"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 Interscope Records is an American record label based in Santa Monica, California, owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture ...

; it was the third single from Rodrigo's debut studio album, ''

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 ...

'' (2021). The song was written by Rodrigo and its producer Dan Nigro who co-produced it with Alexander 23. Three months after the track's release, Hayley Williams and Josh Farro were retrospectively given co-writing credits due to influence from Paramore's " Misery Business" (2007), with the pair to receive a combined royalty share of 50%. Musically, "Good 4 U" has been described as an upbeat song blending rock, pop, punk, and alternative styles. It consists of a

staccato Staccato (; Italian for "detached") is a form of Articulation (music), musical articulation. In modern notation, it signifies a note of shortened duration, separated from the note that may follow by silence. It has been described by theorists and ...

bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, and classical music, for the low-pitched P ...

, energetic electric guitars, and explosive drumming, with lyrics addressing a former lover who moved on very quickly after a breakup. The song received acclaim from music critics, who praised the instrumentation reminiscent of the 1990s–2000s and Rodrigo's crisp songwriting. The accompanying music video features Rodrigo as a high-school cheerleader exacting revenge, visually alluding to the 2000s films ''

Audition An audition is a sample performance by an actor, singer, musician, dancer or other performer. It typically involves the performer displaying their talent through a previously memorized and rehearsed solo piece or by performing a work or piece gi ...

'', '' The Princess Diaries'', and '' Jennifer's Body''. At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, "Good 4 U" received a nomination for Best Music Video. The single reached number one in 23 countries including Australia, Germany, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the United States; it was the second chart-topping single from ''Sour'' in many of those countries, following Rodrigo's debut single " Drivers License" (2021). "Good 4 U" peaked within the top 10 in more than 20 territories. The song received platinum or multi-platinum certifications globally as well as diamond in France and Mexico and ranks among the top 100 most streamed songs of all-time on Spotify with over 2.3 billion streams as of November 2024.

Background and development

Rodrigo announced her debut studio album ''

'' on April 1, 2021. "Good 4 U" placed sixth on the track listing. On May 10, Rodrigo announced via her social media accounts that "Good 4 U" would become the third single from ''Sour'' on May 14, following " Drivers License" and " Deja Vu". Alongside the announcement, she also revealed the song's cover artwork. Rodrigo had previously teased the song in a promotional image for "Deja Vu". In her August 2021 '' Variety'' cover story, Rodrigo stated she came up with the song's hook in the shower. She added she did not want the entirety of ''Sour'' to be "sad piano songs", but also did not want to write a happy, "I'm in love" pop song, because "that was so far from how hewas truly feeling at the time". Rodrigo concluded that "Good 4 U" was "really satisfying" due to its upbeat energy and danceability without sacrificing honesty and authenticity in her lyrics.

Composition and lyrics

"Good 4 U" is a pop, rock,

pop-punk Pop-punk (also punk-pop, alternatively spelled without the hyphen) is a rock music fusion genre that combines elements of punk rock with power pop or pop music, pop. It is defined by its fast-paced, energetic tempos, and emphasis on classic pop s ...

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 ...

teen pop Teen pop is a sub genre of pop music that is created, marketed and oriented towards Preadolescence, preteens and teenagers.Lamb, Bill"Teen Pop". About.com. Retrieved January 28, 2007. Often, the artists themselves are teenagers during their break ...

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a subgenre of rock music and form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, ...

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock Music genre, genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington, particularly in Seattle and Music of Olympia, Washington, O ...

song, with alternative, emo, electro, 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 ...

influences. According to MusicNotes, it is composed in the key of F minor with a

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

of 85 beats per minute. Its instrumentation is driven by a set of 1990s-inspired electric guitars and

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

. Its verses follow a rhythm typical of R&B. The song was written by Rodrigo and Daniel Nigro, and produced by Nigro and Alexander 23. In August 2021, Paramore members Hayley Williams and Josh Farro received writing credits, as the chorus was inspired by Paramore's 2007 song " Misery Business". This proved to be controversial as many disputed the plagiarism claim, citing them as being two different songs with some similarities. However, it was later reported by '' Variety'' that Rodrigo's camp had been in contact with Williams and Farro prior to the song's release and they were eventually paid between $700k–$1.2m in royalties. Rodrigo publicly responded, discussing her feelings about Williams and Farro being added as co-writers on "Good 4 U": The song begins with an "uncluttered five-note"

bass line and Rodrigo's vocals delivered in a soft tone, which is then joined by an energetic guitar, using a chorus effect, before dropping into the drums-driven chorus. The second verse returns to the original bass line with added "lilting" drum beats and backup harmonies and slowly ascends to Rodrigo's "near-shout" vocal delivery. In "Good 4 U," Rodrigo confronts her ex who has moved on very quickly from the relationship with her, using plentiful sarcastic remarks and singing, "Well, good for you / You look happy and healthy, not me / If you ever cared to ask / Good for you / You're doin' great out there without me, baby / God, I wish that I could do that / I've lost my mind, I've spent the night / Cryin' on the floor of my bathroom / But you're so unaffected, I really don't get it / But I guess good for you." It marks a departure from Rodrigo's preceding singles, "Drivers License" and "Deja Vu", which presented a melancholic and slower emotion.

