Raquel Vaughn-
With Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS World Tour around the corner, it’s possible that many Gustavus students have already bought tickets. There are many different majors and opportunities of study here at Gustavus as well as a decent discography for Olivia Rodrigo. “What do these two have to do with each other?” you may ask. My answer: “Everything.” If you are anticipating a GUTS show, prepare yourself with which Olivia Rodrigo song is paired with your major(s).
Starting off strong with all the science, technology, engineering, and math classes, one of Rodrigo’s most famous songs “Brutal” from her album SOUR perfectly encapsulates Gustavus’ Biochemistry and Molecular Biology program as well as Biology. Most complaints I’ve seen on YikYak, where classes are concerned, have to do with whatever covers a natural science credit. Because of that, it would also be a great song for the majors Chemistry and Physics, which spend long hours in labs. But I decided that Chemistry was best suited with “Love is Embarrassing” and Physics with “Lacy.”
As for Mathematics and Statistics, Rodrigo’s song “Logical” from GUTS is the best fit. The Economics major is “Get Him Back!” because it’s crashing, Geography is “Driver’s License,” Geology is “The Rose Song” from High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, and Computer Science is the “Bizaardvark Theme Song” from Disney Channel’s Bizaardvark. As for those Nursing majors who are working their butts off to make sure their future patients are okay, the perfect song that describes their career is “Hope Ur Ok.” Because not only are they undoubtedly asking that question to everyone else but so are we to them for their never-ending homework. The Psychological Science program is best paired with “Making the Bed” for its reference to trauma and childhood struggles.
Political Science majors can probably relate to “The Grudge” with lyrics like “And I try to be tough, but I wanna scream / How could anybody do the things you do so easily? / And I say I don’t care, I say that I’m fine / But you know I can’t let it go.” Political Science is not an easy major, and in fact, takes a toll on someone’s mental health because of the tense political climate we are in now. This could also be said for students who are majoring in Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies, who could easily be categorized as an “All-American B*tch” and wear it as a badge of honor. As a GWSS major myself, I can agree that I am also “built like a mother and a total machine.”
Since those who major in Sociology and Anthropology study and analyze the interactions of people and societies, I figured “Jealousy, Jealousy” described their work the best. “Happier,” I’ve decided, is a perfect fit for the History department and those who are majoring in it. How could it not be when Rodrigo fantasizes about the past with someone special? “Bad Idea Right?” is Communication Studies, “Teenage Dream” is English Studies, “I Think I Kinda, You Know” is Classical Languages, and Peace, Justice, and Conflict Studies is “Favorite Crime” for obvious reasons.
An Education major herself was very passionate about “1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back” which was related to her work to becoming a high school teacher. I was inclined to agree with her, which is why I added the song to both Elementary and Secondary Education majors. The climate around teaching is strained due to a lack of support from the government, parents, and students themselves. Keep your head up, Education majors.
Religion could be best described by Rodrigo’s “Traitor” for obvious reasons. “Blobfish” from the hit Disney show Bizaardvark is to Environmental Studies as “Enough For You” is to Management. “Good 4 U” was decidedly a perfect fit for Athletic Training, Health and Physical Education, and Exercise Physiology since some of Rodrigo’s most famous lyrics go “Well, good for you, you look happy and healthy.”
I was, at first, leaning towards English Studies when trying to find a worthy major for the song “Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl” from the album GUTS. But I decided that it made more sense to pair it with those who are majoring in Music, Theatre, and Dance. As someone who was in choir for all four years of high school and only am best friends with other musically inclined people who happen to also be so-called “theatre kids,” I would consider myself a credible source. Not a single homeschooled person that I know is not involved in the arts one way or another. With that being said, Art Studio and Art History majors give off the same vibes that “Pretty Isn’t Pretty” does.
For fun, I decided to describe Ancient Greek Studies with the song “Out of the Old” from High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, purely because of the title itself. Some may not find me humorous, but I certainly do. “Vampire” is Russian and Eastern European Studies also for its title. Not knowing where to put the song, a quick Google search made my decision for me by informing me that vampires were a myth that originated in 18th-century Southeastern Europe. “Deja Vu” is paired with French Studies because…well, you know why. Deja vu literally means “already seen” in French.
So, if you are going to Olivia Rodrigo’s concert and are struggling to know which song to belt out with all your heart, refer back to here. And as she says, “If you’re out there, I hope that you’re okay.”