expectations
Intro: Chappell Roan
Ooh, Olivia does remixes nowVerse 1: Olivia Rodrigo
I met him at a partyI think he was on drugsHe wasn't smart or funnyI convinced myself he wasHe had a great apartmentAnd a car his parents boughtI thought that he was perfectAnd now his number's blockedPre-Chorus: Olivia Rodrigo
Took a couple months (Took a couple months)But now I am secure (Now I am secure)I am so evolved (I am so evolved)Now I ask for more and more and more and more and moreChorus: Olivia Rodrigo
I won't settle for a guy with a fake jobThey seem so desperate for loving, but baby, I'm notGave my heart with zero stipulationsNow I take careful considerationI'm not kissing any boy that is passiveTheir indecision is painfully unattractivePast mistakes are just new informationThese days, I've got expectationsVerse 2: Chappell Roan & Olivia Rodrigo
I took her to a concertFront row, thought it'd be funHer hand moving up my skirtNew piercing on her tongueShe said she'd call me laterThat was three weeks agoClassic L.A. behavior (She could've just said no)Pre-Chorus: Chappell Roan, Chappell Roan & Olivia Rodrigo
But in a couple months (In a couple months)This love will be procured (Our love will be procured)She will be evolved (She will be evolved)And I will be adored, adored, adored, adored, adoredChorus: Chappell Roan
I won't settle for a girl with a fake jobThey seem so desperate for loving, but, baby, I'm notGave my heart with zero stipulationsNow I take careful considerationI'm not kissing any girl that is passiveTheir indecision is painfully unattractivePast mistakes are just new informationThese days, I've got expectationsBridge: Olivia Rodrigo & Daniel Nigro
I've got big expectationsI've got real big expectationsI've got big expectationsI've got real big expectationsShe's got big expectationsShe's got real big expectationsShe's got big expectationsShe's got real big expectationsChorus: Olivia Rodrigo & Chappell Roan
I won't settle for a guy with a fake jobThey seem so desperate for loving, but, baby, I'm not (No, baby, I'm not)Gave my heart with zero stipulationsNow I take careful consideration (I take careful consideration, oh)I'm not kissing any boy that is passive (Not kissin' no boy, no boy)Their indecision is painfully unattractive (Unattractive)Past mistakes are just new informationThese days, I've got expectations (Ooh, ooh)What the song means
The song is a playful remix of a dating story. In the first verse, the narrator recalls meeting a guy at a party, realizing he wasn't smart or funny, and then getting ghosted after she had idealized him. The pre-chorus shows her growth: she now feels secure and "evolved," and she asks for more from a partner. The chorus lays out her new rules, including no "fake job," no passive partners, and a refusal to ignore red flags.
The second verse flips the situation. Chappell Roan plays the narrator with a woman who is flaky and sexually forward but noncommittal, and the same pattern of disappointment repeats. The gender swap is the joke: the story sounds the same no matter who is involved, which makes the frustration feel universal. The bridge repeats "big expectations" for both sides, so the song ends by affirming standards rather than settling.
Key images include "his number's blocked," which captures ghosting, and "Past mistakes are just new information," which turns regret into a lesson. "Classic L.A. behavior" pokes fun at a stereotype about the city's flaky social scene. Overall, the song is confident, funny, and sharply self-aware.
Key phrases explained
- fake job
- a job that isn't legit or stable — Used as a dealbreaker: she won't date someone whose job isn't real.
- Classic L.A. behavior
- typical flaky, image-obsessed Los Angeles conduct — A cultural jab at a stereotype about the city's social scene.
- painfully unattractive
- extremely off-putting — Hyperbole for emphasis, typical of modern pop slang.
- Past mistakes are just new information
- old errors are simply lessons to learn from — Reframes regret as useful data, showing a self-aware attitude.
- I convinced myself
- I talked myself into believing it — Shows the narrator fooling herself about the first guy's qualities.
Song info
- Release date
- 2026-10-15
- Album
- expectations
- Written by
- Olivia Rodrigo, Amy Allen, Dan Nigro, Chappell Roan
- Produced by
- Dan Nigro
- Remix of
- Olivia Rodrigo – expectations
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