If you haven’t read up on the narrative behind “Drivers License” huge success up to this point, now is the moment. Olivia Rodrigo’s pop ballad debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the Billboard Global 200 charts on January 19. Since its January 8 release, it has shattered many streaming records, including the record for most Spotify streams in a week.
It is, by all accounts, the first massive hit of 2021, as well as the most popular music in the world right now. It got there thanks to a perfect storm of tried-and-true pop formulae, Gen Z social media trendsetting, Taylor Swift-style lyrical curiosity, and Olivia Rodrigo’s genuine skill as a young Disney star.
Five Meanings Of Olivia Rodriguez’s Single ‘Driver’s License’
“Drivers License” appears to be a pop song about a distraught adolescent seeing her ex go on.
Rodrigo’s whisper-to-belt vocal technique is evocative of Billie Eilish, Lorde, and Adele, and her diaristic, passionate lyrics are reminiscent of Fearless-era Taylor Swift (who co-signed the tune in a comment on Rodrigo’s Instagram).
But, at its heart, the song exemplifies the enduring power of the teenage sorrow anthem, with its capacity to draw listeners of all ages in and have you (literally or symbolically) sobbing and wailing along to its verses.
“License” is to Generation Z what “You Are With Me” was to millennials: a rallying cry for anybody who has ever ached for someone who hasn’t reciprocated their affections.
And, as the plague continues, the psychological pyrotechnics that is “Drivers License” provides a backdrop for all of us to stay for a moment and take in the sights. It arrived just when we needed it.
