☝️ Key Points
- The song's lyrics are about Olivia Rodrigo's feelings of being replaced and trivialized when she sees her ex-boyfriend repeating the special moments they shared with his new girlfriend.
- Rodrigo confronts her ex-boyfriend with her fears and accuses him of 'recycling' her unique experiences.
- The song poses the question of whether her ex-boyfriend feels a sense of 'deja vu' when he experiences those same things with his new girlfriend that he previously did with Rodrigo.
- The title 'Deja vu' refers to the feeling of repetition and familiarity that Rodrigo feels when she sees her ex-boyfriend doing the same thing with someone else.
- The lyrics are an expression of Rodrigo's confusion and disappointment at how easily her unique moments and experiences can be copied and repeated.
Interpretation
The song 'Deja vu' by
Olivia Rodrigo is about the feelings and thoughts she goes through after a past love enters into a new relationship. She realizes that her ex-boyfriend is repeating the special and intimate moments they shared, like 'car rides to Malibu' and 'strawberry ice cream, one spoon for two', with his new girlfriend. Rodrigo feels replaced and her special memories trivialized.
She confronts him with the question 'So when you gonna tell her that we did that, too?' and accuses him of 'recycling' their unique experiences. She even suspects that he might be teaching her to love Billy Joel, just like she did.
The title 'Deja vu' refers to the feeling of repetition that Rodrigo experiences when she sees her ex-boyfriend repeating the same behavior in his new relationship. She asks him if he also has that sense of 'deja vu' when he's with his new girlfriend.
Overall, the song is an expression of Rodrigo's confusion and disappointment at how easily her unique moments and experiences can be copied and repeated.