"Drivers License" (stylized in

all lowercase Letter case is the distinction between the letters that are in larger uppercase or capitals (or more formally ''majuscule'') and smaller lowercase (or more formally ''minuscule'') in the written representation of certain languages. The writing ...

) is the debut single by American singer-songwriter

Olivia Rodrigo Olivia Isabel Rodrigo (born February 20, 2003) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. She gained recognition in the late 2010s with her lead roles on the Disney television programs ''Bizaardvark'' and '' High School Musical: The Music ...

. It was released on January 8, 2021, through Geffen and

Interscope Records Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Mus ...

, as the lead single from her debut studio album, ''

Sour The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste (flavor). Taste is the perception produced or stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor ...

'' (2021). She co-wrote the song with its producer

Dan Nigro Daniel Leonard Nigro (born May 14, 1982) is an American musician, songwriter, instrumentalist and record producer. He was the lead singer and guitarist of the indie rock band As Tall As Lions. Nigro has produced, written and co-written songs ...

. Containing poignant lyrics detailing heartache, "Drivers License" is a

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...

blending

bedroom pop Lo-fi (also typeset as lofi or low-fi; short for low fidelity) is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The ...

alt-pop Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commercial ...

, and

power pop Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...

styles. It is characterized by a

minimalist In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...

, piano-led production, incorporating kick drums, harmonies,

syncopated In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "place ...

hand-claps, and a dreamy

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

. One of 2021's most successful songs, "Drivers License" launched Rodrigo's music career. The song documents the "multifaceted" emotions Rodrigo endured after a heartbreak. She teased the song on her social media for many months in 2020, before announcing it on January 4, 2021. The official music video was posted to

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

alongside the song's release, in which Rodrigo drives around a suburban area after receiving her

driver's license A driver's license is a legal authorization, or the official document confirming such an authorization, for a specific individual to operate one or more types of motorized vehicles—such as motorcycles, cars, trucks, or buses—on a public ...

and reminisces about her memories of the song's subject, who encouraged her to obtain the license. "Drivers License" was met with widespread critical acclaim; praise centered on Rodrigo's cathartic songwriting, emotional vocals, and the song's stirring production, with many underscoring its

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

and

Lorde Ella Marija Lani Yelich-O'Connor (born 7 November 1996), known professionally as Lorde ( ), is a New Zealand singer-songwriter. Taking inspiration from aristocracy for her stage name, she is known for her unconventional musical styles and i ...

influences. The song won

Best Pop Solo Performance The Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards. According to the 54th Grammy Awards description guides, the Best Pop So ...

at the

2022 Grammy Awards The 64th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year, running from September 1, 2020, to September 30, ...

, where it was also nominated for

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

and Song of the Year. "Drivers License" broke a string of records, including the

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...

record for the most single-day streams for a non- holiday song (achieved on its fourth day of release) and the biggest first-week for a song on Spotify and

Amazon Music Amazon Music (previously Amazon MP3) is a music streaming platform and online music store operated by Amazon. Launched in public beta on September 25, 2007, in January 2008 it became the first music store to sell music without digital rights man ...

. The song topped the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and made Rodrigo the youngest artist ever to debut atop the chart. The song spent eight consecutive weeks at number one. It has been

certified Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

five-times platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA). Elsewhere, "Drivers License" reached number one in 25 countries, as well as spending multiple weeks atop the charts in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. It also peaked within the top ten in Brazil, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, South Africa and various others. As of October 2022, the song has over 1.5 billion streams on

, ranking amongst the 100 most streamed songs on the platform.

Background and release

While American singer-songwriter

starred in the 2019

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...

mockumentary series '' High School Musical: The Musical: The Series'', she contributed a self-written song called " All I Want" to the soundtrack, which was

Gold by the

(RIAA), for earning over 500,000 units in the United States. The series was renewed for a second season in 2021. Rodrigo signed to

Geffen Records Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint. Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...

, a subsidiary of

, intending to release her debut EP in 2021. She teased the song for many months in 2020, including some lyrics on

Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...

