“Oh, Olivia does remixes now.”
When Olivia Rodrigo announced that Chappell Roan would be hopping on the remix of “Expectations,” fans were surprised, as the track would mark their first-ever collaboration. The newest version of the song—which appeared on Rodrigo’s third studio album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love—has delivered on the hype, showing off the best of Rodrigo and Roan’s vocal skills, while putting a fresh spin on the Hot 100-charting hit.
In the lyrics, Rodrigo details the dissolution of her feelings for a guy. At first, she finds his quirks entertaining, but after catching feelings, she later realises that he offers no stability and has no aspirations in life. The relationship, however, didn’t damage her too much and instead allowed her to understand that she deserves better. “I won't settle for a guy with a fake job/ They seem so desperate for loving, but baby, I'm not/ Gave my heart with zero stipulations/Now I take careful consideration,” she sings on the chorus of the track.
Roan hops in on the second verse with a story of her own. She finds herself annoyed after taking out a girl on a date that turns physical, thinking it could turn into a fun fling—instead, she finds herself ghosted and venting on the track alongside Rodrigo. “She said she’d call me later/ That was three weeks ago/ Classic L.A. behaviour,” she sings on her verse.
The pop star duo paired the colourful track with a bold music video to match. The video takes its inspiration from past game shows, with Rodrigo appearing as herself three times—in different costumes, too—to vent about her disappointing romantic endeavours with the opposite sex. Roan appears halfway through the video when the game show switches to a Family Feud format; when Roan steps up to answer the “places you should take her” question, she gives her own tale of disappointment (and clearing the board in the process).
Rodrigo and Roan aren’t the only celebrities to appear in the video, either—David Byrne of Talking Heads serves as the head game show host, and her producer, Dan Nigro, also makes an appearance in the video.
The pop stars’ collaboration has been a long time in the making—Roan has worked with Rodrigo for years on music, lending uncredited background vocals to “Lacy” and “Obsessed” from Guts, and “Can’t Catch Me Now” from The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes soundtrack. Roan also contributed vocals to “Bad Idea Right?,” but it didn’t make the final cut.
Before Roan’s commercial breakthrough, Rodrigo invited her to be the opening act for the GUTS World Tour in 2024. Roan also appeared at the inaugural Daisy Chain Fields festival in August.
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