Ariana Grande has had a rough summer, but her hit single ‘Hate That I Made You Love Me‘ is hanging in there at #7 on the latest Billboard Hot 100. ‘Petal,’ the second single from the album of the same name, peaked at #4 but is currently in the 40s.
At #8 is Olivia Rodrigo’s ‘Stupid Song,’ the third single from her album You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love. Four singles from the album have hit the top five already, with lead single ‘Drop Dead’ reaching #1.
In a year of new albums by Josh Rouse, Phoebe Bridgers, Beck, and even Miranda Lambert, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love remains my favorite 2026 release. It is a whip-smart, emotional collection that moves like a freight train while telling an emotionally complex story.
I haven’t heard an album this conceptually rich and musically interesting in awhile. I enjoy Rodrigo’s first two releases, but this one is an all-timer.
‘Stupid Song’ is a great example of the album’s mixture of tones, starting plaintive before exploding with ecstatic joy. And I love the Before Sunrise reference (“if there is a god, he’s the bond that’s between us two”) whether it was intended as one or not.
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New York City’s never looked so blue
My friends are smoking blunts in the bathroom
They say that honest love is a cage that makes you feel free
And all the girls at this party are so cool
That’s never been a thing that I could do
But I can’t help but imagine what you say when you speak with me
[Chorus]
You’re a spark in the dark and my clothes all caught aflame
You should feel how I feel when somebody says your name
I’m a car speeding down the boulevard without a brake
And I want you more than any stupid song could ever say
I’m a heart made of wax and I’m melting in the sun
I’m a thread on your shirt that is coming undone
I feel right, I feel wrong, I feel totally insane
And I want you more than any stupid song could ever say
[Verse 2]
Walking through the park with my head high
Past all the college girls and the drunk guys
And if there is a god, he’s the bond that’s between us two
Seven nights alone and a skipped meal
I’m sleeping in my dress and my high heels
And I’m too shy to say what I see when I dream of you (When I dream of you)
[Chorus]
You’re a spark in the dark and my clothes all caught aflame
You should feel how I feel when somebody says your name
I’m a car speeding down the boulevard without a brake
And I want you more than any stupid song could ever say
I’m a heart made of wax and I’m melting in the sun
I’m a thread on your shirt that is coming undone
I feel right, I feel wrong, I feel totally insane
And I want you more than any stupid song could ever say
[Bridge]
Every night like the one before
Dream of you from like 1 to 4
Positively and truly sure
Nobody’s wanted somebody more
It’s a thing that I can’t ignore
Tell your friends that you’re mine, I’m yours
With a hand on my heart, I swore
Nobody’s wanted somebody more
It’s a thing that I can’t ignore
Tell your friends that you’re mine, I’m yours
With a hand on my heart, I swore
[Pre-Chorus]
I’m going crazy, I’m going mad
I want you, baby, so bad
[Chorus]
You’re a spark in the dark and my clothes all caught aflame
You should feel how I feel when somebody says your name
I’m a car speeding down the boulevard without a brake
And I want you more than any stupid song could ever say
I’m a heart made of wax and I’m melting in the sun
I’m a thread on your shirt that is coming undone
I feel right, I feel wrong, I feel totally insane
And I want you more than any stupid song could ever say
