traitor

“	I wrote most of “traitor” on my bedroom floor in Salt Lake City. I sort of forgot about it until I sent a bunch of voice memos to Dan [Nigro] and he said he liked this. We finished it up together and I really like the way it turned out. It sort of feels like an old country song to me, which I’m obsessed with.	”
– Rodrigo on Traitor

traitor
General information
Release date	May 21, 2021 June 22, 2021 (single)
Genre	Indie pop • soft rock • folk-pop • indie folk • dream pop
Length	3:49
Album	SOUR
Label	Geffen
Songwriter(s)	Olivia Rodrigo, Daniel Nigro
Producer(s)	Daniel Nigro
Singles chronology
Previous	"good 4 u"
Current	"traitor"
Next	"Brutal"
SOUR chronology
"Brutal"
"traitor"
"Drivers License"
ㅤ⠀ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎Music video
ㅤ⠀ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎‏‏‎Lyric video

"Traitor" (stylized in all lowercase) is the second track from Olivia Rodrigo's debut studio album, SOUR. It was released on May 21, 2021 through Geffen Records.

Background

In the song, Rodrigo reflects on what went wrong in a past relationship, the feeling of being betrayed, and still missing what she had.

Chart performance

"Traitor" debuted and peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 during the chart week of June 5, 2021. It is Rodrigo's fourth entry in the top 10 and her highest-charting non-single.

Theme

A soft rock, indie pop, indie folk, dream pop, and folk-pop ballad that explores themes of betrayal, heartbreak, and emotional devastation. The song incorporates acoustic and electric guitars, atmospheric synthesizers, and subtle percussion, evoking elements of pop-punk during the bridge to heighten its raw intensity. Through poignant lyrics and emotive vocals, Olivia Rodrigo captures the pain of feeling deceived by someone who moved on too quickly, despite never technically cheating.

Offical Versions

• Album Version - 3:49

• Demo Version - unknown

Lyrics

[Intro]
Ooh-ooh-ooh
Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah

[Verse 1]
Brown guilty eyes and
Little white lies, yeah
I played dumb, but I always knew
That you talked to her, maybe did even worse
I kept quiet so I could keep you

[Pre-Chorus]
And ain't it funny how you ran to her
The second that we called it quits?
And ain't it funny how you said you were friends?
Now it sure as hell don't look like it

[Chorus]
You betrayed me
And I know that you'll never feel sorry
For the way I hurt, yeah
You talked to her when we were together
Loved you at your worst, but that didn't matter
It took you two weeks to go off and date her
Guess you didn't cheat, but you're still a traitor

[Verse 2]
Now you bring her around just to shut me down
Show her off like she's a new trophy
And I know if you were true
There's no damn way that you
Could fall in love with somebody that quickly

[Pre-Chorus]
And ain't it funny? All the twisted games
All the questions you used to avoid
Ain't it funny? Remember I brought her up
And you told me I was paranoid?

[Chorus]
You betrayed me
And I know that you'll never feel sorry
For the way I hurt, yeah
You talked to her when we were together
Loved you at your worst, but that didn't matter
It took you two weeks to go off and date her
Guess you didn't cheat, but you're still a traitor

[Bridge]
(Ah-ah-ah)
God, I wish that you had thought this through
Before I went and fell in love with you
(Ah-ah-ah)
When she's sleepin' in the bed we made
Don't you dare forget about the way

[Chorus]
You betrayed me
'Cause I know that you'll never feel sorry
For the way I hurt, yeah
You talked to her when we were together
You gave me your word, but that didn't matter
It took you two weeks to go off and date her
Guess you didn't cheat, but you're still, you're still a traitor
(Ah-ah-ah)
Yeah, you're still a traitor

[Outro]
Ooh-ooh-ooh
God, I wish that you had thought this through
Before I went and fell in love with you

Videos

Olivia rodrigo – traitor (live from SOUR prom)

Olivia Rodrigo - traitor (Live From Austin City Limits)

Olivia Rodrigo - traitor (Live From The American Music Awards-2021)