"Vampire" (stylized in

all lowercase Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing systems ...

) is a song by American singer-songwriter

Olivia Rodrigo Olivia Isabel Rodrigo (born February 20, 2003) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She began her career as a child, appearing in commercials and the direct-to-video film '' An American Girl: Grace Stirs Up Success'' (2015). She rose ...

Geffen Records Geffen Records (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...

released it on June 30, 2023, as the lead single from her second studio album, ''

Guts The gastrointestinal tract (GI tract, digestive tract, alimentary canal) is the tract or passageway of the digestive system that leads from the mouth to the anus. The tract is the largest of the body's systems, after the cardiovascular system. ...

'' (2023). Rodrigo co-wrote the song with its producer

Dan Nigro Daniel Leonard Nigro ( ) is an American record producer and songwriter. He was previously the lead vocalist and guitarist of the indie rock band As Tall as Lions. Nigro has produced, written, and co-written songs for Sky Ferreira, Joe Jonas, K ...

. A

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

, disco-rock,

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

, and

dance Dance is an The arts, art form, consisting of sequences of body movements with aesthetic and often Symbol, symbolic value, either improvised or purposefully selected. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

tune, "Vampire" is driven by piano and

instrumentation consisting of electric guitars,

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

s, and programmed drums. An accompanying music video for the song directed by

Petra Collins Petra Collins (born December 21, 1992) is a Canadian artist, director of photography, fashion model and actress who rose to prominence in the early 2010s. Her photography is characterized by a feminine, dreamlike feel, informed in part by a fe ...

was released simultaneously. "Vampire" topped the charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, Israel, Japan, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States, becoming Rodrigo's third chart-topping single in all eight countries. The song also reached the top 10 in Austria, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. It received the nominations for

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...

, Song of the Year and

Best Pop Solo Performance The Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guides, the Best Pop S ...

at the

66th Annual Grammy Awards The 66th Annual Grammy Awards honored the best recordings, compositions, and artists from October 1, 2022, to September 15, 2023, as chosen by the members of The Recording Academy, on February 4, 2024. In its 21st year at the Crypto.com Arena ...

. Its music video won an

MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing The MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing is a craft award given to the artist, the artist's manager, and the editor of the music video. From 1984 to 2007, the award's full name was Best Editing in a Video, before acquiring its current name in 20 ...

during the 2023 ceremony.

Background and release

Rodrigo stated that her second studio album, ''

'', would probably "be a lot happier" than her debut, ''

Sour The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste. Taste is the perception stimulated when a substance in the mouth biochemistry, reacts chemically with taste receptor cells l ...

''. On June 13, 2023, she announced "Vampire" as the lead single from the album. Limited edition

7-inch In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standa ...

and CD singles featuring a demo version of the song were made available for pre-order, along with its pre-save on streaming platforms. "Vampire" was co-written by her and Nigro. Rodrigo told ''Billboard'' that she considered the song as her and Nigro's "version of a rock opera". She revealed it was selected as the lead single because it "felt like an evolution — in a good way that wasn't too stark", besides honoring her "singer-songwriter roots". She further described its creation: "I was upset about a certain situation and went to the studio alone and sat down at the grand piano, and the chords and melody and lyrics just poured out of me — almost like an out-of-body experience." Rodrigo initially intended it to be a piano ballad, though "when Dan and I started working on it, we juxtaposed the lyrics with these big drums and crazy tempo changes. So now it's like a heartbreak song you can dance to." The song was first written by Rodrigo in December 2022 and finished and recorded the following month. The black-and-white cover art depicts Rodrigo with "a dark lip and purple criss-cross Band-Aids on her neck", based on which ''

Nylon Nylon is a family of synthetic polymers characterised by amide linkages, typically connecting aliphatic or Polyamide#Classification, semi-aromatic groups. Nylons are generally brownish in color and can possess a soft texture, with some varieti ...

''s Steffanee Wang wrote that "it might lean in the

gothic Gothic or Gothics may refer to: People and languages *Goths or Gothic people, a Germanic people **Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths **Gothic alphabet, an alphabet used to write the Gothic language ** Gothic ( ...

, shadow-y pop arena". Some critics thought the Band-Aids indicated the spot where someone would be bitten by a vampire. The artwork also references the poster of the 1968

horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...

Dracula Has Risen from the Grave ''Dracula Has Risen from the Grave'' is a 1968 British supernatural horror film directed by Freddie Francis and produced by Hammer Film Productions. It is the fourth entry in Hammer's ''Dracula'' series, and the third to feature Christopher Lee ...

