Contenidos
good 4 u — Olivia Rodrigo (2021)
The same singer as drivers license, four months later, with the drums turned all the way up. A minor-key verse that sounds like anger held in, and a major-key chorus that explodes.
🏷️ Ficha musical
Why it's in this book
This song comes in May, together with Baby by Justin Bieber. The idea is to play two songs from two different eras with the same band. The chorus of good 4 u uses the four chords you already know, in this order: F, C, G and A minor. That is exactly the order of Anti-Hero by Taylor Swift. The verse is different: A minor, G and E minor, three chords that sound darker. What you learn here is to hear the switch from minor to major, and to play pop-punk, a style where the drums are in charge. In the room with no instruments you work on voice and body percussion; in the ukulele room, the two sets of chords; in the music room, the drums go full blast and the electric guitar plays with the hand muting the strings.
Why this song
If you have heard drivers license, you already know Olivia Rodrigo singing quietly at the piano. This song is the same person and the same album. But it sounds like guitars and drums, and she is not sad: she is angry.
The question on this page is: what does anger sound like in music? Here the answer comes in two parts. A held-back verse, almost spoken, and a chorus that explodes.
Historical context
Olivia Rodrigo released "good 4 u" in May 2021, four months after drivers license. Both are on her first album, Sour. She wrote them with the same producer, Dan Nigro.
She has said the hook came to her in the shower. She did not want the whole album to be sad piano songs. She did not want to write a happy, in-love song either, because that was not how she felt. What came out was a third thing: anger you can dance to.
Foto: Csab6482, CC BY-SA 4.0, vía Wikimedia Commons
Live, Rodrigo does not play alone: a rock band backs her, with drums, bass and guitars. The photo is from Atlanta (United States), in 2024.
The sound is not new. It is close to the pop-punk of the 2000s: distorted electric guitars, fast drums and choruses made for shouting along. It is so close that, three months after the release, Rodrigo added two members of the band Paramore as co-writers. Her chorus sounded like the one in "Misery Business", a Paramore song from 2007. Kerrang! magazine said it was the first rock song in a long time to spend a month at number 1 in the UK.
Musical characteristics
A held-back verse. In the verse, the bass plays short, separate notes, almost bouncing. Rodrigo sings with little voice, almost talking. The chords are minor: in class, A minor, G and E minor. A minor chord sounds darker and more serious. Here it sounds like someone trying not to shout.
A chorus that explodes. When the chorus arrives, everything changes at once. The guitars get louder, the drums hit with everything they have, and the voice opens up. The chords become the loop: F, C, G, A minor. Now the centre of the song is a major chord, brighter. Going from minor to major does not make it happy: it makes it stronger.
The drums are in charge. The song is very fast: 167 beats per minute. Try clapping on every beat and you will see it is not easy. In pop-punk, the drums push the song forward. The rest of the band follows.
The guitar trick. Listen to the electric guitar in the verse. Sometimes it sounds dry, as if it were choked. The guitarist rests the edge of the hand on the strings while playing. This is called palm muting.
A warning for when you play. The record is in F♯ minor (and in A major in the chorus). Those are hard keys on the ukulele. In class we move everything up three semitones: the verse is in A minor and the chorus in C major. This is called transposing.
Hard facts: F♯ minor in the verse and A major in the chorus; in class, A minor and C major; 4/4, 167 beats per minute, 2:58. The form: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge and final chorus.
Guided listening
Play the music video. In the first verse, listen to the bass. Does it play long notes, or short, separate ones?
Notice the voice in the verse. Is she singing or almost talking?
When the first chorus comes in, raise your hand. That is the moment the song moves from minor to major. Listen to which instruments get louder.
In the bridge, the chords change again. Listen for whether the song goes back to the dark colour of the verse.
At the end, listen to the last chorus and compare it with the first. Are there more shouts, more voices, more drums?
Trivia and curiosities
- The likeness to "Misery Business" came at a price: the two Paramore members receive half of the song's songwriting royalties. It shows how little it takes for two songs to sound alike: a rhythm and a turn of melody.
- The title uses a number instead of a word: "4" for for and "u" for you. It is written like a text message.
- In the music video, Rodrigo is dressed as a cheerleader, like in the film The Princess Diaries. Much of it was filmed at a high school in Los Angeles.
- It reached number 1 in 23 countries. In many of them it was Rodrigo's second number 1, after drivers license.
Classroom activities
- Minor against major. Play the three verse chords on the ukulele (A minor, G, E minor) and then the four chorus chords (F, C, G, A minor). Which one sounds darker? Answer with one word: verse or chorus.
- The fast beat. Tap the beat with your feet while the song plays. Then clap on beats 2 and 4 only. That is the basic rock beat.