. She posted a snippet, captioned "Wrote dis the other day. vv close to my heart. gonna call it drivers license I think lol", where she plays the song on a piano. The song was announced on January 4. The song was released to all

digital music Digital audio is a representation of sound recorded in, or converted into, digital form. In digital audio, the sound wave of the audio signal is typically encoded as numerical samples in a continuous sequence. For example, in CD audio, samp ...

and

streaming Streaming media is multimedia that is delivered and consumed in a continuous manner from a source, with little or no intermediate storage in network elements. ''Streaming'' refers to the delivery method of content, rather than the content it ...

platforms four days later, alongside a music video on

. It is the lead single to her debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

'', which Rodrigo had originally planned to be an EP. "Drivers License" impacted US

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

on January 19.

Composition and lyrics

Steered by piano, "Drivers License" is an atmospheric

, that has been described as a

and

song, with elements of

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

and

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

. It was inspired by the disorienting emotions Rodrigo felt after a recent breakup. She wrote the song with its producer,

Daniel Nigro Daniel A. Nigro (born October 11, 1948) was the Commissioner of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) from 2014 until his retirement in 2022. Nigro's appointment was announced on May 9, 2014, and he was sworn in on June 9. Nigro was the 33rd ...

. The song is written in the key of

B major B major (or the key of B) is a major scale based on B. The pitches B, C, D, E, F, G, and A are all part of the B major scale. Its key signature has five sharps. Its relative minor is G-sharp minor, its parallel minor is B minor, and its ...

and has a fast

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 144 beats per minute, with double time kick drum and claps on the second verse and lead-in. Rodrigo's vocal range on the song spans from the low note of G₃ to the high note of F₅. Lyrically, the song has Rodrigo drive through a suburban area, upset and angry, pondering whether any of the subject's feelings were ever true. The song begins with the sound of Rodrigo's mother's car engine starting, followed by a "door ajar" chime that fades into a pulsing piano

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

. Rodrigo delivers

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

vocals that grow into "cathartic howls of pain" as the song progresses, along with a swelling

crescendo In music, the dynamics of a piece is the variation in loudness between notes or phrases. Dynamics are indicated by specific musical notation, often in some detail. However, dynamics markings still require interpretation by the performer dependi ...

followed by an emotional chorus. The

instrumentation also consists of

hand-claps and stomping

harmonies In music, harmony is the process by which individual sounds are joined together or composed into whole units or compositions. Often, the term harmony refers to simultaneously occurring frequencies, pitches ( tones, notes), or chords. However, ...

, and reaches its peak in a rich

of layered vocals with the catchphrase "I still fuckin' love you". As stated by Rodrigo, the song has

and

influences, which was also noted by critics. Rodrigo also stated that the EP ''Minor'' (2020) by American singer-songwriter

Gracie Abrams Gracie Madigan Abrams (born September 7, 1999) is an American singer-songwriter. Her debut EP, '' Minor'', was released in July 2020 through Interscope Records. Her second EP, ''This Is What It Feels Like'', was released in November 2021, with s ...

inspired the musical style of "Drivers License". In an interview with ''Vogue'' magazine, Rodrigo acknowledged the song had grammatical errors, including the lack of an apostrophe ("Drivers License" vs "Driver's License") and the contradictory

double negative A double negative is a construction occurring when two forms of grammatical negation are used in the same sentence. Multiple negation is the more general term referring to the occurrence of more than one negative in a clause. In some languages, ...

: "I've never felt this way for no one".

Critical reception

"Drivers License" received critical acclaim from critics upon its release. '' Clash'' critic Robin Murray dubbed the song a "sensational pop statement, an impeccable melodic moment right from the off". He praised its firm songwriting and atmospheric production. Matthew Kent, writing for ''

The Line of Best Fit ''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music. It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...

'', complimented the song's euphoric sound and poignant lyricism, and asserted that the single is packed with "emotional punch after emotional punch". They dubbed the song a "stunning" and "stirring" debut single. Kelsie Gibson of '' PopSugar'' opined that the song gives off "major

and

" influences, who are two of Rodrigo's musical inspirations. ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several award ...

