brutal

Written when she was 17 years old, this grungy rock song finds Olivia Rodrigo expressing her feelings about the brutal world of adolescence. If someone tells me one more time "Enjoy your youth," I'm gonna cry And I don't stick up for myself I'm anxious and nothing can help Rodrigo questions how people can expect her to relish her teenage years when she is plagued by raging hormones, insecurity, and emotional issues. No adult seems to understand what she is going through.

Producer Dan Nigro complements Rodrigo's angsty lyrics with pop-punk guitars and a crunching rhythm. The last song recorded for Sour, "Brutal" opens the album, but almost didn't make the record. Rodrigo told Apple Music: "Everyone was like, 'You make it the first [track], people might turn it off as soon as they hear it.' I think it's a great introduction to the world of Sour."

After a 15-second string intro, Rodrigo declares: I want it to be, like, messy Thrashy guitars kick in and the song pivots into a rock anthem. The opening line reveals Rodrigo's wish to defy the expectations placed up on her. Rather than being a neatly packaged teenage pop star, she wants to sing of messy breakups, adolescent angst, and to carve out her own sound in her own lane.