What's The Real Meaning Of Lacy By Olivia Rodrigo? Here's What We Think
Olivia Rodrigo's highly anticipated second album arrived in September 2023 and there are several standout tracks, including the heartfelt song "Lacy."
When Rodrigo released her second album, "Guts," it marked a new chapter in her life. With the same teenage angst, heartbreak, and even some happy moments from her first album "Guts" continued with these themes in a more mature light. She told Rolling Stone, "This album encapsulates growing up and figuring yourself out in the world, and the awkwardness of that." She added, "I feel myself growing leaps and bounds." Rodrigo's maturity is clear throughout the album, especially on the track "Lacy."
The melodic and soft-tone song that is "Lacy" is truly unlike anything Rodrigo has done and has easily become a fan favorite, even for the musician herself. When appearing on NPR's Tiny Desk series, she revealed how the song came to be and where it stands on her rankings. She said, "I took a poetry class last year at USC, and I wrote this poem as one of my homework assignments that I really loved." She continued, "It was the first time I'd ever written a song by taking a full sheet of lyrics and putting a melody to it, and it turned out to be one of my favorite songs on the record." Although fans know how she created "Lacy," many may not be familiar with the meaning behind the lyrics.
Lacy is about jealousy
From the first listen, it seems clear that Olivia Rodrigo is talking about her jealousy toward a particular person and how she can't stop obsessing over this person in her song "Lacy."
She begins the track by complimenting "Lacy," singing, "Smart sexy Lacy, I'm losing it lately / I feel your compliments like bullets on skin / Dazzling starlet, Bardot reincarnate/ Well, aren't you the greatest thing to ever exist?" Although the Grammy-winning musician compliments this "Lacy," she's a bit scornful. "Lacy" has all these things Rodrigo wants and it's frustrating for the musician, who expresses her hatred toward them at the end of the song. She sings, "Lacy, oh, Lacy, I just loathe you lately / And I despise my jealous eyes and how hard they fell for you / Yeah, I despise my rotten mind and how much it worships you." No matter how much Rodrigo wants to escape her draw toward "Lacy," she can't.
Rodrigo seemed to confirm the song was about this sense of jealousy during an interview at the Grammy Museum, per Variety. She shared, "I wrote this poem called 'Lacy,' about this sort of all-encompassing envy that I was feeling." Rodrigo's storytelling in the song is so vivid, you can feel her envy toward this person, and it has made many wonder who "Lacy" could be, but that seems to be a mystery when it comes to the track... well, kind of.
Who is Lacy?
If you've listened to "Lacy" by Olivia Rodrigo, you may be wondering whose skin is "puff pastry" or whose eyes are "white as daisies." Rodrigo claimed in an interview with "Today," the song is about her (via Capital FM). She said, "Just all my songs are about me and just how I feel. I don't know." Rodrigo might not be lying, but fans aren't convinced she's "Lacy."
Many Livvies suggested that Gracie Abrams could be "Lacy," per Page Six, coming to this conclusion because, when Rodrigo sings, "Like ribbons in your hair, my stomach's all in knots / You got the one thing that I want," she could be referencing Abrams' frequent use of the hair accessory and her friendship with Swift, whom Rodrigo has admired for years.
Another theory — and someone who caused quite a stir from the first album — is fellow musician Sabrina Carpenter. In "Lacy," Rodrigo sings, "Smart, sexy Lacy, I'm losin' it lately / I feel your compliments like bullets on skin / Dazzling starlet, Bardot reincarnatе." These lyrics stood out to fans, and for them, it pointed the finger at Carpenter. For one, Carpenter has a song titled "Skin," where she expresses that she and Rodrigo could've been friends had it not been for the Joshua Basset drama. Not just that, but Brigitte Bardot is a famous French model who looked a lot like Carpenter. Fans may never know who "Lacy" is, but they do know Rodrigo was jealous of her.