One of my favorite things about Olivia Rodrigo’s music is that it encapsulates the life of a teen girl so well — all the joys, frustrations, excitement, and heartbreaks — and her latest single is no disappointment.

I love the way she sounds like she’s ranting with every lyric she sings, addressing all of the little thoughts that float through her mind when crushing on someone new.

And speaking of crushing, I can’t tell if this song is meant to capture the rush of finding someone new to fall for, or if it’s a case of limerence.

Limerence is the temporary infatuation that comes with budding feelings over a new person, but they can turn obsessive, often idealizing that person instead of being attracted to them for who they really are.

Perhaps “drop dead” is a mix of these two things — the exhilaration of falling for someone with the hints of obsessive thoughts of him and them together that plague her mind night and day.

The obsession creeps through when she talks about the imaginary scenarios she comes up with in her head, and how she would “drop dead” if they kissed, despite feeling so alive when being with him. 

The extremity and exaggeration of her feelings is what makes me think that she’s leaning closer towards singing about limerence, rather than just the average crush a person might have.

Nonetheless, I find this song so fitting for those budding crushes that sometimes seem like the be all and end all, sometimes because of the other person’s spontaneity and inconsistency. It’s also reminiscent of Taylor Swift’s “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” from her “The Tortured Poet’s Department” album, the lyrics that seem like a never ending rant about instability being disguised with an upbeat tempo.

And I think the song is a great way to preview the rest of her upcoming album, “you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love,” as it introduces the beginning of something new, and it makes me think she’ll track the development of her relationship sequentially throughout the album.