Olivia Rodrigo has been the latest host of Saturday Night Live, also starring in the two musical performances of the night. The first of these, introduced by Debbie Harry, was ‘drop dead’, for which Rodrigo sang under his own grave: “This is where Olivia Rodrigo fell dead,” it could be read. The second is about the grand premiere of their next single, ‘begged’, with Weyes Blood on backing vocals.
The debut of ‘begged’ actually occurred last month, shortly after the announcement of the artist’s third album, ‘you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love’, which will be available on June 12. Rodrigo sang the song, also with Weyes Blood, at a show in Los Angeles that could only be attended by invitation. Now, we can all enjoy the song, which has a completely opposite tone to that of ‘drop dead’.
While that was pure teenage ecstasy, ‘begged’ is a well of emotions that many have already described as “the saddest song of their career.” The SNL version is sober, with just two acoustic guitars and a choir accompanying the artist, who sings about having to “beg” for her partner’s affection: “I’m cool and forgiving / I’ll take what you give / But nothing is enough when I know that, to get it, I begged.”
If the SNL performance is an accurate representation of the studio version, Weyes Blood’s participation will be limited to supporting vocals. In fact, her presence could go unnoticed in the program as she is one of three backup singers accompanying Rodrigo.
