Song of the Week: “Drivers License” by Olivia Rodrigo

Prior to January 8th, 2021, Olivia Rodrigo, a 17 year old actress from Temecula, California, was best known for her roles on two Disney series (Bizaardvark and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series). But in the early days of the new year, her life changed forever. Rodrigo released her debut single “Drivers License”, which proceeded to break the record for the most streams on Spotify in a single day (for a non-holiday song) on both January 11th and January 12th, and has resulted in one of the most meteoric rises to stardom for a new artist in pop music history. It is not without merit. “Drivers License” is a gorgeous, strikingly specific tale about the struggle to move on as a heartbroken teen, and puts Rodrigo in the same vein as confessional artists like Taylor Swift and Lorde. With her beautiful, slightly haunting delivery that sounds like it may be on the verge of cracking any second, Olivia details that after going through a breakup, she went and got her driver’s license, an accomplishment that she and her ex had often looked forward to excitedly. But with no one to celebrate with, she instead drives through his neighborhood, somberly admitting “you’re probably with that blonde girl, who always made me doubt / she’s so much older than me, she’s everything I’m insecure about''. Another standout moment is the bridge, where the piano and drum-clap instrumentation builds to a dramatic climax and Rodrigo shout-sings the achingly relatable lines “red lights, stop signs / I still see your face in the white cars, front yards / Can’t drive past the places we used to go to / Cause I still fuckin’ love you, babe”. In a time of so much darkness and heartache for the world, it’s fitting that a song this gutting and wistful could immediately become such a smash hit. At 17, Olivia Rodrigo seemingly has the world at her feet overnight. The only song she has ever released is the fastest growing hit of the streaming era, and the demand for more open-hearted, brilliantly paced ballads like “Drivers License” is through the roof. With songwriting ability well beyond her years and a great ear for moody and expressive soundscapes, Rodrigo should be a major player in pop music for years to come.