo's song, and fans jumped to conclusions quickly. She has denied that the song was "written about any one person in particular", but the lyrics and timing of the release sparked many rumors. Fans thought this was a "mean" song given that her lyrics are implying that she has the man another girl wants. People assumed this was her response to Drivers License, but she has since claimed that it is about her haters in general.
Skin written by Sabrina Carpenter and Tia Scola, performed
by Sabrina Carpenter, released January 22, 2021.
This song begins with soft instruments in the back to emphasize Carpenter's lyrics and vocals. There is a steady backbeat and features Carpenter harmonizing with her own voice. The tempo remains the same throughout the song but her color tones of her voice go from soft, powerful, and back to gentle. The end also only features her voice and a few piano notes. This really showcases her emotion and how words can hurt.
Even though Carpenter has denied the song is directed towards anyone, the lyrics seemingly say otherwise. The opening verse implies that all songs should have a meaning behind them, but that maybe songwriters do not always mean the words they write. She also mentions the iconic Rodrigo line about a "blonde girl".
"Maybe we could pretend
There's no gravity in the words we write.
Maybe you didn't mean it
Maybe "blonde" was the only rhyme."
Carpenter used her song-writing platform to tell emotions she was experiencing with the hate she was receiving for a song that was not even confirmed to be about her. She used her music to connect with the audience and "tell her side". Once again, this song is another example of how music connects people emotionally.
The third of the "trilogy" is Crisis by Joshua Bassett. He has vaguely claimed that this song is about his costar Olivia Rodrigo and all of the hate he has received. This song was very recently released in early December of 2021. It has so far received a widespread of love and empathy given that it is a response to the media rampage he has been dealing with regarding his relationship with Rodrigo since 2020. He uses his music to connect with Rodrigo herself by calling out a subject with very specific lyrics whom everyone agrees HAS to be Rodrigo.
This song features the guitar, piano, and various percussion instruments. Bassett harmonizes with himself throughout the verses, chorus, and short bridge. The tempo stays static throughout the whole song, but the lyrics are sung with emotion and fragility. The song runs very legato and has a steady guitar strumming and plucking pattern that pulses during it. The simplicity of the song enables listeners to really listen to Bassett telling his side of the story. He uses this song as a way to communicate with Rodrigo and connect with his fans.
The lyrics of the song seem to be a direct response to Rodrigo's actions given that with all the speculation that resulted in Bassett receiving so much hate (to the extent of death threats) she still has not spoken up about the situation.
"You're messing' with my life as a career move.
I can't help but wonder, why won't you make it end?
Guess you would never dare
You would never dare to waste a crisis."
Seeing the amount of hate that Bassett has been receiving is very disheartening. His musical response dictating his emotions was very much needed. This song has connected him to his fans once again, as he stated that if he tried to defend himself before, it seemed "impossible" to win.
Within these three songs I would rate from my favorite to least favorite: Crisis, Drivers License, and then Skin. Before any of the drama I was a fan of all three of them individually, and being able to hear each of their sides made me empathize with their situation. A situation that the public has no business in being in. I believe they each did a great job using their own styles of music to get their emotions out. I am so happy that Bassett finally spoke up about the situation because he is a kind-hearted guy. I love all his music but I believe the meaning behind Crisis is extra special. I love Rodrigo's work. She is so talented at creating heartfelt lyrics that really make listeners feel emotional. I will be honest, I am not that big of a fan of Carpenter's song, but she no doubt has an amazing voice and deserves the same respect the other artist's do. There is an endless amount of examples of how music connects people emotionally, but I think that these three songs are very specific with who it is connecting and what emotions are being portrayed. I believe that music has the ability to story tell, to provide feelings people can relate to, and to communicate with one another.
There is no doubt that music is universal and can be interpreted in numerous different ways, but it is interesting to hear what artists intend for themselves with their own music. These three songs have all been a way for the artists to connect with their emotions during the so-called "love-triangle" that the media is putting them in. They used their music as a way to tell their side (even though some may deny it) and connect with their fans. All three songs have deep emotions of real human beings-- celebrities whom we all forget are real people too.
“AZLyrics - Request for Access.” AZLyrics.com, https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/oliviarodrigo/driverslicense.html.
“Drivers License (Song).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 Dec. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drivers_License_(song).
“Joshua Bassett – Crisis.” Genius, https://genius.com/Joshua-bassett-crisis-lyrics.
“Skin (Sabrina Carpenter Song).” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Sept. 2021, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin_(Sabrina_Carpenter_song).
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