Olivia Rodrigo released her contribution to the new The Hunger Games soundtrack a couple of weeks ago, sharing the song “Can’t Catch Me Now” and surprising fans and critics alike with the departure from her usual sound. Now, she’s released a cinematic music video to accompany the song, which blends shots of Rodrigo with footage from the new film, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
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The video opens with Rodrigo in a secluded cabin, sitting and picking at a lilting solemn guitar. She wanders through the cabin as she sings I’m here, I’m there, I’m everywhere / but you can’t catch me now.
At the bridge, Rodrigo runs through a grassy field in her white, flowing dress, singing the powerful verse. The video concludes with Rodrigo bathed in sunset light and the lines There’s blood on the side of the mountain / it’s turning a new shade of red / sometimes the fire you founded / don’t burn the way that you’d expect, with the haunting last line You thought that this was the end.
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Throughout the video, fans get a look at the new movie, which focuses on the main characters Coriolanus Snow and Lucy Gray Baird, portrayed by Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler, respectively.
The song itself is definitely a step away from Rodrigo’s usual style, which is firmly rooted in pop-punk on her two albums Sour and GUTS. The folk-heavy sound on “Can’t Catch Me Now” is reminiscent of the soundtracks to the previous Hunger Games movies, which tapped artists like Miranda Lambert and the Pistol Annies, The Carolina Chocolate Drops, and Birdy. Additionally, the soundtrack for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is being produced by Dave Cobb, who has worked with Chris Stapleton and Brandi Carlile.
The rest of the soundtrack features artists like Flatland Cavalry, Sierra Ferrell, Molly Tuttle, Billy Strings, and Charles Wesley Godwin, as well as Rachel Zegler singing original songs for the film. There is a distinct folksy Americana feel to this soundtrack, and although Rodrigo is the only pop artist on the list, she easily made the switch sonically. While we may not hear more of this style from Rodrigo, there’s no doubt she does it well.
Photo by YouTube
