Olivia Rodrigo has shared a David Byrne cowl of ‘Drivers License’ and introduced a vinyl reissue to mark the single’s fifth anniversary.
The tune was first launched on this date (January 8) in 2021, the debut single for Rodrigo and the primary style of her debut album ‘Bitter’. The tune topped charts all over the world and broke the Spotify document for essentially the most single-day streams for a non-holiday tune.
To mark its fifth birthday, Rodrigo has shared a canopy of the tune by the Speaking Heads frontman and her former collaborator Byrne. In an Instagram submit, she described Byrne as “certainly one of my all-time heroes”, saying: “I really cried once I heard his model of this tune”.
The quilt is described as the primary in a sequence of covers to mark the fifth anniversary of ‘Bitter’, and will probably be launched on a particular version translucent ruby 7”, which followers can order right here.
The B-side of that single will embody the stay model of Speaking Heads’ ‘Burning Down The Home’ which Rodrigo and Byrne carried out throughout the former’s headline set at New York’s Governors Ball final summer season.
Rodrigo shared one other Instagram submit celebrating the anniversary of ‘Drivers License’. “Joyful 5 years of drivers license!!!” she wrote. “Wanting again at these pics I really feel like I appear to be a child however it additionally seems like simply yesterday lol. this tune has completely modified my life in methods I nonetheless can’t completely wrap my head round. I’m ceaselessly grateful for this magical chapter and I can’t wait to scream purple lights cease indicators with u guys at each live performance I play for the remainder of my life! pleased birthday.”
After their Governors Ball look collectively, Byrne later hailed Rodrigo’s “nice relationship together with her viewers”, saying that “not solely do they know the songs, they imply one thing to them”.
NME spoke to Rodrigo just a few months after the success of ‘Drivers License’ and her efficiency on the 2021 BRIT Awards. “It’s completely mind-blowing to me”, she stated. “I used to be so nervous rehearsing for it and my crew had been like, ‘It’s positive, there’s simply going to be 45 individuals’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah however the 45 persons are going to be Harry Kinds and Dua Lipa; that’s so scary!’”
Rodrigo has lately been talking about discovering inspiration from The Remedy, New Order and Pleasure Division, having been joined by Remedy frontman Robert Smith throughout her headline set at Glastonbury 2025 for variations of ‘Friday I’m In Love’ and ‘Simply Like Heaven’.
She additionally lined The White Stripes’ ‘We’re Going To Be Pals’ on the band’s Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame induction ceremony in November, the identical month that she slammed the White Home for utilizing her music in a promotion video for ICE.
