“Driver’s License” Analysis: The Perfect Formula
Courtesy of Erica Hernandez, Universal Music Studios
If you’ve turned on the radio or played today’s top songs recently, you’ve probably heard “Driver’s License” at least once. You may have even played it 50 times. But how did “Driver’s License” become such a hit and so fast? My personal take is that it had all the right ingredients: a good song from a known budding musician that followed the timeless and well-loved theme of young heartbreak. Add clever marketing, exposure through celebrities, a sprinkle of relationship drama, social media popularity, and you’ve got a hit!
On January 8th, 2021, Olivia Rodrigo dropped “Driver’s License.” Despite it being her first “properly promoted” single, Olivia Rodrigo is no stranger to show biz. At the age of 13, she starred in the Disney TV show “Bizaardvark” and gained prominence among young audiences as Nini in “High School Musical: The Musical.” She also sang and co-wrote “All I Want,” which was featured in “High School Musical: The Musical.” Since its release, “Driver’s License” has become quite the sensation, garnering over 233 million Spotify streams. The bedroom pop song has set the record on Spotify of most streams in a week and in a day for a non-holiday song. A Spotify representative recounts that “in my experience… we’ve never seen anything like this, where you do have a newer artist that just comes out of the gate in such a dominant way, and just continues to grow.”
“Driver’s License” begins with the beeping noises of a car door opening that is joined seamlessly by the piano, transporting listeners to the car setting. It tells the story of Rodrigo getting her driver’s license, an achievement that many American 16-year-olds can relate to. Yet all is for naught! The song’s central love interest is no longer with Rodrigo. “But today I drove through the suburbs/ Crying ‘cause you weren’t around.” The soulful, evocative tone of the ballad-like song mirrors the lyrics perfectly and allows space for a dynamic change to occur later in the song. Listeners truly experience the tumultuous emotions Rodrigo goes through, culminating into a heart-wrenching anthem of teenage angst and first love. “And I know we weren’t perfect/ But I’ve never felt this way for no one.” In the second verse and chorus, a four on the floor beat kicks in, and the song undergoes a transformation from a slow ballad to a mid-tempo dance song. The bridge is a complete rhythmic and melodic shift that further elevates the musical and emotional tension. Rodrigo chants, “I still hear your voice in the traffic, we’re laughing/ Over all the noise/ God, I’m so blue, know we're through.” Then we reach the thesis of “Driver’s License” and the source of this heartbroken turmoil: “Cause I still fucking love you, babe.” In proper form, the song is brought back down to its ballad beginnings, grounding us to the harsh conclusion that “you said forever, now I drive alone down your street.”
The “Driver’s License” music video starts with Rodrigo singing her heart out in a romantically-lit car. The 4-minute short film maintains cohesiveness throughout with the assistance of clear color themes and aesthetics. Purple and red lights are constantly utilized to create mood, while much of the action occurs in dark, night time settings. The song’s narrative is emphasized when Olivia Rodrigo walks away from the person whose shoulder she has been leaning on, a visual representation of letting her ex go. Then, arguably the most iconic contribution from the music video: the scene of Rodrigo with the words “you said forever” projected onto her in red over and over again, a clever portrayal of the unfulfilled promises our heartbroken protagonist is left to ponder. Another use of projection can be seen when short clips of affectionate moments Olivia Rodrigo and her ex shared are projected onto Rodrigo’s neck.
“Driver’s License” music video director, Matthew Dillon, said in an interview with Billboard, “I think we really landed on a nice way of telling this little story within the story, that you see through these projections that are this first-person account of a relationship.” These now turned bitter-sweet memories are literally imprinted on Rodrigo’s skin. During the bridge, visual effects create prisms of light and rainbows, while layering different shots of Rodrigo on the screen. A TikTok favorite, a shot pans out as Rodrigo falls and cuts into a beautifully crafted chaos of wind-swept hair and impassioned dancing. As of January 26, 2021, the “Driver’s License” music video has amassed over 70 million views on Youtube.
After analyzing “Driver’s License,” it becomes evident that Olivia Rodrigo had a strong vision for what she wanted the song to be, achieved through the perfect blend of original thought and pulling from other great artistic masterpieces in pop culture. In an interview with Zane Lowe from Apple Music, Rodrigo discussed the backstory behind her record-breaking song. “I was like driving around my neighborhood actually listening to really sad songs and like crying in the car. And I got home and I was like maybe I’ll write a song about this… so I just sat down on my piano and plucked out some chords that I liked.” She also gave us a look into her recording process, saying, “I think that the emotional performances are the best, even if they’re not, like, technically the best song. I think those are definitely the most impactful.” “Driver’s License” video director gave Billboard some insight into how it was working with Olivia Rodrigo. “She came in and had a very specific direction. The song, I think, has an incredible narrative to it that didn’t need anything crazy, so working with her was great and collaborative because she was involved in every aspect” Rodrigo went on Pandora’s Instagram story to discuss her musical influences. She recalled how she had been listening for an hour in the car to one of her favorite artists, Gracie Abrams’ EP “Minor” and how “‘Driver’s License’ is very much inspired by [Gracie Abrams’] style of songwriting.” Rodrigo also collaborated with Dan Nigro, who is most notably the principal songwriting and producing partner of Conan Gray. Nigro is an experienced pop song-writer and his style uses both melody and tempo changes within songs to maintain an interesting dynamic. This is on display in “Driver’s License,” which begins as a ballad, goes into a dance beat, and has a bridge that follows a completely different musical idea.