'' critic Chris DeVille described "Drivers License" as a cinematic and old-fashioned

, a "prime

-core sadgirl fare" that starts "as a trembling

Phoebe Bridgers Phoebe Lucille Bridgers (born August 17, 1994) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. She has released two solo albums, ''Stranger in the Alps'' (2017) and ''Punisher'' (2020), both of which received critical acclaim ...

song" and concludes as a "resplendent ''Folklore'' track". Listing it amongst best new music, ''

Teen Vogue ''Teen Vogue'' is an American online publication, formerly in print, launched in January 2003, as a sister publication to ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'', targeted at teenagers. Like ''Vogue'', it included stories about fashion and celebrities. Since ...

'''s Claire Dodson commented that Rodrigo employs soaring vocals, and capture "small details" in the song. Dodson thought the song channels "the songwriting prowess she already brings to the table". Naming it one of the "10 Cool New Pop Songs to Get You Through The Week", ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' writers Gab Linsberg and Jason Lipshutz branded "Drivers License" the type of debut single "that aspiring artists dream of", where Rodrigo perfects her heartbreak's "fragility and heightened emotion". They commended the singer's range in the song, swinging between the

's "stomp-clap harmonies" and the

's "choked-up balladry". Ellise Shafer of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' found the song relatable and vulnerable, and complimented its production and vocal performance. Shafer noted it as "a must-hear for any pop enthusiast". Calling the song an "early contender for song of the year", ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' critic Brittany Spanos noted that the production of "Drivers License" is reminiscent of Lorde's ''

Melodrama A modern melodrama is a dramatic work in which the plot, typically sensationalized and for a strong emotional appeal, takes precedence over detailed characterization. Melodramas typically concentrate on dialogue that is often bombastic or exces ...

'' (2017), while the lyrics and "detailed" storytelling channel Swift's ''

Fearless Fearless or The Fearless may refer to: Psychology * Lack of fear * Courage or bravery Film, television and audio Film * ''Fearless'' (1978 film), an Italian film directed by Stelvio Massi * ''Fearless'' (1993 film), an American drama directed ...

'' (2008). Spanos lauded Rodrigo's songwriting skills and emotional potency at age 17, and added that "she could likely become pop's next great raconteur". Justin Curto of ''

Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

'' opined that "Drivers License" mixes "the intimate arrangements of ''Folklore'' and ''Evermore'' with the high stakes pop of '' Lover'', tying it all together with a dramatic, Swiftian bridge". He also added that Rodrigo's calm vocals sound like

Billie Eilish Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell ( ; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single " Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her brother Finneas O'Connell, with whom ...

, while her anthemic moments recall Lorde, with hints of

Alessia Cara Alessia Caracciolo (born July 11, 1996), known professionally as Alessia Cara (), is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Born in Mississauga, Ontario, to Italian Canadian parents, she began posting covers of songs on YouTube at age 13. After uploadi ...

. Jared Richards of ''

Junkee Junkee is an Australian popular culture and news website run by new media company Junkee Media. It covers various topics including film, university, food, TV, politics, travel, career, health and Internet culture. Its target demographic is 18- to ...

'' stated that the song has "an irreducible quality, capturing a very specific heartbreak", blending "the slow-build piano-belters and bridge breakdowns of Lorde's ''Melodrama'' with Swiftian songwriting", and regarded it 2021's "Big Pop Moment". In May 2021, ''Billboard'' ranked "Drivers License" third on their ranking of the "100 Greatest Song

Bridges A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whic ...

of the 21st Century", and in June 2021, they ranked the song as the best song of 2021 so far, with Rania Aniftos calling the song "the start of Rodrigo's reign as pop's most captivating new storyteller".

