Peak
1
Weeks
51
Score
12,069
Chart Year
2021
An accompanying music video directed by Petra Collins was released alongside the song on May 14, 2021.[61] The music video references horror films such as Audition (1999) and Jennifer's Body (2009). Rodrigo was styled by vlogger Devon Carlson for the video. In the video, Rodrigo appears in a variety of looks, including a cheerleading uniform seen in the 2001 coming-of-age film The Princess Diaries (also seen in the cover artwork).[62] She plays the role of a high schooler out for revenge,[63] destroying her ex-boyfriend's bedroom and lighting his belongings on fire.[22] Insider critic Callie Ahlgrim opined that the fire was a reference to Swift's music video for "Picture to Burn" (2008), which also follows a similar revenge concept
"Good 4 U" is a messy breakup song where Olivia Rodrigo addresses her former boyfriend. He has quickly moved on with a new partner while Olivia is still "cryin' on the floor of my bathroom." She can't comprehend why he doesn't care for her anymore and is acting as if their relationship never happened. Things are going sickeningly well for him since their split, to which Olivia responds: "I guess good for you." Olivia Rodrigo wrote the song with Daniel Nigro, who also produced the track. Nigro, who's also worked with the likes of Sky Ferreira and Conan Gray, is Olivia's regular collaborator and co-wrote "Drivers License." Rodrigo recorded the glossy song for her debut album, Sour, which she has described in various interviews as a mix of pop, folk, and rock. For "Good 4 U" the singer and Nigro set out to do a 2021 take on an early 2000s pop-punk song. "I love pop-punk music; I love grunge music; I love country music and folk music, she told NME. "I think, honestly, you can see little influences of all of those genres in my album. And I didn't want to make an entire record that sounded like 'Drivers License.' There's no fun in that for me - and probably not for listeners, either." Chicago producer and songwriter Alexander 23 (birth name Alexander Glantz) helped Nigro produce the track. Glantz teamed up with Selena Gomez in 2020 to remix her song "Rare." The Canadian photographer and fashion designer Petra Collins directed the video, which pays homage to the 2009 cult horror comedy movie Jennifer's Body. Collins has also filmed clips for Carly Rae Jepsen ("Boy Problems"), Selena Gomez ("Fetish"), and Cardi B ("Bartier Cardi"). Rodrigo performed this song and "Drivers License" when she was the musical guest on Saturday Night Live, May 15, 2021. The song climbed to #1 on its second week on the UK singles chart simultaneously with Sour debuting at the top of the album tally. In doing so, the 18-year-old Rodrigo became the youngest solo act to reach the summit on both the UK singles and albums chart in the same week. "Good 4 U" topped the UK chart for five consecutive weeks. In its fourth frame, it became the longest-reigning rock-influenced UK #1 since 2003, when Evanescence spent four weeks on the summit with "Bring Me To Life." Olivia Rodrigo came up with the song's hook in the shower. "I didn't want the entire record to be sad piano songs," Rodrigo told Variety. "But then again, I didn't want to write a poppy, happy, 'I'm in love' song, because that was so far from how I was truly feeling at the time. So writing 'Good 4 U' was really satisfying because the song is upbeat and high energy and people can dance to it, but I didn't have to sacrifice being honest and authentic in order to write it." Many music critics and fans noted similarities between this song and Paramore's 2007 hit "Misery Business." After a a mashup of the two tunes got millions of views on YouTube, Rodrigo added two members of Paramore - singer Hayley Williams and ex-guitarist Josh Farro – to the writing credits of "Good 4 U." This is not the first time Rodrigo has added to the writing credits since the debut of Sour. She previously amended the credits for "Deja Vu," adding Taylor Swift and co-writers Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent, because of similarities to Swift's 2019 Lover song "Cruel Summer." Olivia Rodrigo performed the song at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards. The pop singer received five nominations at the ceremony, winning Best New Artist plus Song Of The Year and Push Performance Of The Year for "Drivers Licence." NME named "Good 4 U" their Best Song of 2021. They said: "It's a masterclass in songwriting, matching a real rock earworm with Rodrigo's brilliant, pithy lyrics. Where the song could have become a pastiche, 'Good 4 U' feels remarkably modern; a euphoric example of Rodrigo's sheer talent, and a song that perfectly captures the spirit and energy of a year where we were finally able to cut loose and feel free." The pop-punk putdown topped the 2021 BBC News poll of polls for best song. The list combines the results of 30 critics' end-of-year surveys. Sour came in third place in BBC's poll of polls for best album. Throughout Rodrigo's Disney+ documentary Driving Home 2 U (A Sour Film), she delivers renditions of her songs in desert locations. Rodrigo performs "Good 4 U" performance against the backdrop of California's Red Rock Canyon State Park as she turns the angsty song into a cinematic power ballad accompanied by an entire string section.
Well good for you, I guess you moved on really easily You found a new girl and it only took a couple weeks Remember when you said that you wanted to give me the world And good for you, I guess that you've been working on yourself I guess that therapist I found for you, she really helped Now you can be a better man for your brand new girl Well good for you You look happy and healthy, not me If you ever cared to ask Good for you You're doing great out there without me, baby God, I wish that I could do that I've lost my mind I've spent the night Crying on the floor of my bathroom But you're so unaffected, I really don't get it But I guess good for you Well good for you, I guess you're getting everything you want You bought a new car and your career's really taking off It's like we never even happened, baby What the fuck is up with that? And good for you, it's like you never even met me Remember when you swore to God I was the only Person who ever got you Well, screw that and screw you You will never have to hurt the way you know that I do Well good for you You look happy and healthy, not me If you ever cared to ask Good for you You're doing great out there without me, baby God, I wish that I could do that I've lost my mind I've spent the night Crying on the floor of my bathroom But you're so unaffected, I really don't get it But I guess good for you Ah, ah Maybe I'm too emotional But your apathy's like a wound in salt Maybe I'm too emotional Or maybe you never cared at all Maybe I'm too emotional Your apathy's like a wound in salt Maybe I'm too emotional Or maybe you never cared at all Well good for you You look happy and healthy, not me If you ever cared to ask Good for you You're doing great out there without me, baby Like a damn sociopath I've lost my mind I've spent the night Crying on the floor of my bathroom But you're so unaffected, I really don't get it But I guess good for you Well good for you, I guess you moved on really easily
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | May 29, 2021 | 1 | 125 |
| 2 | Jun 5, 2021 | 2 | 124 |
| 3 | Jun 12, 2021 | 2 | 124 |
| 4 | Jun 19, 2021 | 2 | 124 |
| 5 | Jun 26, 2021 | 2 | 124 |
| 6 | Jul 3, 2021 | 2 | 124 |
| 7 | Jul 10, 2021 | 2 | 124 |
| 8 | Jul 17, 2021 | 2 | 124 |
| 9 | Jul 24, 2021 | 2 | 124 |
| 10 | Jul 31, 2021 | 2 | 124 |
| 11 | Aug 7, 2021 | 3 | 123 |
| 12 | Aug 14, 2021 | 2 | 124 |
| 13 | Aug 21, 2021 | 2 | 124 |
| 14 | Aug 28, 2021 | 3 | 123 |
| 15 | Sep 4, 2021 | 3 | 123 |
| 16 | Sep 11, 2021 | 4 | 122 |
| 17 | Sep 18, 2021 | 15 | 111 |
| 18 | Sep 25, 2021 | 7 | 119 |
| 19 | Oct 2, 2021 | 6 | 120 |
| 20 | Oct 9, 2021 | 7 | 119 |