On this week’s Billboard Hot 100 (dated June 6), Olivia Rodrigo’s “The Cure” debuts at No. 5. It arrives as the second single from her forthcoming album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, out June 12. The emotional pop track follows lead single “Drop Dead” that debuted at No. 1 in early May.
Elsewhere, “The Cure” debuts atop the Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. It’s Rodrigo’s third leader on the tally, following “Brutal” in 2021 and “Bad Idea Right?” in 2023.
So, what does this second single showing mean for Rodrigo’s new album? And with the album release nearing, what else would we like to see from the star before it drops? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
1. This week, Rodrigo’s “The Cure” enters the Hot 100 at No. 5. It follows “Drop Dead,” the lead single from her forthcoming album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, which became her fourth single to debut atop the Hot 100. If you’re Olivia, on a scale of 1-10, how happy are you with a top five debut?
Hannah Dailey: I’ll give it an 8. Of course you’re always going to hope for a back-to-back No. 1 when you’re an artist as big as Olivia, but a top five placement the week after Drake dominated the top chunk of the Hot 100 is a huge feat. It’s clear that she still has people’s attention and excitement surrounding the new album.
Josh Glicksman: Let’s go with a 7. Candidly, I don’t know how much stock she’s putting in her Hot 100 debut for “The Cure” to begin with. She already proved her chart prowess is as solid as ever with her No. 1 arrival for “Drop Dead”; plus, between 29 entries across Drake’s three albums still percolating on this week’s chart and Ella Langley’s ever-strengthening grasp on the mainstream, Rodrigo is up against a tough board. Given that she called “The Cure” one of her “favorite songs I’ve ever made,” perhaps she hoped for a touch higher, but I can’t imagine she’ll be losing much sleep.
Lyndsey Havens: 7. This can be argued both ways: having a new album’s lead single start strong immediately generates hype, while having its second single outshine the first could also prove that the best is still yet to come. So sure, “Drop Dead” scored the higher debut here – in fact, the highest possible debut – but a top five entry is still a stellar start. Especially when you consider who she’s up against right now.
Joe Lynch: 9. A top five Hot 100 debut for the second song to preview a new album is fantastic, phenomenal even when considering “The Cure” is a sad-to-harrowing five-minute journey, more confessional than pop single.Rebecca Milzoff: A solid 8! Knowing that Olivia recently said this is one of her favorite songs on the album, I’m sure she would of course have loved another No. 1. But against the behemoths that are both Drake and Ella right now, and with a (checks watch) over five-minute long song that’s a slightly unusual vibe for early Olivia singles — neither a sweeping ballad nor a middle-fingers-up pop-punk rocker — the No. 5 debut seems like a more than respectable achievement.
2. “The Cure” enters the chart following a Drake takeover and with Ella Langley still holding strong. Even so, is this about what you would expect for Olivia’s second album single?
Hannah Dailey: Yeah, more or less. Her last album era was similar in that lead single “Vampire” debuted at No. 1, followed by a No. 7 debut for follow-up single “Bad Idea Right?” I wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d debuted in a higher position with “The Cure,” but I’m not aghast or anything that she didn’t.
Josh Glicksman: Generally speaking, yes — and if anything, I’d say it’s an encouraging takeaway for Rodrigo. The second singles from SOUR and GUTS — “deja vu” and “bad idea right?” — debuted at Nos. 8 and 10 on the Hot 100, respectively. Being able to set a new best with “The Cure,” particularly amid a difficult chart week with Drake, Langley and a host of other top 10 mainstays, it could be a sign of very good things to come for the forthcoming album.
Lyndsey Havens: If we weren’t amidst a Drake domination following an Ella enchantment on the Hot 100, I would expect “The Cure” to debut higher. But, given the fact that Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” isn’t going away anytime soon coupled with the fact that Drake just dropped three whole albums worth of music, I think a No. 5 start seems about right for Olivia this week.
Joe Lynch: There’s a world (one where Drake dropped his comeback LPs a few weeks later and “Choosin’ Texas” never two-stepped onto the Hot 100) in which “The Cure” might have had a shot at the top spot, more likely a No. 2 debut. But to my ear, “The Cure” sounds less like a bid for radio play than it does demonstrating her substantial sonic evolution. The fact that is does just that and debuted top 5 is a double win.Rebecca Milzoff: Historically, it’s honestly a bit better: second Sour single “deja vu” debuted at No. 8, while “bad idea right?” from Guts debuted at No. 10. Especially without the onslaught of promotion that accompanied “Drop Dead,” and without any teaser even on her Saturday Night Live appearance, that performance makes it exceed my expectations a bit too.
3. You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love is divided into two sections: girl so in love and you seem pretty sad. “Drop Dead” is the first song of the first section, while “The Cure” is the first song of the second section. Given that, what section are you more excited for from the album?
