Image Courtesy of Pitchfork
If you’ve never had to change the pronouns to your favorite love song, this isn’t for you. Though being bisexual, pansexual, or of a similar persuasion is more common than people think, there is a major lack of representation of these sexualities in music. We have our heterosexual love songs from centuries ago, and our newer sapphic and gay romantic melodies, but it’s rare to have a song that represents a love indiscriminate of gender. Last week Olivia Rodrigo proved that our expectations aren’t too big, and we now hold a new bisexual anthem in the mainstream.
Olivia Rodrigo’s remix of her song “Expectations” featuring Chappell Roan came out last Thursday, October 15th. (I was fresh out of my wisdom tooth surgery, but still pushed through the anesthesia fog to immediately watch their music video when it debuted at 7pm.) The new remix lacks Rodrigo’s signature spoken word bridge at the halfway mark of the song, but Roan’s powerhouse belt adds a new level to the remix. Both pop stars' voices blend perfectly, with Roans strong vibrato and long notes, paired with Rodrigo’s pop princess shouts, creating a more unique remix.
While Rodrigo’s original “Expectations” focused solely on men, and having higher standards when dating them, the new remix with Roan now covers having high expectations when dating women as well. As any bisexual could tell you, it’s not easy dating either gender, and both are liable to some of the same faults.
Especially as we witness society revert to traditional, or “trad,” relationships and conservative values, it’s important for the arts to highlight authentic human experiences freely. Especially for younger teenage audiences that may listen to Rodrigo and Roan, it’s important to show them that it’s okay to hold those you date, no matter their gender, to high standards, because you are worthy of a good relationship.