''. A 15-second snippet of the song was played when fans called Rodrigo's "''Sour'' Heartbreak Hotline". Rodrigo teamed up with

YouTube Shorts YouTube Shorts is the short-form section of the online video-sharing platform YouTube. YouTube Shorts are vertical videos that have a duration of up to 180 seconds, and has various features for user interaction. Videos were limited to 60 ...

to launch "#vampireOR2" on June 30, 2023, an

Internet challenge Internet challenges are a popular phenomenon on the Internet, encompassing a wide range of videos in which individuals record themselves performing specific actions or tasks, often daring others to do the same. These challenges have become a signif ...

exclusively on the platform.

Lyrics and composition

"Vampire" is three minutes and thirty-nine seconds long. Nigro produced the song and provided drum programming. He plays guitar, percussion, piano, bass, and synthesizer, Benjamin Romans plays piano, Paul Cartwright plays viola and violin, Sam Stewart plays electric guitar, and Sterling Laws plays drums. It was recorded at Amusement Studios in Los Angeles, and

Serban Ghenea Serban Ghenea () is a Canadian audio engineer and mixer. He has been nominated for a Grammy Award a total of 45 times and has won 21 times. Early life and education Ghenea was born in Romania, and in 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. H ...

mixed it. "Vampire" has been variously described as a

, disco-rock,

, and

song, with influences of

gothic rock Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie an ...

, a

symphonic rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed "progressive pop", the ...

climax, and an EDM ending. It starts as a piano

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

, similarly to "Drivers License" according to ''Billboard''s Jason Lipshutz, and eventually transforms into "a pop-rock epic full of jittery percussion and wounded, dramatic vocal runs". In the song, Rodrigo uses critical language towards an unidentified person, including "bloodsucker, fame fucker, bleedin' me dry like a goddamn vampire." "Fame fucker" is replaced in the clean version of the song with "dream crusher", and "goddamn" is shortened to "damn". Rodrigo makes several references to vampires, and at one point, sings "I should've known it was strange you only come out at night". She recalls how a several-years-older man she dated exploited her: "Went for me and not her / 'Cause girls your age know better". Listeners speculated on the song's subject, with many believing it to be about either film producer Adam Faze or DJ

Zack Bia Zachary Chester Philippe Bialobos (born June 9, 1996) is an American DJ, record executive, record producer, socialite, and club promoter. He was first known in the Los Angeles nightlife scene in the late 2010s as a club promoter and DJ. Later a ...

, both of whom Rodrigo "reportedly dated for about six months". In an interview with '' GQ'', Bia said that he did not believe the lyrics referred to him as " ere was never any drama" after their relationship ended. Others believed the song was about

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her autobiographical songwriting, artistic versatility, and Cultural impact of Taylor Swift, cultural impact, Swift is one of the Best selling artists, w ...

, which Rodrigo told ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...

'' she "was very surprised" by. Rodrigo stated there was "a lot of vampire lore to be played with" and she found "fun songwriting fodder" in it. She also revealed her and Nigro's vision for the song was how it "crescendoed the entire time and reflects the pent-up anger that you have for a situation".

Critical reception

"Vampire" received widespread critical acclaim upon its release. ''

''s Laura Snapes gave the song a five-star rating and stated the pre-chorus "has a dreamy lightheadedness to it that's quickly become a Rodrigo trademark". Snapes also mentioned it "bears Rodrigo's wounds in a reminder of what's at stake for young women." ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' named the song as the "Best New Track", and Quinn Moreland stated that it proved the "undeniable songwriting chemistry" between Rodrigo and Nigro: "There's an unhurried emotional logic to the track's structure, mirroring a young woman's gradual understanding of her own agency." Moreland highlighted the chorus of "Vampire" as "especially showstopping, even as it indulges in some on-the-nose imagery". Abby Jones and Jo Vito of ''

Consequence Consequence may refer to: Philosophy, science and social sciences * Logical consequence, also known as a ''consequence relation'', or ''entailment'' * Consequent, in logic, the second half of a hypothetical proposition or consequences * Consequent ...

'' thought the song "blossoms into a vehicle for Rodrigo's candid, emotional performance", and "the arrangement opens up to a high-energy backbeat, akin to the more upbeat tracks from ''Sour''" after the second verse. Justin Curto of ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...

'' called the track a "full performance" that featured "each line sounding more emotionally exhausted than the last". He wrote that Rodrigo's lyrics "keep the charming specificity of her ''Sour'' tracks while packing more of a clever punch".