Accolades

Commercial performance

"Drivers License" was met with widespread commercial success worldwide, with publications calling it the year's biggest hit in early 2021. Upon release, the song reached number one on international

Apple Music Apple Music is a music, audio and video streaming service developed by Apple Inc. Users select music to stream to their device on-demand, or they can listen to existing playlists. The service also includes the Internet radio stations Apple M ...

and

songs charts. ''

'' reported that, in its first three days in the US, the song sold over 16,000 digital downloads and received more than 21 million

streams A stream is a continuous body of water, body of surface water Current (stream), flowing within the stream bed, bed and bank (geography), banks of a channel (geography), channel. Depending on its location or certain characteristics, a stream ...

. Compared to its release day, the song's total streams increased by 122% on its second day, and rose another 32% in its third day. The song broke the Spotify record for most one-day streams for a non- holiday song, with over 15 million global streams on its fourth day (January 11, 2021). The next day, it extended its record with over 17 million streams. It also broke the record for fastest song to reach 100 million streams on Spotify. "Drivers License" went on to break the Spotify record for most streams of a song in a single week, with over 65 million streams in the week ending January 14, 2021. It also broke the record for the biggest global first-week streams for a song in

history, and became the most requested song of a single day on

Alexa Alexa may refer to: Technology *Amazon Alexa, a virtual assistant developed by Amazon * Alexa Internet, a defunct website ranking and traffic analysis service * Arri Alexa, a digital motion picture camera People *Alexa (name), a given name and ...

. "Drivers License" also reached number one on both ''Billboard'' Global and ''Billboard'' Global Excl. U.S. charts, generating 130 million streams and 49,000 sales with the former, and 54.5 million streams and 12,000 sales on the latter. It marked the highest weekly streaming total in the world for a song by a female artist, with 130.06 million streams, surpassing the 130.042 million sum for

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

's " All I Want for Christmas Is You". The song topped both the global charts for three consecutive weeks, becoming the first song by a female artist to do so ever since the charts' inauguration, and the second overall after "

Dákiti "Dakiti" (also titled "Dákiti") is a song by Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny and Puerto Rican singer Jhay Cortez. It was released on October 30, 2020 through Rimas Entertainment as the lead single from Bad Bunny's third studio album, '' El Últ ...

" (2020) by

Bad Bunny Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio (born March 10, 1994), known professionally as Bad Bunny, is a Puerto Rican rapper and singer. His musical style is defined as Latin trap and reggaeton. He rose to prominence in 2016 with his song "Diles", wh ...

and

Jhay Cortez Jesús Manuel Nieves Cortez (born April 9, 1993), known professionally as Jhayco (formerly Jhay Cortez), is a Puerto Rican singer and rapper from Río Piedras, San Juan. After releasing multiple EPs, his debut studio album, ''Famouz'', was rel ...

. It stayed atop both the charts for eight consecutive weeks.

United States

"Drivers License" debuted atop the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, giving Rodrigo her first number-one single in the United States, and making her the first female artist since

Carrie Underwood Carrie Marie Underwood (born March 10, 1983) is an American singer. She rose to prominence after winning the fourth season of ''American Idol'' in 2005. Her single "Inside Your Heaven" made her the only country artist to debut atop the ''Bill ...

to have their first single debut at number-one on the chart. It marked her second entry on the chart, after " All I Want". It collected 76.1 million streams, 38,000 digital downloads, and 8.1 million airplay impressions in its opening week. Surpassing

Jawsh 685 Joshua Christian Nanai (born 5 November 2002), better known as Jawsh 685, is a New Zealand beat maker and music producer. While a student at Manurewa High School, in South Auckland, New Zealand, he made his breakthrough with the 2020 siren jam s ...

, who topped the chart with " Savage Love (Laxed - Siren Beat)" (2020), Rodrigo became the most-recently-born artist to top the Hot 100, and the youngest since

, who achieved it with "

Bad Guy A bad guy or villain is a type of character in fiction and other narratives. Bad Guy or Bad Guys or ''variation'', may also refer to: Film * ''Bad Guy'' (1937 film), a film starring Virginia Grey * ''Bad Guys'', a 1986 film starring Adam Bal ...

