In Olivia Rodrigo’s song “Vampire,” the author depicts her ex-lover through a vampire metaphor. The ex-lover is the metaphor’s subject (or ‘tenor’), and the vampire is the descriptive image (or ‘vehicle’) (Vered & Vered, 2020). The shared traits between the ex-lover and the vampire—the sneaky behavior, the emotional drain, the nocturnal nature, and heartlessness—glue this metaphor together and serve as the ‘ground.’ There are some important lines in this song, like “Bleeding me dry like a goddamn vampire” and “You only come out at night” (OliviaRodrigoVEVO, 2023). These words connect the emotional exhaustion experienced by the author in her relationship and the behaviors of a vampire.
The vampire metaphor may be ambiguous from a larger social and cultural perspective. If one zooms out and looks at this from a societal standpoint, the vampire metaphor can symbolize several exploitative behaviors or actions. The repeated chorus, “Bloodsucker, fame f*er / Bleeding me dry like a goddamn vampire,” uses vivid, metaphorical language to convey the harmful nature of vampires. They are creatures that show no empathy, a characteristic often associated with people or systems in society that exploit others.
These vampire-like traits are timeless, and in Olivia’s song, they highlight timeless issues such as deceit and manipulation in personal relationships. This vampire metaphor can be a powerful way of calling out exploitation in our personal lives, politics, or broader social structures. The vampire metaphor can also make people feel like victims, which is not always true. In real life, people often stand up and resist bad situations, something that gets overlooked if they stick too closely to the vampire narrative. While the vampire metaphor can be a powerful way to describe exploitation, there may be more suitable metaphors than this one.
That being said, the vampire metaphor is not without its limitations. Vampires are often portrayed as captivating, attractive beings that use their charm to exploit others. In Rodrigo’s song, there is a danger of making toxic relationships seem pretty enticing. Moreover, vampires are associated with the night, which might suggest that manipulative behaviors only happen ‘undercover.’ In reality, manipulation can occur in the light of day and seemingly ordinary situations. While the vampire metaphor brilliantly captures certain aspects of the toxic relationship Olivia sings about, it might not fully represent the full range of toxic behaviors people can encounter in the real world.
References
OliviaRodrigoVEVO. (2023). Olivia Rodrigo – Vampire (Official Music Video). YouTube.
Vered, V. T., & Vered, T. Y. (2020). Metaphor as a three-component structure: Translation aspect. European Proceedings of Social and Behavioral Sciences, 92, 2594–2601.