Olivia Rodrigo almost removed the “fame fucker” lyric from ‘Vampire’

Olivia Rodrigo has revealed that she almost removed the stinging “fame fucker” lyric from her latest single, ‘Vampire’.

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Speaking to The Julia Show on Audacy, Rodrigo shared that she and co-writer Dan Nigro had considered cutting “fame fucker” from ‘Vampire’ in place of something more relatable for listeners.

When asked if her friends were supportive of that lyric, Rodrigo revealed: “It was actually debate if “fame fucker” should be in the song. Some people said, ‘It kind of isolates you from people, you can’t really say things like that in song, it’s not relatable,’ yada, yada, yada.”

“I totally get and saw where they were coming from, but eventually we decided to keep it in” Rodrigo continued. “I think the song isn’t about fame fucking — I think it’s more about someone being manipulative and sucking you dry, using you for all you’re worth.”

“I think that’s a universal theme, and I also think fame is more easily accessible now than it has ever been,” she explained. “It’s not just people in L.A. and Hollywood that have to deal with that.”

In the song, Rodrigo uses the line to accuse someone of trying to use her for clout while they were in a relationship.

Rodrigo’s chat with The Julia Show comes just days after the ‘good 4 u’ singer took to TikTok to share a behind-the-scenes look at her and Dan Nigro in the studio, working on clean alternatives for the song’s radio edit. Among their options were “Mark Zucker”, “fame lover”, “fame hunter”, “tree hugger”, “whale blubber” and – as a joke, “garlic butter” – before settling on “dream crusher”.

‘Vampire’ is the first single to be released from Olivia Rodrigo’s highly anticipated sophomore album, ‘Guts’. ‘Guts’ is due to release on September 8 via Geffen Records.

The LP will be the follow-up to Rodrigo’s Grammy Award-winning debut album ‘Sour‘. In a four-star review of the record, NME wrote: “When your first release is a track as ubiquitous as ‘Driver’s License’, it must be tough going to make a whole album that matches up. For the most part, Rodrigo has passed the bar she set on that single, sharing with us an almost-masterpiece that’s equal parts confident, cool and exhilaratingly real.”

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