Olivia Rodrigo’s new song, “Can’t Catch Me Now,” has The Hunger Games fans in a frenzy. Since its release just five days ago, social media and Rodrigo fans have been obsessed with her brand-new track. The brand new Hunger Games movie, A Ballad of Songbird and Snakes, is premiering in theaters on November 17th, 2023.
The movie itself has gained quite some traction since its release. of the trailer, but this new song has attracted much more attention for the highly anticipated movie.
A Review
If you’ve read The Hunger Games books, or even seen the original movies, you would know that they involve longing, devastation, rebellion, and love. The soundtracks of these films are made just to fit that theme.
“Can’t Catch Me Now” is a perfect combination of these themes; ethereal, yet devastatingly powerful. The lyrics directly relate to the main character, Lucy Gray’s story, and her fight in the early Hunger Games. It is quite obvious that Olivia Rodrigo did her research on the lore of this series, as she encapsulates the essence of The Hunger Games.
This song adds to the mystery of Lucy Gray and how her legacy lives on in Katniss Everdeen with lyrics such as,
“But I’m in the trees, I’m in the breeze
My footsteps on the ground
You’ll see my face in every place
But you can’t catch me now”
The lyricism is incredible, invoking such emotion in the listener. It’s also nice to hear something so powerful and dynamic coming from Olivia Rodrigo when her music is usually focused on relationships.
Fan Reactions
Social media has been filled with posts about “Can’t Catch Me Now.” Some fans have been analyzing and applying the song to certain characters that they think it relates to, while others have just been sharing their excitement to see it in the film.
One fan took to TikTok to create quite a moving collage:
Another fan on TikTok compared the new song to one of the characters in an older film, Catching Fire:
TikTok has plenty of users sharing their thoughts, along with Twitter. There’s no shortage of tweets with fans expressing their reactions to Olivia’s song.
One user created a short clip of the song and used various movie clips:
Another posted a clip of Olivia Rodrigo singing the song:
Fans over various platforms have shown their support and excitement. But some, however, have something to say about “Can’t Catch Me Now” in comparison to Taylor Swift’s famous “Safe and Sound.”
Swift Vs. Rodrigo
When The Hunger Games first came out in 2012, Taylor Swift released “Safe and Sound”, written for the movie. Although the song was not directly featured in the movie, it was used in various promotions and teasers. Fans adored this song, many claiming that there was no one better to write a song for this film.
But now that “Can’t Catch Me Now” has been released, fans have begun doing a comparison of the two songs, debating which one is better.
There have been plenty of similar posts, some stating that “Safe and Sound” “walked” so that “Can’t Catch Me Now” could “run.” Others continue to stand by Swift’s song, stating that nothing could beat the original anthem that she created for The Hunger Games series. One fan even commented on this same post:
“Safe and Sound ran so that can’t catch me now could catch up”
Despite the variety of comments on each of the songs, there’s no doubt that they both provide ambiance to The Hunger Games films.
Your Turn
So, what are your thoughts? Have you listened to Rodrigo’s new song? If so, do you prefer “Can’t Catch Me Now” or Taylor Swift’s “Safe and Sound.” Whether you like Rodrigo or Swift’s song better, there is no doubt that “Can’t Catch Me Now” has caused a craze.