Commercial performance

"Vampire" entered the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 at number one, with 35.5 million streams, 26,000 sales (17,000 physical units; 9,000 digital downloads), and 26.3 million radio airplay audience impressions in its first week, ending July 6. It also debuted atop the

Streaming Songs The Streaming Songs chart is released weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine and lists each week's top streamed radio songs, on-demand songs and videos on leading online music services in the United States. The chart represents one ...

chart. Bolstered by the release of its parent album, the single returned to number one, peaking at the top for a second week. It tied for the longest gap between weeks at number one in a single chart run (9 weeks), matching the gap of Miley Cyrus' 2013 single "Wrecking Ball". The song also debuted atop the

Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music industry record chart in Canada for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It was launched on the issue dated March 31, 2007 as the standard record chart in Canada; a new chart ...

, becoming her third number-one in Canada. The song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and received silver certification from the

British Phonographic Industry BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) Limited, trading as British Phonographic Industry (BPI), is the British recorded music industry's trade association. It runs the BRIT Awards; is home to the Mercury Prize; co-owns the Official Charts C ...

(BPI), which denotes track-equivalent sales of 200,000 units. In Spain, following the release of the album, "Vampire" reentered the Top 100 at number 53, becoming its best-performing week in the country.

Music video

On June 27, 2023,

shared a teaser in which Rodrigo can be viewed resting on a patch of grass before being deluged by a blue-green haze while "a pounding electric guitar-filled snippet of 'Vampire' plays", which ''Billboard'' thought was likely from its music video. A later teaser shows her lying under a full moon while a piano-driven instrumental plays.

—with whom Rodrigo had previously worked on the visuals for her 2021 singles "

Good 4 U "Good 4 U" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by American singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo. It was released on May 14, 2021, through Geffen and Interscope Records; it was the third single from Rodrigo's debut studio album, ''Sour'' (202 ...

" and " Brutal"—directed the video, which was released at 12 a.m. ET on June 30. Hours prior to its release, the artist premiered the video at an exclusive YouTube Space event in

Playa Vista, Los Angeles Playa Vista is a list of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood in the Westside (Los Angeles County), Westside area of Los Angeles, California, United States. The area was Hughes Airport (California), the headquarters of Hughe ...

. Filmed in Los Angeles, the music video for "Vampire" contains references to vampires "without being too on the nose". In the video, Rodrigo performs the song in an ethereal flower field. Once it is revealed that she is actually performing on stage at an awards show, she is hit by a falling light. As the pounding beat picks up speed, Rodrigo, who has a severe gash on her shoulder, keeps performing while spilling blood on her face and white outfit. When security guards surround her and attempt to escort her off the stage, she runs off and begins to feel ambushed as she runs out of the theater. Security continues to chase her into the city, which eventually culminates in her levitating into the night sky.

Live performances

Rodrigo's first live performance of "Vampire", on the piano, was published to her YouTube channel on July 6, 2023. On September 8, she gave the first televised performance of the song along with " Get Him Back!" on ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...

''. She again performed "Vampire" along with the latter at the

2023 MTV Video Music Awards The 2023 MTV Video Music Awards were held at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, Newark, New Jersey on September 12, 2023. The show was hosted by Nicki Minaj, marking her second consecutive year in the role. This was the first time the ...

on September 8, '' DayDay'' on September 26, and ''

Live Lounge The Live Lounge is a segment on the British radio stations BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 1Xtra. It was originally hosted by Simon Mayo, and later by Jo Whiley on her weekday mid-morning, and later weekend lunchtime radio shows, then by Fearne Cott ...

'' on October 2. On October 9, Rodrigo performed an acoustic rendition of the song at her one-off concert, An Evening With Olivia Rodrigo, in Los Angeles. The song was part of her set on the December 2023 Los Angeles and New York City dates of iHeartRadio's Jingle Ball Tour 2023. In February 2024, she performed the song live again at the

. "Vampire" was included in Rodrigo's setlist on the

Guts World Tour The Guts World Tour is the ongoing second concert tour by American singer-songwriter and actress Olivia Rodrigo in support of her second studio album, ''Guts (Olivia Rodrigo album), Guts'' (2023). It began on February 23, 2024, at the Acrisure ...

(2024).

Accolades

Credits and personnel

*Olivia Rodrigo – vocals, songwriting *

–

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stat ...

, songwriting, vocal production, guitar, percussion, piano, bass guitar, synthesizer, drum

programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...

, background vocals *Benjamin Romans – piano *Paul Cartwright – viola, violin *Sam Stewart – electric guitar *Sterling Laws – drums *

– mixing *Bryce Bordone – mixing assistance

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links

* * {{Authority control 2020s ballads 2023 songs 2023 singles Billboard Global 200 number-one singles Billboard Global Excl. U.S. number-one singles Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Canadian Hot 100 number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Israel Number-one singles in New Zealand Olivia Rodrigo songs Pop ballads Rock ballads Songs about vampires Songs written by Dan Nigro Songs written by Olivia Rodrigo Song recordings produced by Dan Nigro UK singles chart number-one singles Geffen Records singles Interscope Records singles