“Déjà Vu” By Olivia Rodrigo Lyrics And Meaning

Olivia Rodrigo is a bright star on the rise.

Her first song Driver’s License was a huge hit. It still is.

Her second release Déjà Vu promises to build on that success.

Many feel there is a connection between the two songs. That the latter continues a story begun in the former.

Is there anything to that?

And what do the lyrics to Déjà Vu mean specifically?

Keep reading for the full lyrics to the Olivia Rodrigo hit Déjà Vu, plus a breakdown of their meaning.

 

Déjà Vu By Olivia Rodrigo Lyrics And Meaning

Last year, the star of High School Musical: The Series continued her musical career with the single Déjà Vu, and the world has been hugely impacted by Olivia Rodrigo’s new release!

This new series of pop rhythms comes with a catchy melody that, accompanied by the high notes of our protagonist, makes listening to the song a complete, amazing experience.

Olivia Rodrigo cannot exactly turn the page on Driver’s License, even if she wants to, because it remains among the three most successful songs globally.

The track swept the first days of 2021 in a completely unheard of way, because it was the first single from a new artist, who was previously practically unknown to the general public.

It is currently approaching 600 million views on Spotify alone. Meanwhile, the young Californian singer and songwriter continues with a new song called Déjà Vu.

 

Déjà Vu Lyrics

 
Car rides to Malibu
Strawberry ice cream, one spoon for two
And tradin’ jackets
Laughin’ ’bout how small it looks on you
(Ha-ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha-ha-ha, ha-ha-ha-ha)
Watching reruns of Glee
Bein’ annoying, singin’ in harmony
I bet she’s braggin’ to all her friends, sayin’ you’re so unique, hmm

[Chorus]
So when you gonna tell her that we did that, too?
She thinks it’s special, but it’s all reused
That was our place, I found it first
I made the jokes you tell to her when she’s with you
Do you get déjà vu when she’s with you?
Do you get déjà vu? (Ah) Hmm
Do you get déjà vu, huh?

[Verse 2]
Do you call her, almost say my name?
’Cause let’s be honest, we kinda do sound the same
Another actress
I hate to think that I was just your type
And I bet that she knows Billy Joel
’Cause you played her “Uptown Girl”
You’re singin’ it together
Now I bet you even tell her how you love her
In between the chorus and the verse (Ooh; I love you)

[Chorus]
So when you gonna tell her that we did that, too?
She thinks it’s special, but it’s all reused
That was the show we talked about
Played you the songs she’s singing now when she’s with you
Do you get déjà vu when she’s with you?
Do you get déjà vu? (Oh-oh)
Do you get déjà vu?

[Bridge]
Strawberry ice cream in Malibu
Don’t act like we didn’t do that shit, too
You’re tradin’ jackets like we used to do
(Yeah, everything is all reused)
Play her piano, but she doesn’t know (Oh, oh)
That I was the one who taught you Billy Joel (Oh)
A different girl now, but there’s nothing new

[Outro]
I know you get déjà vu
I know you get déjà vu
I know

 

Déjà Vu Meaning

After the success of Driver’s License, Olivia Rodrigo released her second song, entitled Déjà Vu, which also comes with a clip full of references.

That’s because the audiovisual work brings the presence of a car, reminding a lot of the Driver’s License footprint, and its lyrics addressed to a love that didn’t work out. The controversy over the end of the relationship also continues in this song!

The song, which arrived with a beautiful video, talks about a relationship that has come to an end and the girl asks if her ex has the feeling of déjà vu when being with this new person.

Of course, with this superb release, the internet started to speculate if the song is in direct correlation with the previous one.

To put an end to the social media rumors, in an interview with Apple Music, Olivia spoke about the real meaning of her new single.

