Deja Vu

Album

SOUR

Label

Geffen Records

Genre

Art pop

Composer(s)

Annie Clark;Daniel Leonard Nigro;Jack Michael Antonoff;Olivia Rodrigo;Taylor Alison Swift

Entered Chart

Apr 17, 2021

Peak Date

Jun 5, 2021

Released

April 1, 2021

Recorded

2020 Studio Amusement (Los Angeles) Heavy Duty (Burbank)

Catalog #

Geffen Records

B-Side

n/a

Olivia Rodrigo followed up her breakout hit "Drivers License" with another song about a past partner who has moved on to a new relationship. Though both tunes share similar imagery of the singer addressing her ex about his new girlfriend, this one finds Rodrigo reflective rather than heartbroken. Also, "Déjà Vu" is more upbeat instrumentally and has a dreamier feel. The song starts off with Rodrigo listing some things her ex is doing with his new girlfriend, like driving to Malibu, sharing strawberry ice cream with one spoon, and watching reruns of Glee. In the pre-chorus she taunts him by making the point they used to do those very same things together. He is repeating the dating pattern that originated with their relationship. She thinks it's special, but it's all reused That was our place, I found it first I made the jokes, you tell to her when she's with you Rodrigo now sees her ex in his true colors as someone who isn't genuine, so she asks him the question, "Do you get deja vu when she's with you?" Many fans interpreted "Drivers License" as being about Rodrigo's real-life breakup with her High School Musical: The Musical co-star and his subsequent romance with Sabrina Carpenter. During the second verse of "Déjà Vu," Rodrigo drops a hint that it may concern the same celebrity love triangle. Do you call her, almost say my name? 'Cause let's be honest, we kinda do sound the same Another actress I hate to think that I was just your type Before her singing career took off, Rodrigo was best known as a Disney actress. Carpenter is also a Disney actress turned singer whose first Hot 100 hit, "Skin," was released a fortnight after "Drivers License." So is the song another poke at Bassett and Carpenter, or a purely fictional reflection about watching an ex move on to a new relationship? According to Rodrigo, she was attracted by the theme of repeating the same experience with someone new. "The concept of deja vu has always fascinated me and I thought it would be cool to use it in a song around the complex feelings after a relationship ends," she said. Rodrigo started writing and recording the song in September 2020 with her producer Dan Nigro (Conan Gray, Carly Rae Jepsen, Lewis Capaldi). She told Apple Music's Zane Lowe that she had the line "When she's with you, do you get déjà vu?" written in her phone. The pair were trying to write a different song, which wasn't working, so Nigro asked Rodrigo, "What else do you have?" When she told the producer about her "Déjà Vu" line, he really liked it. "And so we kind of wrote it together and kind of created this whole world," she continued. "I really love painting pictures with songs." Report this ad During an interview with Heat radio, Rodrigo explained she'd had the song picked out as a single since 2020, which helped ease the stress of following up a smash hit. "It sort of took the pressure off for me of following up 'Drivers License' since we planned this so far in advance. But it's definitely not like 'Drivers License' at all, which I'm really happy about. I didn't want to pigeonhole myself into this category of 'sad ballad girl' thing. It's definitely a little different, and sort of weird." Deja Vu (from French "already seen") is the weird sensation that a new experience is something you have already lived through. Other artists that have recorded songs about the strange feeling include John Fogerty, Beyonce, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Dionne Warwick, Eminem, Twenty88, J. Cole , Post Malone and Glass Animals. Allie Avital directed the song's music video, which co-stars Talia Ryder as Rodrigo's ex's new woman. The fact that Ryder is Rodrigo's doppelganger ties in with the track's theme of the singer's ex repeating his dating experiences. Olivia Rodrigo has often spoken of her love for Taylor Swift; she told Zane Lowe she is the "biggest Swiftie in the whole world." Speaking to Rolling Stone in a video interview, Rodrigo said the yelling in this song's bridge and outro ("I hope you get deja vu!") was inspired by Swift's 2019 Lover song "Cruel Summer." She wanted the bridge and outro to be really high energy, "'cause the rest of the song is very serene and eerily calm." "I love 'Cruel Summer,'" she said. "It's one of my favorite songs ever. I love the yell-y vocals in it, like the harmonized yells that she does. I feel like they're super electric and moving, so I wanted to do something like that." Because of this, Swift was officially credited as a co-writer of "Déjà Vu." Since Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent co-wrote the song, they got credited, too. Swift and Jack Antonoff also got credited on another Sour track, "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back," as that song borrows melodic elements from the 2017 Reputation ballad "New Year's Day." Rodrigo performed "Deja Vu" and "Uptown Girl" with Billy Joel at Joel's August 24, 2022 show at Madison Square Garden. "I couldn't have written the song without you," she told the Piano Man.

Car rides to Malibu
Strawberry ice cream
One spoon for two
And trading jackets
Laughing 'bout how small it looks on you
(Ha-ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha-ha)
Watching reruns of Glee
Being annoying
Singing in harmony
I bet she's bragging
To all her friends, saying you're so unique, hmm

So when you gonna tell her
That we did that, too?
She thinks it's special
But it's all reused
That was our place, I found it first
I made the jokes you tell to her when she's with you

Do you get déjà vu when she's with you?
Do you get déjà vu? (Ah), hmm
Do you get déjà vu, huh?

Do you call her
Almost say my name?
'Cause let's be honest
We kinda do sound the same
Another actress
I hate to think that I was just your type

I'll bet that she knows Billy Joel
'Cause you played her "Uptown Girl"
You're singing it together
Now I bet you even tell her
How you love her
In between the chorus and the verse (ooh) (I love you)

So when you gonna tell her
That we did that, too?
She thinks it's special
But it's all reused
That was the show we talked about
Played you the song she's singing now when she's with you

Do you get déjà vu when she's with you?
Do you get déjà vu? Oh
Do you get déjà vu?

Strawberry ice cream in Malibu
Don't act like we didn't do that shit, too
You're trading jackets like we used to do
(Yeah, everything is all reused)
Play her piano, but she doesn't know (oh, oh)
That I was the one who taught you Billy Joel (oh)
A different girl now, but there's nothing new
(I know you get déjà vu)

(I know you get déjà vu)
(I know you get déjà vu)