Olivia Rodrigo is all about women’s rights in her new music track.
Olivia Rodrigo delivers a powerful message in her latest single, “serena joy,” released on August 24. The track originally debuted on August 21 via an exclusive physical release at Analog Records in Orange County. The chosen shop is just a few miles from Great Park in Irvine, California, where Rodrigo will host the first edition of her Daisy Chain Fields music festival.
Co-written by Olivia Rodrigo and trusted collaborator Dan Nigro during the recording of her third studio album, “Serena Joy” is a politically charged track, described as “punk in spirit: angsty, urgent and rooted in protest energy.” Titled after a character from Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel-turned-TV-series The Handmaid’s Tale, the 3:05-minute song is a smart critique of the forces that uphold a system that works to their own detriment.
In The Handmaid’s Tale, Serena Joy represents this very incongruity.
Quick rundown in case you are not familiar with Atwood’s work: Serena Joy is the wife of Commander Fred Waterford, one of the founding members of the oppressive Gilead regime. In this dystopian theocratic society, women have been turned into handmaids and enslaved surrogates for high-ranking officials and other women like Serena Joy. Paradoxically, despite her “status,” Serena Joy holds no position of power. She undoubtedly benefits from the system and the brutalization of other women, yet she is trapped in a world where women, herself included, are stripped of their rights and autonomy.
With lyrics such as “Yeah, it’s all for the cause / For the good of us all / And if you close your eyes / Then it can’t be your fault,” Rodrigo draws parallels between Atwood’s character and segments of society that support social structures and belief systems that inherently disadvantage them. She also calls out people unwilling to stand up for others and watch abuse and mistreatment from the sidelines, while simultaneously retaining their “moral sanctity” and self-perception of “innocence.”
“While they’re out on the streets / Man, we’re having a ball and If they do it to them / They’ll do it to you,” Rodrigo adds in a cautionary tone, inviting people to reconsider their support for the same establishment that might eventually deny them their most basic rights.
Rodrigo’s activism is not reduced to singing about social issues
Taking active steps to support small businesses, the singer’s decision to debut “serena joy” at Analog Records aimed to celebrate the community “that will soon welcome” her new music festival. The special release also continued Rodrigo’s ongoing partnership with independent stores and neighbor communities.
“Most recently, nearly 200 independent record stores nationwide hosted midnight sale events celebrating the release of you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love,” said the artist’s management in a press release, “ [it marks] the largest Record Store Day-organized midnight sale in at least a decade.”
Additionally, Rodrigo is supporting and advocating for women and girls’ rights through various initiatives, including her upcoming Daisy Chain Fields festival. The event, conceived as a space to uplift women in music and artists, will take place August 29 at Great Park in Irvine, California, with an all-women lineup featuring icons such as Chappell Roan, Katseye, Mitski and Rodrigo herself.
The release of “serena joy” is an apt prelude to what people can expect from the inaugural edition of Daisy Chain Fields. Plus, a portion of net proceeds from the track will be donated to the Daisy Chain Fields Fund.
You can listen to “serena joy” here.
If you’re interested in learning more about the Daisy Chain Fields Fund and the organizations it supports, check out their website.
