Called you on the phone today
Just to ask you how you were
All I did was speak normally
Somehow, I still struck a nerve
You got me fucked up in the head, boy
Never doubted myself so much
Like, am I pretty? Am I fun, boy?
I hate that I give you power over that kinda stuff
'Cause it's always one step forward and three steps back
I'm the love of your life until I make you mad
It's always one step forward and three steps back
Do you love me, want me, hate me?
Boy, I don't understand
No, I don't understand
And maybe in some masochistic way
I kind of find it all exciting
Like, which lover will I get today?
Will you walk me to the door or send me home crying?
It's one step forward and three steps back
I'm the love of your life until I make you mad
It's always one step forward and three steps back
Do you love me, want me, hate me?
Boy, I don't understand
No, it's back and forth, did I say something wrong?
It's back and forth, going over everything I said
It's back and forth, did I do something wrong?
It's back and forth, maybe this is all your fault instead
It's one step forward and three steps back
And I'd leave you, but the rollercoaster's all I've ever had
Yeah, it's one step forward and three steps back
Do you love me, want me, hate me?
Boy, I don't understand
No, I don't understand
Explication des paroles
La chanson « 1 step forward, 3 steps back » d’Olivia Rodrigo explore les complexités des relations amoureuses et des sentiments contradictoires qui peuvent surgir. Les paroles évoquent la frustration et la confusion que l’on peut ressentir lorsque l’on fait des efforts pour avancer dans une relation, mais que ces efforts semblent être constamment contrecarrés.
L’anecdote intéressante derrière cette chanson est qu’elle utilise un sample de la chanson « New Year’s Day » de Taylor Swift, une artiste que Rodrigo admire énormément et qui l’a d’ailleurs inspirée dans sa propre musique. Ce sample apporte une dimension supplémentaire à la chanson, en associant symboliquement Rodrigo à Swift, une icône de la pop.
Les paroles poignantes et la mélodie mélancolique de « 1 step forward, 3 steps back » en font une piste émotionnellement puissante qui résonne avec de nombreux auditeurs. Rodrigo parvient à capturer avec justesse les hauts et les bas des relations sentimentales, ce qui en fait une chanson à la fois personnelle et universelle.