Overview
- The song was first issued as a 500-copy CD exclusive at Analog Music Shop in Tustin and those copies sold out on Friday, with listings from the run appearing on resale sites at high prices.
- Rodrigo officially put “serena joy” on major streaming platforms on August 24 so fans outside Orange County could hear the track.
- She co-wrote and produced the song with longtime collaborator Dan Nigro during sessions for her third album but cut it from the final record because it did not fit the album’s narrative.
- The title and lyrics reference Serena Joy from Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale and use that allusion to critique complicity and oppressive systems with lines such as “If they do it to them/They’ll do it to you.”
- Rodrigo plans to perform “serena joy” live for the first time at the Daisy Chain Fields festival on August 29 and has tied a portion of the song’s net proceeds to the festival fund, which supports organizations including Planned Parenthood, the Center for Reproductive Rights, Baby2Baby, and Black Mamas Matter Alliance.