Olivia Rodrigo has just released her new single “Drop Dead”, and it seems her friendship with The Cure’s iconic frontman, Robert Smith, is still very much on her mind.
The synth-heavy track, the first taste of the pop star’s forthcoming album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, features a direct lyrical nod to one of the goth-rock legends’ most beloved songs.
“You know all the words to ‘Just Like Heaven’/And I know why he wrote them now that you’re standing right here,” Rodrigo sings in the first verse. But as it turns out, she hasn’t actually played the song for the man himself.
Speaking to Zane Lowe for Apple Music 1’s New Music Daily, Rodrigo had a moment of genuine surprise when asked about Smith’s reaction. “Oh my god. I actually don’t know if I played it for him. He might hear it today,” she admitted. “I played him a bunch of other songs on the album.”
Rodrigo and Smith have developed a friendship over the last couple of years, culminating in one of the most memorable moments of Glastonbury 2025. As we covered at the time, Rodrigo brought Smith out during her headline set for a soaring acoustic duet of “Just Like Heaven” and “Friday I’m in Love”.
“I adore him and obviously have gotten a chance to kind of get to know him a little bit over the past year,” Rodrigo told Lowe.
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“I wore a t-shirt for the encore that said, ‘You know all the words to ‘Just Like Heaven’‘ because I knew that the song was coming out. I walked backstage to do the quick change and I found out that Robert took a Sharpie at the bottom of my shirt and said, ‘Or do you?’”
“I was like, ‘Oh my god, like he graffitied on this shirt. There’s 100,000 people out there. Am I going to go out in this shirt that like has this thing on it?’” she recalled. “I was kind of freaking out and I was like whatever, I’m just going to put it on. Honestly, it’s like my favourite outfit I’ve ever worn.”
Smithe previously told British Vogue that he and Rodrigo chat often. “She calls me up quite a bit to talk about clothes and fashion — and we have enjoyed a couple of memorable nights in the studio together. I can’t wait to hear what she does next!”
