Olivia Rodrigo is maybe sharing a page from her life about being homeschooled and how it impacted her ability to function in society. Every time she steps outside it feels like she causes a tornado of messes along her trail.
Olivia Rodrigo released her second studio album ‘GUTS’ on September 8, 2023. The release of the album was followed by two singles “vampire” and “bad idea right?” Talking to Apple Music, Olivia Rodrigo admitted that her debut album ‘SOUR’ was a lot more spontaneous than anything else. However, her follow-up project ‘GUTS’ was inspired by “lots of confusion, mistakes, awkwardness & good old fashioned teen angst.”
In the ballad, Olivia Rodrigo tries her best to fit in and act normal at social events. But she is not used to these, being couped up in her home all day. Unknowingly, she creates havoc almost everywhere she goes and in everything she does. Contrary to popular belief, research has found that being homeschooled does not severely impact a person’s social skills. So, is Olivia just built differently?
Listen to “ballad of a homeschooled girl” by Olivia Rodrigo
Olivia Rodrigo “ballad of a homeschooled girl” Lyrics Meaning and Song Review
Olivia Rodrigo, in real life, had started homeschooling in grade seven. This is due to the demands of her career that she was starting out in the High School Musical series. In an interview with Glamour UK magazine, she had the following to say about being homeschooled;
I am a homeschool kid, so I’m so used to being in my house on my laptop, but with my parents. I always say that I never had a normal high school experience. I’ve always been homeschooled because I’ve been working.
In the song, Olivia Rodrigo finds herself at a school party. Naturally, she finds it hard to connect with anyone there although all of them are her peers. She cannot, for the love of her life, find a single topic to discuss with anyone there. To make matters worse, Olivia is far away from all the inside gossip at the school. Everyone else seems to know the story behind a random word or name. She feels so left out.
In the chorus of the song, Olivia tells us how she made a fool out of herself throughout the night. She broke a glass, tripped and fell, stood dumbfounded, and in a measly attempt to fit in, told everyone secrets that she should not have dared. Needless to say, her attempt at socializing did not go as she planned.
And this is not the first time…
Every time she steps into a social circle, she is the odd one out. She just cannot seem to make a connection with anyone.
The second verse does not get any better. She went and sat with a guy who was taken by the queen b of the school. It almost started a fight. The next couple of people she sat with had no common interests. She even Googled ‘how to start a conversation’ but she still couldn’t pull it off. Eventually, she did talk to a hot guy. She was pretty into him, only to find out later that he was gay.
Social anxiety is pretty common even if you are not homeschooled. Social skills need practice and practice. And even so, there is no ‘perfection’ we can achieve. Be who you are and the right people will stick by.
Let us hear what you think about the song in the comments below. Read the complete lyrics to the song on Genius.