Seventeen-year-old Olivia Rodrigo’s new song “drivers license” has managed to rise and stay at the top of today’s music charts, touching the hearts of millions of young listeners. Rodrigo wrote the song on a July afternoon, soon after getting her license. After she “drove through the suburbs, crying”, she said that she thought her experience would make a good song, and posted a raw recording of what she had written on her Instagram account. Her fans went crazy.
Six months later, Rodrigo released a refined, studio-recorded version of the song. At only seventeen, the actress and singer was the first Asian-American woman to reach number one on the iTunes and Apple Music charts. Additionally, “drivers license” was the fastest song to surpass 100 million streams on Spotify. The song is also trending on TikTok, which is a great platform to popularize any song.
It is rumored that Rodrigo wrote the song about Joshua Bassett, a co-star of hers on Disney’s “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series”. It was never confirmed that the two dated, but they were seen alone together frequently and parted off in group settings. It is said that Bassett is now dating Sabrina Carpenter, the suspected “blonde girl” he’s with in Rodrigo’s story. I’m convinced of this myself, because the lyrics match up with their love triangle and she wrote this in an emotional state. It would be fun to know if this is true!
I personally love this song, especially the ignition and car door sound effects she added, authentically using her mom’s car. Her voice is also so versatile, with the soft verses and booming chorus. I think the song is also very appealing to listen to, because as the story progresses, the song gets more upbeat, building up to the contrasting bridge. The instruments strongly match the story. It’s an accessible tune for teenagers going through a similar experience and a great song to belt along to on the road.
Tess Cundiff
Graphics Chief
Graphic: Preethika Rao