Teenage rage and female longing: The best albums are written by 19-year-olds

Olivia Rodrigo spilled her GUTS on a brand new album that she wrote when she was only 19-years-old. On Sept. 8, 2023, fans finally got new music from the now 20-year-old pop star and former Disney actress. Since her first album SOUR was so highly reviewed and accredited, fans were interested to see if Rodrigo could top the success of her debut album. 

Soon after its release, Rodrigo’s sophomore album topped charts. Without a doubt, I and many other Rodrigo fans feel that GUTS has far surpassed the singer’s first album—proving that her voice, confidence, and lyricism seems to only be getting better with age. Rodrigo’s songs continue to strike a chord with listeners as she channels an honest, if at times naive, lyrical attitude. As young people, particularly femme and/or assigned-female-at-birth individuals, who are navigating the hardships of life, music written by young women can help them come to terms with emotions and events of both past and present. For a more detailed analysis of GUTS, check out “My top 5 songs from Guts: An album review” by The Lamron’s very own assistant Arts and Entertainment editor, Sarah Bhasin. 

Obviously, Rodrigo’s new album has been all the hype lately with its recency, but there are some other notable albums with cult-like fan bases that were written by 19-year-olds women as well. One of these albums is Melodrama, written by the pop and R&B singer Lorde and released in 2017. Like Rodrigo, this was Lorde’s sophomore album, following Pure Heroine which had been released four years prior. Her sophomore album is a notable masterpiece, highlighting the feelings of 19-year-olds everywhere through its conceptual motif of the party scene. My favorite song on this album is “Liability,” a vulnerable, reflective ballad. The lyrics bring listeners through the common thought processes of a teenage girl—of feeling like you might be too complicated or brash to love. In this song, Lorde explains how she thinks people view her: “They say, ‘You’re a little much for me / You’re a liability.” At 19-years-old, the overwhelming weight of feeling unlovable or that you take up too much space is so palpable Later in the same song, listeners can see her personal growth (or withdrawal), when she claims she’s “better on [her] own.” She doesn’t argue or disagree with what these people might be saying, but rather accepts it and moves forward, understanding that she might be better off on her own. This song is then further complicated by the album's penultimate track, “Liability (Reprise),” which seems to address a self-epiphany surrounding one’s perception and self-esteem as a response to the teenage insecurity of the original “Liability” track. 

In another song from Melodrama, titled “Perfect Places,” Lorde refers directly to being the ripe age of 19. The artist adding their current age into the lyrics almost stops the song in time—even listening to this at 21 makes me feel like a tormented teen. Although this album is based on the singer’s real life experiences, it is also highly dramatized for effect; the term Melodrama literally means a “dramatic piece with exaggerated characters and exciting events intended to appeal to the emotions.” Lorde took her own struggles and personal rage and spun them into a theatrical exploration of hyperbolic teen angst.

Alright, now we get to everyone’s favorite: Taylor Swift, for whom no introduction is needed, wrote on the complexities of being a teenage girl in a harsh world with her third album, Speak Now. The album was first released in 2010 with songs written by Swift through her late teens. Due to her album rights being unrightfully stolen from her by music mogul Scooter Braun, Swift began re-recording and releasing her first six albums—make sure to stream “Taylor’s Version!” Even though each song was recorded again, the lyrics were still those written by 19-year-old Swift, and the album continues to be a reflection of what life is like as a teenage girl, even in newly released re-recording of Speak Now (Taylor’s Version). One of my favorite songs on the album is titled “Never Grow Up (Taylor’s Version),” and, you guessed it, it is about not wanting to grow up. The chorus includes heartfelt lyrics about what it feels like to age: “Oh, I don’t wanna grow up / Wish I’d never grown up, it could still be simple.” As a child, all we wanted was to grow up and make decisions for ourselves. In this song, it is clear that Swift wishes she had appreciated the simplicity of a worry-free childhood. Swift includes a line that hits a bit too hard as a college student who has moved out: “Take pictures in your mind of your childhood room.” In this brief but striking imagery, she perfectly encapsulates the feeling of growing up and moving away, but wishing that life didn’t have to change so drastically. Although this album as a whole is more upbeat than Lorde’s, Swift does include some harsher lyrics that reflect the anger she must have felt as a 19-year-old. In “Mean (Taylor’s Version),” she questions why some people find enjoyment in being haters. She dreams of getting older, unlike the previous song: “Someday, I’ll be big enough so you can’t hit me / And all you’re ever gonna be is mean / Why you gotta be so mean?” Swift is asking the real questions here, but unfortunately there might not be answers. 

I don’t know if this is as much of an opinion as much as it is a fact, but 19-year-olds seem to write the best albums and conjoining lyrics. Rodrigo, Lorde, and Swift were able to perfectly encapsulate emotional extremity and unpredictability—all the rage, longing, brokenness, and fear, as well as the immense joy associated with being a teenager. Next time you feel the need to dip into nostalgia or teen angst, give one of these incredibly talented artists a listen—you won’t be disappointed.

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