Olivia Rodrigo’s first and much anticipated single, “drivers license” debuted Friday, Jan. 8. I was very impressed with the song when I first heard it, and it has been on replay since. 

Rodrigo is a singer and actress, most known for her role as Nini Salazar-Roberts in Disney+’s original series “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” and singer of the hit song “All I Want” in the series.

Over the summer, Rodrigo posted a clip of her original song, “drivers license,” on her Instagram account, which received more than 450k likes and more than 7.5k comments. She released the full song, Friday, Jan. 8, and it is currently number 1 on iTunes top charts and is trending all over TikTok.

The first verse starts with the sound of a car starting, with the piano and lyrics soon after.

The lyrics at the beginning are simple. Rodrigo sings about just getting her driver’s license and being able to drive. But toward the end of verse one and the beginning of verse two, the song takes a melancholy twist. 

Into verse two, listeners find out the song isn’t only about a 16-year-old girl getting her driver’s license. It’s about heartbreak. The tempo picks up, and Rodrigo begins to sing about being compared to a “blonde girl.” The drama in the song begins to unfold quickly.

The chorus begins, and the lyrics are heart-wrenching. Rodrigo dives into how losing this person felt, but how they didn’t care. It ends with the most iconic but tragic lyrics that tie the title of the song to its meaning: “‘Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street.”

There is a pause, then the bridge starts. Only one word can do justice to the brilliance of the bridge: euphoric. 

I have never heard a song that makes me want to stick my head out the window of a car and belt it at the top of my lungs. Rodrigo’s vocals are incredible, and you can feel her pain throughout the entire song. 

The ending repeats itself with the same lyrics at the ending of the chorus, tying the song together perfectly. The song is truly a journey of heartbreak from start to finish. 

Easily, I give this song a 10/10. Rodrigo’s heartfelt lyrics, her talent on the piano and angelic yet powerful vocals top off the entire song. Everyone can find some part of this song that they can connect to, whether that be about driving through their suburbs for the first time or experiencing their first heartbreak.