- Answering shouts. Half the class sings the chorus. The other half answers with a short shout at the end of each line. Decide together which word you shout.
- Palm muting. If you play electric guitar or ukulele, rest the edge of your hand on the strings while you strum the verse. Compare it with normal strumming in the chorus.
- Compare. Listen to the chorus of "Misery Business" by Paramore (it is in Resources). How is it similar? Pay attention to the rhythm and the shape of the melody.
Key vocabulary
- Pop-punk — pop-punk
- Minor chord — acorde menor
- Major chord — acorde mayor
- Palm muting — palm mute: apagar las cuerdas con el canto de la mano
- Transposing — transportar: pasar la canción entera a otra altura
Resources
Official music video — Rodrigo, dressed as a cheerleader, gets her revenge on her ex.
Ukulele tutorial — Ukulele Tutorials. An easy version, with the verse and chorus chords.
Guitar tutorial — Andy Guitar. Explains the strumming and the palm muting step by step.
Keyboard tutorial — PHianonize. An easy version, with the keys lit up.
Drum tutorial — LearnSomeDrums. The verse and chorus beats, part by part.
"Misery Business" by Paramore, to compare — The 2007 song behind the chorus.
Por qué está en este libro
Esta canción llega en mayo, junto a Baby, de Justin Bieber. La idea es tocar con la misma banda dos canciones de dos épocas distintas. El estribillo de good 4 u usa los cuatro acordes que ya conoces, en este orden: fa, do, sol y la menor. Es exactamente el orden de Anti-Hero, de Taylor Swift. El verso es distinto: la menor, sol y mi menor, tres acordes que suenan más oscuros. Lo que aprendes aquí es a oír el cambio de menor a mayor, y a tocar pop-punk, un estilo en el que la batería manda. En el aula sin nada se trabaja la voz y la percusión corporal; en el aula con ukelele, los dos grupos de acordes; en el aula de música, la batería va a tope y la guitarra eléctrica toca con la mano apagando las cuerdas.
Por dónde entrar
Si has escuchado drivers license, ya conoces a Olivia Rodrigo cantando bajito al piano. Esta canción es la misma persona y el mismo disco. Pero suena a guitarras y a batería, y ella no está triste: está enfadada.
La pregunta de esta página es: ¿cómo suena el enfado en música? Aquí la respuesta tiene dos partes. Un verso contenido, casi hablado, y un estribillo que estalla.
Contexto histórico
Olivia Rodrigo publicó «good 4 u» en mayo de 2021, cuatro meses después de drivers license. Las dos están en su primer disco, Sour. Las escribió con el mismo productor, Dan Nigro.
Ella ha contado que el gancho se le ocurrió en la ducha. No quería que todo el disco fueran canciones tristes de piano. Tampoco quería escribir una canción feliz de enamorada, porque no era lo que sentía. Le salió una tercera cosa: rabia que se puede bailar.
Foto: Csab6482, CC BY-SA 4.0, vía Wikimedia Commons
En directo, Rodrigo no toca sola: la acompaña una banda de rock, con batería, bajo y guitarras. La foto es de Atlanta (Estados Unidos), en 2024.
El sonido no es nuevo. Se parece al pop-punk de los años 2000: guitarras eléctricas con distorsión, batería rápida y estribillos para cantar a gritos. Se parece tanto que, tres meses después de salir, Rodrigo añadió como coautores a dos miembros del grupo Paramore. Su estribillo recordaba al de «Misery Business», una canción suya de 2007. La revista Kerrang! dijo que era la primera canción de rock en mucho tiempo que pasaba un mes en el número 1 británico.
Cómo suena
Un verso contenido. En el verso, el bajo toca notas cortas y separadas, casi saltando. Rodrigo canta con poca voz, casi hablando. Los acordes son menores: en clase, la menor, sol y mi menor. Un acorde menor suena más oscuro, más serio. Aquí suena a alguien que se aguanta las ganas de gritar.
Un estribillo que estalla. Cuando llega el estribillo, todo cambia de golpe. Las guitarras suben de volumen, la batería golpea con todo y la voz se abre. Los acordes pasan a ser los del bucle: fa, do, sol, la menor. Ahora el centro de la canción es un acorde mayor, más luminoso. Pasar de menor a mayor no la vuelve alegre: la vuelve más fuerte.
La batería manda. La canción va muy rápida: 167 pulsos por minuto. Prueba a dar palmas en cada pulso y verás que no es fácil. En el pop-punk, la batería es la que empuja. El resto de la banda la sigue.
El truco de la guitarra. Escucha la guitarra eléctrica en el verso. A veces suena seca, como si estuviera ahogada. El guitarrista apoya el canto de la mano sobre las cuerdas mientras toca. Eso se llama palm mute, que en inglés significa «apagar con la palma».
