Lyrics on the Move: Tell Me When You Change

Ah, music! The sweet cadence that soothes our troubled minds and lifts us up during moments of utter despair. From Metallica to Mozart, each song has its own distinct flavor that entices us to listen again and again. However, have you ever stopped to ponder the lyrics within the rhythm? Sure, we all know songs like “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Queen or “Stairway To Heaven” by Led Zeppelin where the verses truly mean something insightful. But what about catchy tunes that make no sense at all? Have you felt lost in a melody whose lyrics are more confusing than your ex-boyfriend’s texts?

Fear not! Today, we delve into one enigmatic tune named “Tell Me When You Change”.

Introduction

So who sings this perplexing piece? This song sits atop Spotify’s hot 100 list on repeat among many new releases for 2021 such as Masked Wolf’s Astronaut In The Ocean(recommended with sunglasses on) and Lorde’s Solar Power(recommended with high voltage plasma suit).

We present you Olivia Rodrigo!

Who is Olivia Rodrigo?

Olivia Rodrigo is a young artist from California who gained international recognition playing Nini Salazar-Roberts in Disney +’s High School Musical series: The Musical -The Series (yes,the title could use some shortening). Like fellow Disney alums Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez before her,(among others)Rodrigo chose to pursue music as well.

Despite only being born in 2003, she already has several singles under her name including Driver’s License and good4u(Try listening whilst juggling!)

In May of 2021, she released a very melancholic ballad called ‘good4u’ which stands out from its upbeat pop sounding instrumentals(it floods teenager playlists worldwide); which made fans want to hear more, notably by those who identify themselves with harsh or cruel breakups(the guy in the second row will nod knowingly).

And that’s were ‘Tell Me When You Change’ comes along.

Let’s Break It Down

At the surface level, “Tell me when you change” begins as an over-instrumentalized ballad that simply seems like a girl asking her boyfriend to communicate whenever he changes his mind on how he feels about her. Simple enough right? Well, not really. The music video itself is another telltale sign of this song having a deeper meaning than what meets the eye (or should we say ear?).

Olivia Rodrigo – Tell Me When You’re Ready (Official Video)

Upon viewing it closely, one can easily dwindle into their thoughts between quick changing cut scenes just trying to wonder wtf all this means and if they are needed in today’s world…Okay maybe even our expletives don’t do justice to describe its complexity! Therefore let us take each detail step-by-step:

Scene One: Phone Call

First off,we see Olivia on a phone call where she hears someone out and asks them calmly (coughs) where they are at. At first glance one might think she has accepted her boyfriend back after all (‘I understand,you may need time’) but later reveals herself coming off some repression(‘I’m seeing red). We add onto marker 1 beside yet-another nice driver lyric:

Marker # Lyrics Interpretation
1 Tell me everything /Will be alright ()/Call me, baby /In the middle of the night ()
2 I’m seeing red all I’m feeling is blue() Olivia reaches out to her boyfriend amid a fight or argument(lights abruptly go off); claiming he can contact her as soon as he needs something. He does eventually confess whatever it may be that troubles him [Next Scene].

Scene Two: Sky Full Of Metaphors

Fast forward and we see each object surround our protagonist turn into metaphors/political correctness code for some major crisis in their relationship(duh-uh). You suffer through your eleventh grade English class (shivers covered up by lockdown blankets) just to have an artist give context pep talk over lunch(sometimes overly unneeded))—You’d never miss this opportunity now would you?

Here’s what we mean:

Marker # Lyrics Interpretation
3 Flashing lights/Magic city wagging tongues and blasting music Her thoughts are overpowered by outside activities, but she doesn’t let them distract her from facing the issues at hand
4 Hotel rooms/Cigarettes and tiny liquor bottles Symbols of infidelity or signs that they might grow apart any moment soon; indicative of someone who on one end makes everything grandiose while being aimlessly stuck
5   Upstairs, you come running down /Holding onto Hollywood Boulevard       Hollywood represents a world filled with lost dreams/romanticism yet still accessible(a testimony or proof)

Scene Three: Dog Days Are Over?

As Olivia wordplays how low-key shady relationships get halted mid-air whenever conflicts cease(‘Fighters keep fighting/Lovers just keep loving’),cute maltese puppies simply wander around dirty streets playing cosplayer(dapper young folk themselves huh?) although not without her noticing her ex-boyfriend reminiscing around strangers after sobbing(hours/days/months really). Marker 6 grows bold with the all-time sought-after question which marks several rejections:

Marker # Lyrics Interpretation
6   Why don’t you miss the way we kissed?/I’m lying here alone cause you’re kissing someone else                                       A plea from (you guessed it) Olivia to make this guy feel at least an iota of love for his now-ex partner.

Alas! The video ends with Rodrigo looking into a mirrorall-by-herself(wink) as crowds lay down their banners and sunshine filters through…Drum-roll please! Bringing us to our next point…

What Do These Symbols Mean?

As per in any English class, no one really knows what they mean but there are possible interpretations. Some read them as expressions of narcissism or deflections of heavy emotion that mask inner pain; kind of like eating pizza hut on days when everything becomes morning sudoku.

For instance; “Cigarettes and tiny liquor bottles” could potentially mean addiction whilst still retaining some long lost hope(truth be told:who cares enough about trash collecting these days anyway?)

Regardless, we’re in awe how she links them together oh-so-carefully(but also not so)

Conclusion

Now that’s some serious stuff!

Olivia Rodrigo gave us more than just another breakup song- but one story ready to surprise even your professor who insisted on teaching saucy Shakespeare this semester

It teaches important lessons such as how enigmatic patterns soon pave paths to greater discoveries & grief is meant to be internalized not vocalized everytime(new relationship trivia); apart from these truths(the line graph always trends downward!) there’s simply(!) no common thread left to pinpoint just that one immovable cryptic message.

In the words of Rodrigo herself, “Music makes us feel not so alone” and ‘Tell Me When You Change’ definitely hits in the sweet spot.

So maybe next time you hear some Bruno Mars or Drake laying bare their musical hearts…take a deep breath and listen for what they’re really saying. Trust us, it’s more than just catchy choruses!

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