"Overdrive" is a song by American singer-songwriter,

Katy Rose Kathryn Rosemary Bullard (born January 27, 1987), known professionally as Katy Rose, is an American singer-songwriter and producer. Rose released two studio albums, '' Because I Can'' (V2 Records) and ''Candy Eyed'' (River Jones Music). Since her ...

from her debut studio album, "'' Because I Can"''(2004). It was released to radio as the lead single from the album on July 28, 2003, by

V2 Records V2 Records (or V2 Music; V2 being an abbreviation for Virgin 2) is a record label that was purchased by Universal Music Group in 2007 and sold to IASin 2013. In the Benelux, V2 operates separately from PIAS, as the label bought itself out from ...

. The song was written by Rose and

Kim Bullard Kim Bullard is an American keyboardist, songwriter, record producer, and film composer. He has been making music since the 1970s and has performed extensively as a keyboard player with musical acts such as Elton John and Crosby, Stills, & Nash. ...

, whilst production was helmed solely by Bullard. According to Rose, the song is about feelings of angst and self-discovery that she experienced as a teenager. "Overdrive" was featured on the soundtrack to the

teen Adolescence () is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with the te ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

Mean Girls ''Mean Girls'' is a 2004 American teen comedy film directed by Mark Waters and written by Tina Fey. The film stars Lindsay Lohan, Rachel McAdams, Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried (in her film debut), Tim Meadows, Ana Gasteyer, Amy Poehler a ...

'' (2004).

Writing and inspiration

"Overdrive" was written by Rose, at the age of fourteen in collaboration with her father,

. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' described the song as a "paean to the beauty and beastliness of growing up too fast in Southern California." In an interview with ''Affinity'', Rose stated that the song acted as a "cathartic little capsule for the angst and self-discovery I was blasting off into as a teenager in LA".

Critical reception

Aaron Latham Aaron Latham (October 3, 1943 – July 23, 2022) was an American journalist and screenwriter who was known for the films ''Urban Cowboy'' (1980), '' Perfect'' (1985), and ''The Program'' (1993). Biography Latham was born on October 3, 1943, ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

criticized the song, stating that "it is unfortunate that the production style

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is so hooked into the angry teen girl sound of the moment that it makes an interesting song like the single 'Overdrive' sound banal". Sal Cinquemani of '' Slant Magazine'' described the song as "catchy," stating that it is "a trite condemnation of Californication".

Music video

The music video was directed by

Sophie Muller Sophie Luise Elisabeth Muller (born 31 January 1962) is a British music video director who has directed more than 300 music videos. She won a Grammy Award for Annie Lennox's 1992 '' Diva'' video album, and an MTV Video Music Award for Lennox's so ...

in California.

Use in media

The song was used in the films ''

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'' and ''

''. Also used in the TV series '' Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County'', ''

One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to: * "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak * ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song ** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...

'' and '' Joan of Arcadia''.

Track listings and formats

*European and United States CD single #"Overdrive" – 2:53 #"Lemon" – 4:42 *Australian CD single #"Overdrive" – 2:52 #"Lemon" – 4:40 #"Overdrive" (Video) – 3:07 #"EPK" – 4:54 *Digital download #"Overdrive" (So Wylie Remix) – 2:21 #"Overdrive" (2021 Version) – 3:08 #"Overdrive" (Stripped) – 3:17 #"Overdrive" (Original Demo) – 2:03

Charts

Release history

References

2003 debut singles Music videos directed by Sophie Muller Songs written for films Songs written by Kim Bullard 2003 songs V2 Records singles Rykodisc singles Festival Records singles {{2000s-rock-song-stub