Olivia Rodrigo Releases Politically Charged New Song “Serena Joy” on Limited-Edition CD

Olivia Rodrigo has found a home for one of the songs that didn’t make you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love — although, for the moment, you’ll need to be one of 500 people and have a CD player to hear it legally. On Friday, Rodrigo quietly released “Serena Joy” through Analog Music Shop in Tustin, California, making just 500 copies of the CD single and making them available exclusively at the independent record store. All 500 sold out within hours, but the exclusivity won’t last long: the track is expected to hit streaming services on Monday, August 24th. Get Olivia Rodrigo Tickets Here Named after Serena Joy from Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, the song finds Rodrigo moving away from the romantic turmoil that drives much of her latest album and toward a warning about complicity in oppressive systems. The lyrics don’t explicitly mention Gilead or the character herself, but Rodrigo repeatedly warns that those willing to look away while others lose their rights shouldn’t expect to remain protected themselves. At one point, she cautions, “They’ll do it to you.” “Serena Joy” had been floating around Rodrigo lore since fans spotted its title among 18 songs in a studio photo e...