Hannah Dailey: Definitely the second section. I think she’s really onto something with the concept of love sometimes bringing out the worst parts of you, and I’m really intrigued to see what a songwriter as perceptive and thoughtful as Olivia has to say about that across a collection of songs.
Josh Glicksman: As a recently married man, the expected answer for me here may be to say girl so in love, but give me the heartwrenching ballads every day of the week and twice on Sunday. The phenomenon of the tortured artist exists for good reason! Sure, being blissfully in love is cool and all, but try telling me that message hits harder in music than unleashing a full-throated “I’m unraveled!” at the sky during a powerhouse bridge. Sign me up for you seem pretty sad.
Lyndsey Havens: In both cases, “Drop Dead” and “The Cure” were slow growers for me. The latter has been even more subtle, with its indie-rock riff embedding itself deep in my brain and playing quietly on loop. If we consider what we think we know of Olivia’s life of late – namely, the fact that she may have endured a breakup somewhere along the way to this album – that to me feels like a more complex space to explore than straightforward love songs. Even the way “The Cure” unexpectedly builds in its second half helps me feel more excited and curious for that album’s section – and I hope at least one song goes full Ragerigo.
Joe Lynch: The second section, certainly. “Drop Dead” is great and I love an Olivia earworm, but I’m eager to hear Rodrigo get into darker territory. Obviously her breakthrough hit was an emotional weeper, but we’ve never heard her get this dark before – and like Robert Smith, black seems to be a color that suits Rodrigo well.Rebecca Milzoff: Definitely the second. I love the Smashing Pumpkins feel of “The Cure” as a ’90s rock girlie (not to mention the Michel Gondry-esque music video), but I love even more feeling like Olivia is revealing a new level of complexity in how she approaches writing about relationships and her own agency in them. She’s admitting she has issues, that not every breakup can be squarely blamed on one person, and she’s thus finding new layers of how to address the experience of being in, and losing, love.
4. Both “Drop Dead” and “The Cure” nod to the Robert Smith-led band. What other rock act might Olivia reference on the album?
Hannah Dailey: You never know with her! My first guess would be David Byrne, who recorded his own version of “Drivers License” for the single’s five-year anniversary earlier this year (as part of a project that has since seemingly been abandoned?) and made a cameo at Rodrigo’s Gov Ball set in 2025.
Josh Glicksman: Given David Byrne’s “drivers license” cover in January, the first answer that comes to mind would be Talking Heads. That said, why limit it to just bands? I’ll take Avril Lavigne here. She covered the legendary pop-punk star’s “Complicated” during her Glastonbury set in 2022 — where, notably, she more recently covered The Cure’s “Friday I’m in Love” and “Just Like Heaven” last year.
Lyndsey Havens: Jack White, please. Their admiration-turned-friendship has always felt special; especially when it’s White who is inspired to do something cute, like leaving her a note to find in the Saturday Night Live green room. While it simply said “kill it kid,” I will now forever be yearning for a collaboration from them with that title – but, on you seem pretty sad, I’d settle for a secret nod to White or his discography.
Joe Lynch: Oh, I don’t know. I suppose people have said that “Drop Dead” already tips to Foo Fighters, but if we’re keeping on the Cure vibe, maybe another great act moody ‘80s act, Depeche Mode. Livtronica we haven’t quite heard yet.Rebecca Milzoff: I can see The Cranberries being an influence — a band that can veer between righteous rage and gorgeously plaintive melody so well.
5. With just two more weeks to go until album release, what are you hoping that Olivia still might do as part of her rollout campaign?
Hannah Dailey: Honestly? I want her to get a little messy with it. No one has for-sure confirmed the rumors that she and Louis Partridge are broken up, so if she really wanted to get more people to tune into the album, she could drop a pointed remark about him in an interview or throw a little shade in some TikTok comments to get the gossip mill working in her favor. People might have their objections to it, but you can’t say it isn’t a tried-and-true way of selling records.
Josh Glicksman: Maybe it’s because summer is finally here and I’m hungry, but take a page out of Tyler, the Creator’s playbook and craft a collaboration with a premium ice cream brand.
Lyndsey Havens: She’s done a lot. And it all seems to be working to keep the fire lit as release day nears. I think, if anything, it could be really fun to play into the album’s two sides… Maybe host two release parties depending on the vibe fans are feeling: are you in love, or pretty sad? Pick a lane. Each party would only get to hear one half of the album, leaving fans to piece it all together online just as the full project drops.
Joe Lynch: A Billboard interview? Also, her pop-up performance at Pete’s Candy Store in Brooklyn was awesome, and I hope there’s more stuff like that on the docket – genuinely surprising moments that also help boost the profile of a cool neighborhood venue (not necessarily in New York City).Rebecca Milzoff: I loved the quiet intensity and gradual build of “The Cure,” but I’m of course still hoping there’s at least one trademark Olivia rager in the album’s second half to get us all rocking out and psyched for the ultimate release.
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