Critical reception

"Good 4 U" received acclaim from music critics. ''

People The term "the people" refers to the public or Common people, common mass of people of a polity. As such it is a concept of human rights law, international law as well as constitutional law, particularly used for claims of popular sovereignty. I ...

'' Tomás Mier has described the song as a "heartbreak track filled with an angsty pop-rock sound." Rob Sheffield of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' lauded Rodrigo's musical versatility, and noted influences from

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 ...

in "Good 4 U". '' Variety'' critic Ellise Shaffer dubbed the song a "nostalgic heartbreak anthem" evoking a "fluttering, cathartic feeling reminiscent of late '90s

Hole A hole is an opening in or through a particular medium, usually a solid Body (physics), body. Holes occur through natural and artificial processes, and may be useful for various purposes, or may represent a problem needing to be addressed in m ...

or early Paramore, but with a poppier flair". ''

Teen Vogue ''Teen Vogue'' is an American progressive online publication, formerly in print, launched in January 2003, as a sister publication to '' Vogue'', targeted at teenage girls and young women. Like ''Vogue'', it included stories about fashion and ...

'' Claire Dodson said that "Good 4 U" gives "pure 2000s pop-punk" aside Rodrigo's "

knockout A knockout (abbreviated to KO or K.O.) is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, karate, some forms of taekwondo and other sports involving striking, ...

songwriting". Dodson found Rodrigo's voice versatile, easily moving between styles similar to Swift's vocals in " We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" (2012), and that of

Alanis Morissette Alanis Nadine Morissette ( ; born June 1, 1974) is a Canadian and American singer, songwriter, musician, and actress. Known for her emotive mezzo-soprano voice and confessional songwriting, she became a cultural phenomenon during the mid 199 ...

and Hayley Williams, to become "something original". Sydney Bucksbaum, writing for ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'', called the single a "pop-punk breakup anthem" and an "immediate banger", underlining the song's similarities to Paramore's " Misery Business" (2007). In agreement, Halle Kiefer of '' Vulture'' also named the song an "angry track" evocative of "Misery Business" in "the best possible way". In a critique of its genre, ''

Slate Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous, metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade, regional metamorphism. It is the finest-grained foliated metamorphic ro ...

'' Chris Molanphy said "Good 4 U" is a "snarling rock number" inspired by the 2000s, adding that it "not really rock-slash-anything. It isn't alt-rock crossed with SoundCloud rap like the recent chart-topper ' Mood' by 24kGoldn and Iann Dior, isn't

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

-based trap-pop à la

Post Malone Austin Richard Post (born July 4, 1995), known professionally as Post Malone, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, and actor. His music blends various genres including hip-hop, Pop music, pop, Contemporary R&B, R&B, Tra ...

, isn't indie-rock with bedroom-pop hooks à la Taylor Swift's recent creations."

Rankings

Accolades

Commercial performance

United States

In the United States, "Good 4 U" debuted atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, giving Rodrigo her second number-one song in the country, following her eight-week chart-topper " Drivers License". ''Sour'' became the first debut album in history to have two of its songs debut at number one on the Hot 100, as well as the third album by a female artist to spawn two number-one debuts on the Hot 100, preceded by

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

's ''Daydream'' (1995) and

Ariana Grande Ariana Grande-Butera ( ; born June 26, 1993) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Regarded as a pop icon and an influential figure in popular music, Grande is known for her four-octave vocal range, which extends into the whistle re ...

's '' Thank U, Next'' (2019). "Good 4 U" was also the third consecutive single from the album to debut in the top 10 of the chart. The song drew 43.2 million U.S. streams and sold 12,000 downloads in its first week of release. The track 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 as Rodrigo's second leader and ruling for seven consecutive weeks, after "Drivers License" ruled for four weeks, and started at number five on the ''Billboard'' Digital Songs chart. "Good 4 U" dropped to number two in its second week and held that rank for eleven non-consecutive weeks, becoming the first song since

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

's " Exhale (Shoop Shoop)" (1995–96) to spend eleven weeks at number two on the Hot 100. "Good 4 U" has been certified 7× Platinum in the US by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

for 7,000,000 units.

United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, "Good 4 U" was also a commercial success. The song accumulated over 1 million streams in its first three days in the United Kingdom. The song debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart, marking Rodrigo's second top-10 song and third top-20 song in the country. In its second week, the song topped the chart, becoming Rodrigo's second number-one single after "Drivers License". "Good 4 U" became one of the biggest chart-topping singles in the UK in 2021, gathering more than 117,000 units sold in its second week, including 13.5 million streams, to reach number one. It topped the charts for five consecutive weeks, in the fourth of which it became the first rock song to reach such a feat since

Evanescence Evanescence is an American Rock music, rock band founded in 1994 by singer and keyboardist Amy Lee and guitarist Ben Moody in Little Rock, Arkansas. After releasing independent extended play, EPs and a Origin (Evanescence demo album), demo ...

