So I thought I was replying to a comment in this sub about the timeline between the deja vu credits revision (annie was one of the writers on cruel summer) and working on the song "obsessed" with annie. as i was writing my reply, i realized it was a taylor-related sub, and my response had very little to do with taylor, so i thought i might post the timeline here instead in case anyone is interested!
basically, someone was wondering if olivia might have worked with annie on "obsessed" which was written "almost 3 years ago" (which prob means sometime in 2021 but after March 2021). i personally think they worked on obsessed after the deja vu credits were revised, considering the tight timeline. but either way, i think the relationship between the two is lovely:
[editing to add - thanks to u/wasplace for the tip] February 2021: First public interaction on Twitter between Olivia and Annie following Olivia’s cover of “Los Ageless” on TikTok (sorry I don’t have this clip bc I’m an old who doesn’t use TikTok lol)
april 7, 2021: olivia talks about being inspired by the cruel summer to Rolling Stone :
It’s one of my favorite songs ever. I love like the yelly vocals in it, like the harmonized yells that [Swift] does, I think they’re like super electric and moving, so I wanted to do something like that,” the singer says in the video.
may 21, 2021: sour drops. (note: if "the grudge" is inspired by this situation, then olivia got a call on a "friday in may"... possibly this friday in may?)
july 9, 2021: "cruel summer" writing credits revised
late july 2023: annie and olivia go to a Tori Amos show together
august 24, 2023: annie (described as "a heroine who has become a mentor") is quoted in the NYT feature on Olivia:
“I’ve never met anyone so young and so effortlessly self-possessed,” Clark said in a phone interview. Rodrigo “knows who she is and what she wants — and doesn’t seem to be in any way afraid of voicing that. And just a really lovely girl too,” she added. “I’ve never heard her say a bad word about anyone.”
dec 2, 2023: annie presents olivia with the "storyteller of the year" award at Variety 's Hitmakers brunch ; olivia reveals that she worked with annie on "obsessed":
from Billboard :
Searching for words to describe Rodrigo, 20, St. Vincent landed on calling her a “precious baby angel muffin… but if a precious baby angel muffin was tough as nails and cool as hell and f–in’ loved the Breeders. She is shockingly talented, whip smart, and to me, the most important combination, curious and kind. These attributes make her great and will make her a great storyteller for years to come. Olivia’s listening, she’s asking, she’s interrogating the cracks in herself and in humanity. But because of her empathy, what she brings to the surface in her songs are the small frailties and the slivers of joy — those threads that make up our every single day. She pays attention to the things most people ignore, and makes them not just seen, but makes them shine. So I’m happy to call her a friend.”
from Variety :
“Olivia sees the cracks and contradictions in herself and others and makes the ineffable understandable and transformational for her listeners. Her honest songs about the impossible task of growing up have liberated so many young people fighting and fumbling their ways through the same experiences,” praised St. Vincent. “But it’s not merely paying attention that matters to the craft of songwriting. It’s also how you observe and how you listen.”
“And that’s what’s special about Olivia, and why her fans consider her songs their personal rallying cries, is that she bears witness from a place of openness and compassion,” St. Vincent added. ‘Olivia’s songs pull off the magic trick of sounding like all of us at once, but also uniquely just like her.”
I made it with my friend Annie Clark, St. Vincent, who is just incredible. I adore her just as a person, and she’s one of my musical heroes, so she was on that track. And it’s a very sort of deranged, angry-girl song, which I like
starting late feb 2024: olivia plays a St. Vincent guitar on her Guts world tour
march 22, 2024: olivia announces guts (spilled) and obsessed mv are out , explaining that "obsessed" was written almost 3 years ago with dan nigro and st vincent
so there you have it! :)