# Serena Joy (song)
"Serena Joy" (stylized in all lowercase as "serena joy") is a charity single by the American singer-songwriter [Olivia Rodrigo](https://www.edgepedia.org/olivia-rodrigo), co-written with and produced by [Dan Nigro](https://www.edgepedia.org/dan-nigro) and released in August 2026 after being cut from her third album, *you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love*. Its title refers to Serena Joy Waterford, a central character in [Margaret Atwood](https://www.edgepedia.org/margaret-atwood)'s 1985 dystopian novel *The Handmaid's Tale*, and the song's proceeds partly fund Rodrigo's all-women music festival, Daisy Chain Fields.[1](https://www.nme.com/news/music/olivia-rodrigo-officially-releases-politically-charged-new-song-serena-joy-on-streaming-3964449) • [2](https://www.universalmusic.com.br/2026/08/28/olivia-rodrigo-apresenta-a-faixa-inedita-serena-joy/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist and writers | Olivia Rodrigo, co-written with Dan Nigro, who also produced[2](https://www.universalmusic.com.br/2026/08/28/olivia-rodrigo-apresenta-a-faixa-inedita-serena-joy/) |
| Physical release | 500 CD copies sold exclusively at Analog Music Shop in Tustin, California on August 21, 2026; all copies sold out that day[1](https://www.nme.com/news/music/olivia-rodrigo-officially-releases-politically-charged-new-song-serena-joy-on-streaming-3964449) |
| Digital release | August 24, 2026, via Interscope Records; running time 3:05[1](https://www.nme.com/news/music/olivia-rodrigo-officially-releases-politically-charged-new-song-serena-joy-on-streaming-3964449) • [3](https://spanishcharts.com/showitem.asp?cat=s&interpret=Olivia+Rodrigo&titel=Serena+Joy) |
| Origin | Recorded for the album *you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love* (released June 12, 2026) but left off the final tracklist[4](https://billboardphilippines.com/music/news/olivia-rodrigo-serena-joy-new-single/) |
| Title source | Serena Joy Waterford of Margaret Atwood's *The Handmaid's Tale* (1985); the lyrics never name the character or the novel[1](https://www.nme.com/news/music/olivia-rodrigo-officially-releases-politically-charged-new-song-serena-joy-on-streaming-3964449) |
| Charity link | A portion of net proceeds goes to the Daisy Chain Fields Fund, supporting the festival held August 29, 2026 at Great Park in Irvine, California[5](https://oe3.orf.at/m/stories/3054553/) |
| Chart peak | Number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated September 12, 2026[6](https://musicbrainz.org/release/05f6aac3-d085-4ed4-991c-5552d0442f40) |
## Release
The song's existence became known to fans before its release: in June 2026, a behind-the-scenes photograph showed eighteen songs under consideration for Rodrigo's third album, and "Serena Joy" appeared on that list.[7](https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/music/a73521091/olivia-rodrigo-serena-joy/) Rodrigo then confirmed the track in a June 2026 interview with Etalk, saying, "I actually really love ["serena joy"]. It didn't fit on the album. The record was very much a chronicle of a relationship—beginning, middle, and end. But I hope that it'll be a part of something else down the line."[7](https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/music/a73521091/olivia-rodrigo-serena-joy/)
