“serena joy” debut performance to take place at Daisy Chain Fields festival on August 29
Just days after sharing the song exclusively on CD at Orange County’s Analog Records, Olivia Rodrigo has released “serena joy,” the artist’s most openly political song yet, on all streaming platforms.
With a rock, synth-infused baseline, the three-minute one-off single takes its name from the key, yet divisive, antagonist, named Serena Joy, from Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale. While Joy is never mentioned by name, Rodrigo’s lyrics draw pieces from her story to paint concerns of social and political ignorance in today’s world.
In Atwood’s dystopian novel, the United States is ruled by a religious, totalitarian government where women’s rights have been completely curtailed, mainly due to Joy’s own hand in creating it. What Joy didn’t realize, however, is these very rules she helped set in stone would upend her life as well.
“If they do it to them / They’ll do it to you”
Rodrigo has always leaned into her pop-rock/punk roots throughout her career, but “serena joy” is truly angsty and punk at its core; it features protest energy and urgency throughout its runtime, urging listeners to make a change, or look inside themselves.
The song starts off with “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,” echoing sentiments of those in power throughout The Handmaid’s Tale. Rodrigo leans into the character of Joy perfectly throughout these lyrics, but she’s also holding up a mirror to those who believe too strongly in a regime that will protect you.
While “serena joy” deviates from Rodrigo’s recent album you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love’s relationship-timeline theme, she revealed in a recent interview with ETalk that the song originally had a place alongside the songs we got to know in June.
The release of “serena joy” comes less than a week before Rodrigo’s own sold-out Daisy Chain Fields Festival — an event full of talented female artists, reminiscent of Lilith Fair — kicks off on Aug. 29 in Irvine, California. A portion of proceeds from “serena joy” will be donated to the Daisy Chain Fields Fund, helping organizations like Planned Parenthood directly.
Rodrigo will also be hitting the road this fall for The Unraveled Tour with fellow artists Grace Ives, Devon Again, The Last Dinner Party and more.
Keep up with Olivia Rodrigo:
Website / Spotify / Apple Music / Instagram / TikTok / YouTube / X
