Olivia Rodrigo has dropped her previously unreleased song “Serena Joy,” making the track available on streaming services Monday after introducing it through an unusually limited physical release. The song first dropped as a CD single sold exclusively at Analog Music Shop in Tustin, California. Only 500 copies were produced, and the entire batch sold out within hours.
“Serena Joy” takes its name from the character in Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel “The Handmaid’s Tale” and moves Rodrigo into more overtly political territory. Rather than focusing on romantic turmoil, as much of her recent album “You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love” does, the song examines complicity, oppression and the consequences of remaining silent while other people’s rights are threatened.
Rodrigo wrote the song with longtime collaborator Dan Nigro during sessions for her third album, but ultimately left it off the record because it did not fit the project’s relationship-centered narrative. Rodrigo previously explained that she hoped the song could find a place elsewhere, and its release now gives the track a life outside the album.
The release also arrives just days before Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields festival, scheduled for Aug. 29 at Great Park in Irvine, California. The women-focused event features artists including Chappell Roan, Doechii, Mitski, Garbage, Bikini Kill, KATSEYE and Stevie Nicks, with proceeds benefiting organizations supporting women and girls, including Planned Parenthood and the Center for Reproductive Rights. Rodrigo has indicated that a portion of the new song’s net proceeds will also benefit the Daisy Chain Fields Fund.
Stream ‘Serena Joy’ – HERE.
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