Un aviso para cuando toques. El disco está en Fa♯ menor (y en La mayor en el estribillo). Son tonalidades difíciles en ukelele. En clase subimos todo tres semitonos: el verso queda en La menor y el estribillo en Do mayor. A eso se le llama transportar.
Datos duros: Fa♯ menor en el verso y La mayor en el estribillo; en clase, La menor y Do mayor; 4/4, 167 pulsos por minuto, 2:58. La forma: verso, estribillo, verso, estribillo, puente y estribillo final.
Escucha guiada
Pon el videoclip. En el primer verso, escucha el bajo. ¿Toca notas largas o cortas y separadas?
Fíjate en la voz del verso. ¿Canta o casi habla?
Cuando entra el primer estribillo, levanta la mano. Ese es el momento en que la canción pasa de menor a mayor. Escucha qué instrumentos suben de volumen.
En el puente, los acordes cambian otra vez. Escucha si la canción vuelve al color oscuro del verso.
Al final, escucha el último estribillo y compáralo con el primero. ¿Hay más gritos, más voces, más batería?
Curiosidades
- El parecido con «Misery Business» le costó caro: los dos miembros de Paramore se llevan la mitad de los derechos de autor de la canción. Demuestra lo poco que hace falta para que dos canciones se parezcan: un ritmo y un giro de melodía.
- La canción tiene número en vez de palabras: «4» por for y «u» por you. Se escribe como un mensaje de móvil.
- En el videoclip, Rodrigo va vestida de animadora, como en la película Princesa por sorpresa. Gran parte se rodó en un instituto de Los Ángeles.
- Llegó al número 1 en 23 países. Fue el segundo número 1 de Rodrigo en muchos de ellos, después de drivers license.
Para hacer en clase
- Menor contra mayor. Tocad en ukelele los tres acordes del verso (la menor, sol, mi menor) y después los cuatro del estribillo (fa, do, sol, la menor). ¿Cuál suena más oscuro? Contestad con una palabra: verso o estribillo.
- El pulso rápido. Con los pies, marcad el pulso de la canción mientras suena. Después, palmas solo en el 2 y el 4. Es el ritmo básico del rock.
- Gritos de respuesta. La mitad de la clase canta el estribillo. La otra mitad responde con un grito corto al final de cada frase. Decidid juntos qué palabra gritáis.
- Palm mute. Quien toque guitarra eléctrica o ukelele, que apoye el canto de la mano sobre las cuerdas mientras rasguea el verso. Comparadlo con el rasgueo normal en el estribillo.
- Comparar. Escuchad el estribillo de «Misery Business», de Paramore (está en Recursos). ¿En qué se parece? Fijaos en el ritmo y en la forma de la melodía.
Vocabulario fundamental
- Pop-punk — Pop con guitarras eléctricas distorsionadas, batería rápida y estribillos para cantar a gritos.
- Acorde menor — Un acorde que suena más oscuro o serio.
- Acorde mayor — Un acorde que suena más luminoso.
- Palm mute — Apagar las cuerdas con el canto de la mano mientras se toca, para que suenen secas.
- Transportar — Pasar una canción entera a otra altura sin cambiar nada más.
Recursos
Videoclip oficial — Rodrigo, vestida de animadora, se venga de su ex.
Tutorial de ukelele — Ukulele Tutorials. Versión fácil, con los acordes del verso y del estribillo.
Tutorial de guitarra — Andy Guitar. Explica el rasgueo y el palm mute paso a paso.
Tutorial de teclado — PHianonize. Versión fácil, con las teclas iluminadas.
Tutorial de batería — LearnSomeDrums. El ritmo de verso y estribillo, por partes.
«Misery Business», de Paramore, para comparar — La canción de 2007 que está detrás del estribillo.
Why it's in this book
This song comes in May, together with Baby by Justin Bieber. The idea is to play two songs from two different eras with the same band. The chorus of good 4 u uses the four chords you already know, in this order: F, C, G and A minor. That is exactly the order of Anti-Hero by Taylor Swift. The verse is different: A minor, G and E minor, three chords that sound darker. What you learn here is to hear the switch from minor to major, and to play pop-punk, a style where the drums are in charge. In the room with no instruments you work on voice and body percussion; in the ukulele room, the two sets of chords; in the music room, the drums go full blast and the electric guitar plays with the hand muting the strings.
Why this song
If you have heard drivers license, you already know Olivia Rodrigo singing quietly at the piano. This song is the same person and the same album. But it sounds like guitars and drums, and she is not sad: she is angry.
The question on this page is: what does anger sound like in music? Here the answer comes in two parts. A held-back verse, almost spoken, and a chorus that explodes.