In the conversation, the singer also reveals that Déjà Vu was written shortly after her debut single, Driver’s License:

“I’m kind of obsessed with the concept of déjà vu. I really love this concept and I have déjà vu all the time. So I thought it would be nice to play with words using as a metaphor for this universal thing that happens when you break up with someone and they hook up with someone else, you see them living the life that you used to live… It’s a super universal thing that I think happens to everyone and we really don’t talk enough about it. So I had this line written for a while, which says, ‘When she’s with you, do you have déjà vu?'”

As well as Driver’s License, Déjà Vu comes with a history of lovelessness that seems to have remained silent on Rodrigo. It is addressed to this guy with whom she had a relationship, and who now has a romance with another girl.

Olivia asks him when he will tell his new girlfriend that all the things that he has been doing together with her are the same things he had been doing with Olivia. In short: your current relationship is like déjà vu.

The shouts of “cheerleader” of the chorus of Déjà vu definitely bring the song closer to the commerciality of Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo’s favorite artist. The dynamic composition, both melodic and lyrical, reminds of Swift, too.

Take a look at our breakdown of the All Too Well lyrics meaning (10 minute version) to see how Rodrigo’s hit compares to Taylor Swift’s greatest breakup song (and widely considered her greatest song period).

This song, which was destined to be a success from the outset, is once again dedicated to a love triangle, in which Olivia is again the person who has been left out:

“So when are you going to tell her that we did that, too? She thinks it’s special, but it’s all reused. That was the show we talked about, played you the song she’s singing now when she is with you”.

Interestingly, there is a nice closure to the song. The first stanza starts with: “Car rides to Malibu, strawberry ice cream, one spoon for two and trading jackets, laughing ‘bout how small it looks on you.”

This is her remembering their relationship while driving a car and eating ice cream. The last stanza though starts with: “Strawberry ice cream in Malibu, don’t act like we didn’t do that shit, too. You’re trading jackets like we used to do (yeah, everything is all reused).”

Here, the song reaches the full circle and we have both the repetition (déjà vu), but also closure (the circle is complete, the story has been told – he is with another one, and I’m left alone).

Is this a new indirect message to Joshua Bassett? We must remember that, on the ground, he is the protagonist of the Driver’s License story.

He is also the guy who broke Olivia’s heart and cheated with another girl. These are simple theories that must be confirmed by the artist herself.

If Driver’s License brought Lorde to mind, Déjà Vu replaces drama with euphoria and dares to sound even more alternative.

The song seems to be inspired by Clairo’s sound, and the prominence of her drums refers to the excellent new HAIM record, or anything else produced by Rostam Batmanglij.

And if we twirl the loop, the combo of distorted drums and synths even seems to look like Deerhunter’s album Microcastle.

 

Olivia Rodrigo’s Déjà Vu Lyrics And Meaning: Final Thoughts

After the Driver’s License success, Olivia Rodrigo has shown that she is not a one-hit-wonder. Her new hit Déjà Vu makes a statement that her arrival on the musical scene will not go unnoticed, just in case she has not proven that yet.

Déjà Vu was written by those responsible for Driver’s License: Daniel Nigro and Olivia Rodrigo herself.

And it was produced by the former, and is clearly part of what was presented on that song, even in the melodic sense (the same succession of chords; you can almost sing Driver’s License over it), but only to evolve to other places.

The video for Déjà Vu takes place in Malibu, a city that is mentioned in the lyrics, and the prominence of its televisions seems to seek the nostalgic 90s component.

There is no doubt that Olivia wants to make a hole between the biggest promises of pop at an international level. She is currently going along the right path, but the success of her previous work speaks for herself.

If you like Olivia’s stuff, you may also like the song Cover Me Up by Jason Isbell. It is beautifully written. Learn more about it in our breakdown of the Cover Me Up lyrics and their meaning.

And if you like these types of breakdowns, you should also check out our analysis of the lyrics for Swimming Pool by Marie Madeleine. For something else from the modern time period, but very different in style, read our breakdown of the lyrics and meaning of Psycho by Post Malone.