Whether you want to be a part of the Joshua Bassett, Olivia Rodrigo, and Sabrina Carpenter drama or not, “drivers license” is always worth the listen. As a song about heartbreak, it makes you feel something no matter how many times you listen to it. What seems to resonate most is the idea that what they had could have worked had he not gotten caught up with “the blonde girl.” If he had realized how she felt and still feels, then maybe he would still have been excited for her “to drive up to [his] house .”
On Jan. 8, Olivia Rodrigo dropped a song that took the world by storm. Billboard wrote:
“The ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series’ actress’ debut single grieves over an ex who has moved on.”
The lyric that caused the most speculation was, “Guess you didn’t mean what you wrote in that song about me.” As it would soon be revealed, Bassett had released the song “Anyone Else” about Rodrigo on July 16, 2020. Thus, it was not hard to find just exactly what Rodrigo meant in the lyric.
However, while writing these lyrics, Rodrigo did not expect that everyone would love it immediately. Within the first day of release, Rodrigo had over 15.7 million global streams on Spotify. Then, a day later, she broke the record again with over 17 million global streams, which, according to Genius, “set the record for most streams in a day for a non-holiday song.”
Rodrigo could not believe it, posting her surprise on Instagram. She was even more
excited that her song reached the top of the charts, right next to Taylor Swift’s “right where you
left me (bonus track).” Soon thereafter, icon Swift commented on her post, saying:
“I say that’s my baby and I’m really proud 😢💗👏”
On Jan. 19, Rodrigo recognized that she made it to #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Since then, she has only maintained her impressive streak on the charts and is increasingly being recognized by listeners old and new.
Rodrigo’s music career did not begin with this song. The star attracted significant fame through her role in “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” where she performed songs like “All I Want” and “Just For a Moment.” What is funny about the whole situation is that “All I Want” is about Joshua’s character, Ricky, breaking her heart and “Just For a Moment” is about the rekindling of their relationship. If anyone was looking for some sort of foreshadowing, here it is.
After the release of “drivers license,” the opposite seemed to happen as both Bassett and Carpenter released songs just as good. Bassett released “Lie Lie Lie” but denies all rumors that it is about Rodrigo, considering it was written way before the latter’s release. However, Carpenter’s “Skin” seems to aim right for Rodrigo. With lyrics like “Maybe blonde was the only rhyme,” it is hard not to assume it is about her. Nonetheless, Carpenter continues with lyrics like, “You can try/ To get under my, under my, under my skin/ While he’s on mine,” and “I’m happy and you hate it, hate it, oh/ And I’m not asking you to let it go/ But you been telling your side/ So I’ll be telling mine (mine).”
Who knows what is in store when it comes to these three?
Find the songs on any streaming platform, and even on TikTok!
Featured Image courtesy of dagon1362 via Flickr Creative Commons
