Describing the song as "tongue-in-cheek and a little funny," Rodrigo revealed to NYLON that the track was actually about all the insecurities that come with growing up in the social media era — including the constant comparisons you make between yourself and others.
"In this time period, I was super obsessed with social media," she shared. "I would look for things that would hurt my feelings all the time and compare myself to everyone. I felt like my life was only what I showed to others. I didn't feel like my life was any deeper than my Instagram feed. That's a really troubling mindset to be in as a teenager. And so I guess I wanted to write a song about that."
Looking more closely at the lyrics, it's clear that "Jealousy, Jealousy" is indeed a clever critique of the social media age. In fact, Rodrigo opens the track by admitting, "I kinda want to throw my phone across the room / 'Cause all I see are girls too good to be true / With paper white teeth and perfect bodies" — before belting out in the bridge, "I wanna be you so bad, and I don't even know you / All I see is what I should be / Happier, prettier, jealousy, jealousy" (via Genius).
Honestly so relatable, no? After learning about the song's truly clever meaning, we'll definitely be listening to "Jealousy, Jealousy" (and the rest of "Sour") on repeat!
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