Chappell Roan Joins Olivia Rodrigo on ‘Expectations’ Remix: Watch Their Kitsch Video Feat. David Byrne

Ooh, Olivia is doing remixes now. Earlier this year, Olivia Rodrigo released her excellent third album you look pretty sad for a girl so in love. I loved all the singles, but my favorite track from the LP was “Expectations,” the booming ’80s dance-pop anthem that appears toward the end of the record. Now, Rodrigo has given “Expectations” the unique turbo treatment, releasing a remix featuring her friend and colleague Chappell Roan. There’s also a video featuring the two of them and David Byrne, one of many alternative music legends who clearly admire Rodrigo.

The new remix of “Expectations” isn’t a radical reimagining of the song or anything. It’s really just the original track, with the second verse replaced by a new verse from Chappell Roan, with Roan also joining Rodrigo on the hook and singing some improvisations at the end. (His line about “not kissing no boys” is funny.) But the original song is a real banger, and it’s great to see it suddenly given the blockbuster treatment months after the original’s release. This is Rodrigo’s first major remix, and is also the first time Roan has guest starred on someone else’s song.

Bardia Zeinali directed the deeply silly video for the “Expectations” remix. There’s David Byrne as Johnny Johnson, the host of an old-school game show series based on things like The dating game And Family feud. Rodrigo and Roan both do the Mariah Carey bit where they play multiple characters, and Dan Nigro, Rodrigo and Roan’s main writing partner, makes a quick appearance to do his “Material Girl”-style backup vocals.

Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan go back several years. An unknown Roan opened a concert on Rodrigo’s first 2022 tour, and she sang backing vocals on Rodrigo’s 2023 songs “Lacy” and “Obsessed.” Roan experienced her sudden rise in popularity immediately after opening the first leg of Rodrigo’s Guts Tour in 2023, then she joined Rodrigo to perform her own song “Hot To Go” later in the tour, after blowing up. Earlier this year, Roan played at Rodrigo’s Daisy Chain Fields festival. The remix of “Expectations” is Roan’s first new music since she released the studio version of her live favorite “The Subway” last year.

Rodrigo and David Byrne also appear to be friends. When she headlined the Governors Ball last year, Rodrigo invited Byrne as a surprise guest, and they sang the Talking Heads classic “Burning Down The House” together. Earlier this year, Byrne released a cover of Rodrigo’s hit single “Drivers License.”

To promote the remix, Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan also did an interview together with Zane Lowe. The video interrupts the song several times. Below, check out the video, the recording without sound effects, and the various tertiary artifacts.