" (2019), and is the youngest artist ever to debut atop the Hot 100. "Drivers License" topped the ''Billboard''

Streaming Songs The Streaming Songs chart is released weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists each week's top streamed radio songs, on-demand songs and videos on leading online music services in the United States. The chart represents one of the three component ...

and

Digital Song Sales The Digital Songs or Digital Song Sales chart (previously named Hot Digital Songs) ranks the best-selling digital songs in the United States, as compiled by Nielsen SoundScan and published by ''Billboard'' magazine. Although it originally start ...

charts as well, staying atop both for three consecutive weeks. ''

'' noted the song as one of the most dominant number-one hits of all time, garnering more than double the Hot 100 units of its closest competitor, " Mood" (2020). "Drivers License" spent eight consecutive weeks atop the Hot 100; it became the seventh single in the chart's history to have debuted at number one and spend at least its first eight weeks at the spot. As of July 2021, "Drivers License" was the most streamed song of 2021 so far, with 582.8 million on-demand streams. It is also the most streamed audio track (460.2 million), the most watched video (122.6 million views), the sixth best-selling digital song (199,000 downloads), and the eighth biggest song across all formats of radio (1.227 billion audience impressions).

Other markets

In the United Kingdom, "Drivers License" debuted at the top of the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

dated January 21, 2021, earning 2.407 million total streams on January 12, 2021, alone. The song broke the record for highest single-day streams in British history for a non-Christmas song, surpassing the previous record held by

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran (; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

's "

Shape of You "Shape of You" is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was released on 6 January 2017 as one of the double lead singles from his third studio album '' ÷'' (2017), along with "Castle on the Hill". The dancehall and R&B-infused ...

" (2017). With 95,000 units moved in its first week, "Drivers License" also had the biggest opening week for a number one debut single on the UK Singles Chart since

Zayn Malik Zain Javadd Malik ( ; born 12 January 1993), known mononymously as Zayn, is an English pop and R&B singer. Zayn auditioned as a solo contestant for the British music competition television series ''The X Factor'' in 2010. After being eliminate ...

's " Pillowtalk" (2016). "Drivers License" spent nine weeks at the top of the UK Singles Chart, becoming the longest run at the top for a solo female artist since

Tones and I Toni Watson, known professionally as Tones and I, is an Australian singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her breakout single, " Dance Monkey" (May 2019), reached number one in over 30 countries, including Australia. In November 2019, i ...

' s "

Dance Monkey "Dance Monkey" is a song by Australian singer Tones and I, released on 10 May 2019 as the second single (first in the US) from Tones and I's debut EP '' The Kids Are Coming''. The song was produced and mixed by Konstantin Kersting. "Dance Monk ...

" spent eleven consecutive weeks at the top in 2019. Spurred by "Drivers License", "All I Want" reached number 32, marking her second top-40 entry in the UK. In Ireland, "Drivers License" debuted at the top of the

Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are bas ...

. It was the country's most downloaded and streamed song its first two weeks, outperforming the rest of the top five combined. It has so far remained at number one for nine consecutive weeks; "All I Want" charted simultaneously, reaching a new peak of number 16. In Australia, "Drivers License" debuted at the top of the

ARIA Singles Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...

dated January 24, 2021, scoring Rodrigo her first number one song in Australia. In doing so, the song became the first debut single to top the ARIA Singles Chart since

Harry Styles Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His musical career began in 2010 as a solo contestant on the British music competition series ''The X Factor (UK TV series), The X Factor''. Following hi ...

' " Sign of the Times" in 2017. "Drivers License" spent six consecutive weeks atop the chart.

Music video

The video, directed by Matthew Dillon Cohen, adopts a

vignette Vignette may refer to: * Vignette (entertainment), a sketch in a sketch comedy * Vignette (graphic design), decorative designs in books (originally in the form of leaves and vines) to separate sections or chapters * Vignette (literature), short, i ...

aesthetic and depicts Rodrigo's healing from heartbreak. She receives her driver's license in the video, but instead of going to her old lover's house like she used to dream of, she finds herself aimlessly cruising suburban side streets. Rodrigo reminisces about moments from her brief relationship. At the beginning of the video, she is embraced by the happy memories only, but eventually, all the toxic traits of her ex-partner confront her. The video received positive comments from critics for its visuals.