Historical context
Olivia Rodrigo released "good 4 u" in May 2021, four months after drivers license. Both are on her first album, Sour. She wrote them with the same producer, Dan Nigro.
She has said the hook came to her in the shower. She did not want the whole album to be sad piano songs. She did not want to write a happy, in-love song either, because that was not how she felt. What came out was a third thing: anger you can dance to.
Foto: Csab6482, CC BY-SA 4.0, vía Wikimedia Commons
Live, Rodrigo does not play alone: a rock band backs her, with drums, bass and guitars. The photo is from Atlanta (United States), in 2024.
The sound is not new. It is close to the pop-punk of the 2000s: distorted electric guitars, fast drums and choruses made for shouting along. It is so close that, three months after the release, Rodrigo added two members of the band Paramore as co-writers. Her chorus sounded like the one in "Misery Business", a Paramore song from 2007. Kerrang! magazine said it was the first rock song in a long time to spend a month at number 1 in the UK.
Musical characteristics
A held-back verse. In the verse, the bass plays short, separate notes, almost bouncing. Rodrigo sings with little voice, almost talking. The chords are minor: in class, A minor, G and E minor. A minor chord sounds darker and more serious. Here it sounds like someone trying not to shout.
A chorus that explodes. When the chorus arrives, everything changes at once. The guitars get louder, the drums hit with everything they have, and the voice opens up. The chords become the loop: F, C, G, A minor. Now the centre of the song is a major chord, brighter. Going from minor to major does not make it happy: it makes it stronger.
The drums are in charge. The song is very fast: 167 beats per minute. Try clapping on every beat and you will see it is not easy. In pop-punk, the drums push the song forward. The rest of the band follows.
The guitar trick. Listen to the electric guitar in the verse. Sometimes it sounds dry, as if it were choked. The guitarist rests the edge of the hand on the strings while playing. This is called palm muting.
A warning for when you play. The record is in F♯ minor (and in A major in the chorus). Those are hard keys on the ukulele. In class we move everything up three semitones: the verse is in A minor and the chorus in C major. This is called transposing.
Hard facts: F♯ minor in the verse and A major in the chorus; in class, A minor and C major; 4/4, 167 beats per minute, 2:58. The form: verse, chorus, verse, chorus, bridge and final chorus.
Guided listening
Play the music video. In the first verse, listen to the bass. Does it play long notes, or short, separate ones?
Notice the voice in the verse. Is she singing or almost talking?
When the first chorus comes in, raise your hand. That is the moment the song moves from minor to major. Listen to which instruments get louder.
In the bridge, the chords change again. Listen for whether the song goes back to the dark colour of the verse.
At the end, listen to the last chorus and compare it with the first. Are there more shouts, more voices, more drums?
Trivia and curiosities
- The likeness to "Misery Business" came at a price: the two Paramore members receive half of the song's songwriting royalties. It shows how little it takes for two songs to sound alike: a rhythm and a turn of melody.
- The title uses a number instead of a word: "4" for for and "u" for you. It is written like a text message.
- In the music video, Rodrigo is dressed as a cheerleader, like in the film The Princess Diaries. Much of it was filmed at a high school in Los Angeles.
- It reached number 1 in 23 countries. In many of them it was Rodrigo's second number 1, after drivers license.
Classroom activities
- Minor against major. Play the three verse chords on the ukulele (A minor, G, E minor) and then the four chorus chords (F, C, G, A minor). Which one sounds darker? Answer with one word: verse or chorus.
- The fast beat. Tap the beat with your feet while the song plays. Then clap on beats 2 and 4 only. That is the basic rock beat.
- Answering shouts. Half the class sings the chorus. The other half answers with a short shout at the end of each line. Decide together which word you shout.
- Palm muting. If you play electric guitar or ukulele, rest the edge of your hand on the strings while you strum the verse. Compare it with normal strumming in the chorus.
- Compare. Listen to the chorus of "Misery Business" by Paramore (it is in Resources). How is it similar? Pay attention to the rhythm and the shape of the melody.
Key vocabulary
- Pop-punk — pop-punk
- Minor chord — acorde menor
- Major chord — acorde mayor
- Palm muting — palm mute: apagar las cuerdas con el canto de la mano
- Transposing — transportar: pasar la canción entera a otra altura
Resources
Official music video — Rodrigo, dressed as a cheerleader, gets her revenge on her ex.
Ukulele tutorial — Ukulele Tutorials. An easy version, with the verse and chorus chords.
Guitar tutorial — Andy Guitar. Explains the strumming and the palm muting step by step.
Keyboard tutorial — PHianonize. An easy version, with the keys lit up.
Drum tutorial — LearnSomeDrums. The verse and chorus beats, part by part.
"Misery Business" by Paramore, to compare — The 2007 song behind the chorus.