Olivia Rodrigo releases Handmaid’s Tale-inspired song 'Serena Joy' in limited-edition CD run

Olivia Rodrigo has released a new song inspired by The Handmaid's Tale, but fans will have to wait until Monday to hear it widely as the singer initially made Serena Joy available as an extremely limited-edition CD single.

The non-album track was released on Friday, August 21, with only 500 copies pressed. The CDs were sold exclusively through Analog Music Shop in Tustin, California, ahead of Rodrigo's upcoming all-women music festival, Daisy Chain Fields. The shop announced that all 500 copies had sold out.

The song is named after Serena Joy, the prominent character from Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale who helps promote the ideology behind the authoritarian society of Gilead before ultimately becoming a victim of the system she helped support.

Rodrigo had previously confirmed that Serena Joy existed after fans spotted the title among 18 songs listed in a photograph from a recording session. In a June interview with Etalk, she explained that she loved the song but decided it did not belong on her latest album because that record was specifically structured around a romantic relationship from beginning to end. She said she hoped the track would become part of "something else down the line."

That opportunity has now arrived with Daisy Chain Fields, Rodrigo's upcoming all-women music festival in Orange County. Analog Music Shop said Rodrigo wanted the physical copies of Serena Joy to be sold exclusively through the independent store as a way of supporting the local music community and the festival's mission of raising funds for women and girls.

The song's connection to The Handmaid's Tale is largely conveyed through its title and themes rather than direct references to the story. The lyrics do not explicitly mention Serena Joy or Gilead, but they centre on the consequences of allowing oppression to happen to others.

The recurring message warns: "If they do it to them / They'll do it to you," reinforcing the idea that people who tolerate or support a system that harms others can eventually become vulnerable to that same system themselves.

That idea closely mirrors Serena Joy's trajectory in Atwood's story. She initially believes she can benefit from the patriarchal system she helped advocate for, only to discover that the system ultimately restricts her own freedom and power.

Rodrigo's new release also marks a notable departure from the relationship-focused material on her latest album. Rather than fitting into that album's narrative, Serena Joy allows the singer to explore a more overtly political and feminist theme as a standalone release.

The unusual release strategy has also generated considerable discussion among Rodrigo's fans, particularly because the song was initially available to only 500 people. Some fans have speculated that Rodrigo could perform the track at Daisy Chain Fields, which takes place in California's Orange County next Saturday.

Although the song has already leaked online, takedown notices have reportedly been issued. For everyone else, the wait will be short: Analog Music Shop has indicated that Serena Joy will receive its wider digital release on Monday, August 24.

The limited CD release therefore serves as both a rare physical collectible for Rodrigo fans and a way for the singer to introduce a song that did not fit her album while connecting it to the larger mission behind her upcoming festival.