Impact and legacy

"Drivers License" has been credited with launching Rodrigo's music career. The instant commercial success of the song upon its release has been attributed to the rise of

niche market A niche market is the subset of the market on which a specific product is focused. The market niche defines the product features aimed at satisfying specific market needs, as well as the price range, production quality and the demographics that it ...

for

, the song's emotional lyricism and appeal,

TikTok TikTok, known in China as Douyin (), is a short-form video hosting service owned by the Chinese company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which can range in duration from 15 seconds to 10 minutes. TikTok is an international version ...

, the

tabloid journalism Tabloid journalism is a popular style of largely sensationalist journalism (usually dramatized and sometimes unverifiable or even blatantly false), which takes its name from the tabloid newspaper format: a small-sized newspaper also known as ...

and

social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...

speculation surrounding the song, and Rodrigo's

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

career. ''

The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932. It is published in Mumbai by the Indian Express Group. In 1999, eight years after the group's founder Ramnath Goenka's death in 1991, the group was split betw ...

'' opined that song is a part of the

DIY "Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi ...

movement in the music industry, where young artists (mostly post-millennials), such as Rodrigo,

, and

Tate McRae Tate Rosner McRae (; born July 1, 2003) is a Canadian singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. At the age of thirteen, she gained prominence as the first Canadian finalist on the American reality TV show ''So You Think You Can Dance''. McRae cau ...

, are capable of making music of "near-studio quality" without leaving the house. Commenting on the song's unprecedented success, Spotify's Becky Bass stated that "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". ''

Paper Paper is a thin sheet material produced by mechanically or chemically processing cellulose fibres derived from wood, rags, grasses or other vegetable sources in water, draining the water through fine mesh leaving the fibre evenly distributed ...

'' remarked that the song is a "product of years of pop trends" that resonates with millions of listeners, similar to the rise of Eilish in 2019,

in 2013, or

in the late 2000s, but occurred instantly in Rodrigo's case, because of recent technological innovations like TikTok that has altered the course of the music industry. The TikTok hashtag "#driverslicense" amassed over 888.5 million views in one week. ''Paper'' also highlighted consumers' interest in the song's romantic background (a phenomenon of listeners being invested in the drama between Disney co-stars) as a factor for the song's success. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' writer Joe Coscarelli wrote that the song was spurred not only by its quality, but also the gossips surrounding it, paired with the label's marketing plan, and support from celebrities like Swift. He noted the autobiographical song bolstered tabloids and listeners to "piece together its real-life parallels", while TikTok videos led to social media posts, "which led to streams, which led to news articles, and back around again", generating an "unbeatable" feedback loop. Coscarelli added that, similar to

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...

Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...

Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...

Miley Cyrus Miley Ray Cyrus ( ; born Destiny Hope Cyrus on November 23, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her distinctive raspy voice, her music spans across varied styles and genres, including pop, country, rock, hip hop ...

Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for pl ...

, and

Selena Gomez Selena Marie Gomez ( ; born July 22, 1992) is an American singer, actress and producer. Gomez began her acting career on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004). As a teenager, she rose to prominence for starring a ...

, Rodrigo took "her experiences within the Disney machine and attempted to translate them for a broader, more adult audience". ''

''s Chris DeVille found Rodrigo to be an example of "actor-turned-pop stars" who profit off their best-known roles, such as her ''

Bizaardvark ''Bizaardvark'' is an American comedy television series created by Kyle Stegina and Josh Lehrman that premiered on Disney Channel on June 24, 2016. The series ran for three seasons consisting of 63 episodes, airing its final episode on April 13, ...