As mentioned before, Rodrigo has a previously released track, “All I Want,” on the Walt Disney label. Many view “Driver’s License” as her first big single that was “properly promoted,” even though “All I Want” was a gold record and minor hit. While this out-of-nowhere pop star phenomenon is not uncommon, Rodrigo, who had already amassed a relatively large fanbase, does not fall into this category. The media’s narrative helps to establish Rodrigo’s brand, apart from her Disney past. As said by a Spotify representative, “it’s a perfect storm. When we were talking about the audience that she had prior to the release -- that’s a very young, female, engaged audience. So they really sort of sparked the flame. But now what you have is it traveling well beyond that audience… Everyone’s listening to it, everyone’s obsessing over it.” Currently, “All I Want” is also in the Spotify US Daily Top 40, since it is experiencing a spillover effect from “Driver’s License”’s popularity.
“Driver’s License” has rapidly received celebrity attention and support. Some have been from Olivia’s friends and lesser-known co-stars from “High School Musical: The Musical.” Others have been from huge celebrities including: the Jonas Brothers, Hailey Bieber, Lucy Hale, and Tate McRae. Most importantly, Rodrigo, a self-proclaimed Swiftie, has received attention from the beloved pop star herself. On January 8th, Rodrigo posted a screenshot to Instagram titled “next to taylor on the us iTunes chart i’m in a puddle of tears.” Taylor Swift commented, “I say that’s my baby and I’m really proud.”
There’s nothing gossip-fueled media and their audiences love more than drama. For instance, “Driver’s License” alludes to a celebrity love triangle. Rodrigo was allegedly dating her “High School Musical: The Musical” on-screen love interest, Joshua Bassett. Although the two never officially confirmed their relationship, cute interviews, and undeniable chemistry on TV, seemingly caused the whole internet to ship them. The lyrics mention an older, blonde who’s “everything [Rodrigo’s] insecure about.” People can’t help but wonder if Olivia Rodrigo is referring to actor/singer, Sabrina Carpenter, who is rumored to be dating Bassett. Most notably, Carpenter fits the song’s description of this other girl.
Furthermore, on January 22, 2021, Sabrina Carpenter dropped an impromptu single, “Skin.” The song directly responds to “Driver’s License,” with cryptic lyrics that reference driving and the blonde girl. “Skin” features an antagonist trying to get under Carpenter’s skin, while Carpenter’s beau is on her skin. “You can try/ To get under my, under my, under my skin/ While he’s on mine.” “Skin” clearly serves to reclaim the narrative and as Carpenter puts it: “You been telling your side/ So I’ll be telling mine.” The two successful young women seem perfectly cast for a feud, something we’ve all seen before whether it's Taylor Swift versus Katy Perry or Ciara versus Rhianna. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing from a marketing standpoint, since these things tend to spark coverage and in this case, streams.
And finally, the necessary element to every popular song, going viral on social media, especially TikTok (or reels). Whether it’s covers, dances, POV’s, or commentary on the love triangle drama, Rodrigo’s song has become quite the sensation over on TikTok. Charli D’amelio, Tik Tok’s queen, officially inaugurated “Driver’s License” onto TikTok with a dance video. Other TikTok users have created POV’s from the viewpoint of the guy who broke Rodrigo’s heart, the older blonde girl, and other characters including God, the passenger’s seat, the stoplight, and the road Rodrigo drives on. Covers and duets, along with “Driver’s License” themed photoshoots have received much love. A particular favorite moment from the music video is to start in a pair of casual sweats and then cut to falling down in a beautiful, glamorous outfit when the song’s bridge comes in. Basically, no matter what social media platform you’re on, one thing is guaranteed: it's hard to escape “Driver’s License.”
“Driver’s License” serves as a modern update that further explores the much-loved trope of driving in the car after heartbreak. Although the song is personal to Olivia Rodrigo, it plays upon universal aspects that everyone can relate to, no matter what stage of life they are in. “Driver’s License” succeeds in connecting to a large and diverse audience, while remaining specific and true to the singer. I believe this is why it has resonated so deeply with listeners, particularly Gen-Z, and why it has been such a stellar success.