It’s been one year of ‘drivers license:’ here are 5 podcast episodes to remind us about all of those teen-angst feels

Can you believe it’s been one whole year since Olivia Rodrigo decided we would never know peace again? Since she decided to pull an Adele and rip our hearts out when we weren’t looking? Since she decided not one more day would pass without the world knowing about her tragic love triangle with Joshua Bassett and Sabrina Carpenter?

Yes, it’s been a whole year since Olivia Rodrigo dropped her debut single drivers license. There’s truly too many records it shattered to count. It broke the Spotify record for most one-day streams for a non-holiday song, with over 15 million global streams on its fourth day. Then, the very next day, it went on to break that record it just set and extended it to over 17 million streams. It then also broke the record for fastest song to reach 100 million streams on Spotify. And, it was quickly declared by critics to be the song of the year on only the 8th of January. Good 4 her.

Now she’s been nominated for multiple GRAMMYs in 2022, she won at the MTV Video Music Awards, she got an Apple Music Award, yes, yes. Anyway, we are celebrating one whole year of drivers license with these podcast episodes about it.

Switched on Pop

“Switched on Pop” consistently has the best, most unique angles on the pop music of today and yesteryear. And drivers license was no exception. Hosts Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding were joined by David Metzer, professor of music history at the University of British Columbia, to discuss how the song re-popularized the power ballads that were so dominant in ’80s and ’90s music, noting the similarities and differences to songs like Stairway to Heaven, Kiss From A Rose, and more.

Rolling Stone Music Now

“Rolling Stone Music Now” looked at a different category that drivers license also fit into: hit debut singles. As the song took over the airwaves, host Brian Hiatt looked back at other world-shaking debuts with guests Brittany Spanos and Rob Sheffield. Comparisons to Taylor Swift’s debut (no matter what song it was that first introduced you to her) are abound, as well as debut comparisons to Lorde’s Royals, Billie Eilish’s Ocean Eyes, and Britney Spears’ …Baby One More Time.

Popcast

Well, “Popcast” was right again with this title. Along with Joe Coscarelli, Vulture’s Justin Curto, and Larisha Paul, host Jon Caramanica dives into drivers license to see just what makes it so good (and so long-standing). They take note of the Disney machine, which has pumped out numerous stars like Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, and Zendaya, and how Olivia broke the mold.

Pop Shop Podcast

Okay, so, this one isn’t just about drivers license. To absolutely no one’s surprise, Olivia Rodrigo was nominated for numerous GRAMMYs, including Song of the Year. This episode of “Pop Shop Podcast,” released after the GRAMMY nominations came out in November 2021, is Keith’s and Katie’s first impressions of the nods and snubs.

And The Writer Is…with Ross Golan

We would be remiss to not mention the other person who brought drivers license to fruition. Producer Daniel Nigro, who has worked with other artists like FINNEAS, Conan Gray, and Carly Rae Jepsen, produced and co-wrote Olivia’s debut single and album. While there’s no doubt that Olivia really got us good with driver license, it was actually Daniel who wrote that ethereal, TikTok-trending, devastating bridge.