's " Bring Me to Life" (2003). In its seventh week, the song was dethroned by

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

's " Bad Habits" dropping down to number 2 on the UK Singles Chart. After ten weeks within the top ten on the UK Charts, "Good 4 U" dropped out of the top ten charting at number 12. "Good 4 U" spent a total of 25 weeks inside the UK Top 40 in 2021. At the end of the year, it was reported that "Good 4 U" had been streamed a total of 167 million times in the UK as well as being the second biggest song in the UK in 2021 by selling 1,390,000 copies. "Good 4 U" spent a total of 61 weeks on the UK Top 100 and has since been certified 4× Platinum for 2,400,000 units. The song has also been streamed a total of 253 million times.

Worldwide

In Ireland "Good 4 U" scored Rodrigo's second number-one song on the Official Irish Singles Chart, following "Drivers License". With this, all singles from ''Sour'' had entered the top 10 of the chart. The song spent five consecutive weeks at number one in Ireland. "Good 4 U" further topped the singles chart in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

and

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

. In Australia, "Good 4 U" debuted at number two on the ARIA Singles Chart, after which it rose to number one upon the impact of ''Sour''. "Good 4 U" spent six consecutive weeks at number one in Australia.

Impact

British rock magazine ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...

'' stated that "Good 4 U" leads the commercial comeback of rock music in 2020–2021, noting how it is the first rock record since

's 2003 single " Bring Me to Life" to spend four or more weeks atop the UK Singles chart, alongside chart success of other rock-adjacent artists, such as

Willow Smith Willow Smith (born October 31, 2000), also known mononymously as Willow, is an American singer, actress and dancer. The daughter of Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, she has received various accolades, including a Young Artist Award, an NAAC ...

, Machine Gun Kelly,

Måneskin is an Italian Rock music, rock band formed in Rome in 2016. The band is composed of lead vocalist Damiano David, bassist Victoria De Angelis, guitarist Thomas Raggi, and drummer Ethan Torchio. Performing in the streets in their early days, Mån ...

, and

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( , born Destiny Hope Cyrus, November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, actress and director. Regarded as a contemporary pop icon, Cyrus has been recognized for her evolving artistry and image reinventions. She is ...

. ''

'' admired Rodrigo's versatility and proclaimed that she "might be the dying genre's best hope", pinpointing that "Good 4 U" is the "most up-the-middle rock song to top the .S.Hot 100 in a decade or more".

Music video

An accompanying

music video A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device intended to ...

directed by Petra Collins was released alongside the song on May 14, 2021. The music video references horror films such as ''

'' (1999) and '' Jennifer's Body'' (2009). Rodrigo was styled by vlogger Devon Carlson for the video. In the video, Rodrigo appears in a variety of looks, including a

cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense Physical exercise, physical activity. It can be performed to motivate s ...

uniform seen in the 2001 coming-of-age film '' The Princess Diaries'' (also seen in the cover artwork). She plays the role of a high schooler out for revenge, destroying her ex-boyfriend's bedroom and lighting his belongings on fire. '' Insider'' critic Callie Ahlgrim opined that the fire was a reference to Swift's music video for " Picture to Burn" (2008), which also follows a similar revenge concept. In January 2025, Palisades Charter High School, where many shots of the music video were filmed, was heavily damaged by the 2025 Southern California Wildfires, however the indoor basketball court of which was used heavily in the video remained largely unaffected.

Live performances

Rodrigo performed "Good 4 U" for the first time on May 15, 2021, along with " Drivers License", on ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...

''. On September 12, Rodrigo performed the song at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards. An orchestral-arranged version of the song was performed by Rodrigo on her documentary film '' Driving Home 2 U: A Sour Film'', released on March 25, 2022, for

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

Usage in media

The song was included on the third season soundtrack of the

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

series, ''Heartstopper''. In 2023, it was featured in the American romantic comedy film '' Zoey 102'', a sequel to the television series '' Zoey 101''.

Track listing

"Singles 4 You" vinyl single #"Good 4 U" #"Enough for You" (Piano version)

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or cassette j-cards. Origin Liner notes are descended from the prog ...

of ''Sour''.

Studio locations

* Recorded at Amusement Studios (Los Angeles) * Mixed at SOTA Studios (Los Angeles) * Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York)

Personnel

* Olivia Rodrigo – songwriting, vocals, backing vocals * Dan Nigro – songwriting, production, recording, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, drum programming, synthesizer, backing vocals * Alexander 23 – co-production, electric guitar, bass, drum programming, backing vocals * Josh Farro – songwriting * Hayley Williams – songwriting * Ryan Linvill – assistant engineering * Mitch McCarthy – mixing * Randy Merrill – mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

External links