'' and '' High School Musical: The Musical: The Series'', which "created a massive built-in audience for a prospective Rodrigo music career"; "Drivers License" maximized this interest by referencing the "behind-the-scenes drama" involving

Joshua Bassett Joshua Taylor Bassett (born December 22, 2000) is an American actor, singer and songwriter. He is known for his starring role as Ricky Bowen in '' High School Musical: The Musical: The Series''. Early life Bassett was born and raised in Oc ...

, who co-stars with Rodrigo in '' High School Musical: The Musical: The Series'', and

Sabrina Carpenter Sabrina Annlynn Carpenter (born May 11, 1999) is an American singer and actress. Carpenter made her acting debut with an appearance in the television crime show ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' and had a recurring role on Fox Broadcasting ...

. DeVille added that the song "will have

ripple effect A ripple effect occurs when an initial disturbance to a system propagates outward to disturb an increasingly larger portion of the system, like ripples expanding across the water when an object is dropped into it. The ripple effect is often used ...

s" that affect the industry in 2021 and beyond, as its bedroom pop sound is challenging hip-hop's dominance on streaming platforms. Douglas Greenwood, writing for '' I-D'', asserted that "Drivers License" contains "all of the old-school ingredients of a hit". ''

Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...

'' dubbed the song an "early 2021 cultural touchstone", citing its "sad girl appeal" echoing Generation Z (similar to Lorde and Eilish), the celebrity romance associated with its lyrics (like that of Swift), the song's cinematic

, its TikTok popularity, and radio friendliness as contributing factors to the song's success. Music journalist Laura Snapes, writing for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', wrote "Drivers License" is the "epitome of new-school pop songwriting", in which power ballads are sonically intimate and subdued, rather than bombastic, with lyrics delving into specific and complex emotions. The February 20, 2021 episode of ''

Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves a ...

'' included a skit in which English actor

Regé-Jean Page Regé-Jean Page (; born Regererai Page on 27 April 1988) is a British actor. He is known for his breakout role in the first series of the Netflix period drama ''Bridgerton'' (2020). Acting professionally since 2001, Page has also appeared in B ...

and six other male cast members recited the song's lyrics. Responding to the tabloid speculation around the song's subjects, Rodrigo stated: "I put it out not knowing that it would get that reaction, so it was really strange

hen Hen commonly refers to a female animal: a female chicken, other gallinaceous bird, any type of bird in general, or a lobster. It is also a slang term for a woman. Hen or Hens may also refer to: Places Norway *Hen, Buskerud, a village in Ringer ...

it did. I just remember veryone beingso weird and speculative about stuff they had no idea about. I don't really subscribe to hating other women because of boys. I think that's so stupid, and I really resent that narrative that was being tossed around." "Drivers License" was featured as the main music for

Google Google LLC () is an American multinational technology company focusing on search engine technology, online advertising, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, artificial intelligence, and consumer electronics. ...

's ''Year in Search'' commercial for 2021.

Track listing

;CD single #"Drivers License" – 4:04 #"Drivers License" (radio edit) – 3:48 #"Drivers License" (instrumental) – 4:02

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the

liner notes Liner notes (also sleeve notes or album notes) are the writings found on the sleeves of LP record albums and in booklets that come inserted into the compact disc jewel case or the equivalent packaging for cassettes. Origin Liner notes are desce ...

of ''Sour''. Studio locations * Recorded at Amusement Studios (Los Angeles) * Mixed at SOTA Studios (Los Angeles) * Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York) Personnel *

– vocals, backing vocals, songwriting *

– songwriting, production, recording, piano, bass, percussion, drum programming, synthesizer, backing vocals * Dan Viafore – assistant engineering * Mitch McCarthy – mixing *

Randy Merrill Randy Merrill is an American mastering engineer who has worked with international artists including DAY6, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Harry Styles, One Direction, Adele, Imagine Dragons, Beck, Liam Gallagher, Jonas Brothers, Muse, Cage the ...

– mastering

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

Background and release

Composition and lyrics

Critical reception

Accolades

Commercial performance

United States

Other markets

Music video

Impact and legacy

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Monthly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

See also

References