**Limited CD and streaming.** On August 21, 2026, Rodrigo surprise-released the song as a limited-edition CD single: 500 copies, sold only at Analog Music Shop in Tustin, California, an independent store a few miles from the site of her upcoming festival. All 500 copies sold out that day.[1](https://www.nme.com/news/music/olivia-rodrigo-officially-releases-politically-charged-new-song-serena-joy-on-streaming-3964449) • [8](https://pitchfork.com/story/listen-to-olivia-rodrigos-new-song-serena-joy/) The store said it had been selected to sell the physical single exclusively for three days before a wider release.[9](https://www.rockumweb.com/reportes/2362/olivia-rodrigos-serena-joy-500-copy-cd-sells-out-at-indie-record-store) On August 24, Rodrigo announced on Instagram that the song was available on streaming platforms, writing, "Surprise!!! Serena Joy out on streaming platforms now. A portion of all net proceeds go to Daisy Chain Fields Fund. I love this song so much!!!!"[1](https://www.nme.com/news/music/olivia-rodrigo-officially-releases-politically-charged-new-song-serena-joy-on-streaming-3964449) One outlet, Universal Music Brasil, dated the physical release August 22 rather than August 21.[2](https://www.universalmusic.com.br/2026/08/28/olivia-rodrigo-apresenta-a-faixa-inedita-serena-joy/)
The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 63 on the chart dated September 12, 2026.[6](https://musicbrainz.org/release/05f6aac3-d085-4ed4-991c-5552d0442f40)
## Title and subject
The title refers to Serena Joy Waterford, a central character in Margaret Atwood's 1985 dystopian novel *The Handmaid's Tale*, set in a future United States where women's reproductive rights have been curtailed under a religious extremist government. Within the narrative, Serena aids in founding Gilead's authoritarian patriarchal order, yet ends up losing her own rights and liberties to that very order she backed.[1](https://www.nme.com/news/music/olivia-rodrigo-officially-releases-politically-charged-new-song-serena-joy-on-streaming-3964449) The character has become a symbol of complicity: someone who backs an oppressive structure and later suffers under it.[10](https://los40.com/2026/08/22/serena-joy-que-significa-la-nueva-cancion-de-olivia-rodrigo-que-sirve-de-antesala-a-daisy-chain-fields-festival/)
The lyrics never mention the character or the novel directly; the title adds that layer of meaning to a song that otherwise addresses cruel, oppressive systems and the people who benefit from them.[1](https://www.nme.com/news/music/olivia-rodrigo-officially-releases-politically-charged-new-song-serena-joy-on-streaming-3964449) • [2](https://www.universalmusic.com.br/2026/08/28/olivia-rodrigo-apresenta-a-faixa-inedita-serena-joy/) Lines quoted by reviewers include the opening, "Yeah it's all for the cause, for the good of us all / and if you close your eyes, then it can't be your fault," and the refrain "If they do it to them, they'll do it to you," which echoes a recognizable message of *The Handmaid's Tale*: rights cut from one group can extend to the rest of society.[8](https://pitchfork.com/story/listen-to-olivia-rodrigos-new-song-serena-joy/) • [10](https://los40.com/2026/08/22/serena-joy-que-significa-la-nueva-cancion-de-olivia-rodrigo-que-sirve-de-antesala-a-daisy-chain-fields-festival/) The closing line, "Everything is just fine," is repeated and, in one reviewer's account, stripped back to vocals alone at the song's end.[11](https://www.gigshack.co.uk/albums/olivia-rodrigo-serena-joy)
## Sound
Rolling Stone described the track as built on layers of "jubilant Devo-like synths" and sonically similar to "Expectations" from *you seem pretty sad for a girl so in love*.[12](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/olivia-rodrigo-serena-joy-streaming-platforms-100201/) Pitchfork highlighted a "Peter Hook-esque bass line" carrying through the sonic palette of the album, while noting that the subject matter shifts from that record's focus on a relationship to broader concerns about societal ignorance and complicity.[8](https://pitchfork.com/story/listen-to-olivia-rodrigos-new-song-serena-joy/) Universal Music Brasil characterized the song as having "punk spirit, urgent energy and a strong tone of protest."[2](https://www.universalmusic.com.br/2026/08/28/olivia-rodrigo-apresenta-a-faixa-inedita-serena-joy/)
## Daisy Chain Fields connection
The single was released a week before the inaugural [Daisy Chain Fields](https://www.edgepedia.org/daisy-chain-fields), an all-women music festival founded by Rodrigo, held on August 29, 2026 at Great Park in [Irvine, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/irvine-california).[8](https://pitchfork.com/story/listen-to-olivia-rodrigos-new-song-serena-joy/) • [5](https://oe3.orf.at/m/stories/3054553/) The festival's net proceeds were earmarked for organizations including [Planned Parenthood](https://www.edgepedia.org/planned-parenthood) and the Center for Reproductive Rights, and part of the song's net revenue flows into the same festival fund.[5](https://oe3.orf.at/m/stories/3054553/) • [10](https://los40.com/2026/08/22/serena-joy-que-significa-la-nueva-cancion-de-olivia-rodrigo-que-sirve-de-antesala-a-daisy-chain-fields-festival/) Rodrigo performed "Serena Joy" live for the first time at the festival, where it appeared in her setlist between "my way" and "maggots for brains."[13](https://los40.com/2026/08/30/olivia-rodrigo-brilla-en-daisy-chain-fields-con-invitados-sorpresa-un-homenaje-a-dolly-parton-y-el-debut-de-serena-joy/)
## References
1. [Olivia Rodrigo officially releases politically-charged new song 'Serena Joy' on streaming, NME](https://www.nme.com/news/music/olivia-rodrigo-officially-releases-politically-charged-new-song-serena-joy-on-streaming-3964449)
2. [Olivia Rodrigo apresenta a faixa inédita, "serena joy", Universal Music Brasil](https://www.universalmusic.com.br/2026/08/28/olivia-rodrigo-apresenta-a-faixa-inedita-serena-joy/)
3. [Olivia Rodrigo – Serena Joy (song), spanishcharts.com](https://spanishcharts.com/showitem.asp?cat=s&interpret=Olivia+Rodrigo&titel=Serena+Joy)
4. [Olivia Rodrigo's Unreleased Track "serena joy" Streams Now, Billboard Philippines](https://billboardphilippines.com/music/news/olivia-rodrigo-serena-joy-new-single/)
5. [Olivia Rodrigo: neuer Song!, oe3.ORF.at](https://oe3.orf.at/m/stories/3054553/)
6. [Release "serena joy" by Olivia Rodrigo, MusicBrainz](https://musicbrainz.org/release/05f6aac3-d085-4ed4-991c-5552d0442f40)
7. [Olivia Rodrigo's "Serena Joy" Lyrics Meaning, Cosmopolitan](https://www.cosmopolitan.com/entertainment/music/a73521091/olivia-rodrigo-serena-joy/)
8. [Listen to Olivia Rodrigo's New Song "Serena Joy", Pitchfork](https://pitchfork.com/story/listen-to-olivia-rodrigos-new-song-serena-joy/)
9. [Olivia Rodrigo's 'Serena Joy' 500 Copy CD Sells Out at Indie Record Store, Rockum](https://www.rockumweb.com/reportes/2362/olivia-rodrigos-serena-joy-500-copy-cd-sells-out-at-indie-record-store)
10. ['Serena Joy': ¿Qué significa la nueva canción de Olivia Rodrigo..., LOS40](https://los40.com/2026/08/22/serena-joy-que-significa-la-nueva-cancion-de-olivia-rodrigo-que-sirve-de-antesala-a-daisy-chain-fields-festival/)
11. [Olivia Rodrigo: Serena Joy Release Review, Gigshack](https://www.gigshack.co.uk/albums/olivia-rodrigo-serena-joy)
12. [Olivia Rodrigo, Days After Releasing via Exclusive CD, Spreads 'Serena Joy' Around, Rolling Stone](https://au.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/olivia-rodrigo-serena-joy-streaming-platforms-100201/)
13. [Olivia Rodrigo brilla en Daisy Chain Fields... y el debut de 'Serena Joy', LOS40](https://los40.com/2026/08/30/olivia-rodrigo-brilla-en-daisy-chain-fields-con-invitados-sorpresa-un-homenaje-a-dolly-parton-y-el-debut-de-serena-joy/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Folk, traditional, and blues-rooted songs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license