I guess the thing that makes me feel the oldest about this song is that I usually have my finger on the pulse of what's going on in music/pop culture a bit more but I don't know ANY of the people involved in the drama of this song. I am officially out of touch.

The lore of Todd not being over his highschool girlfriend continues to expand and at this point I cant tell if its a bit or genuine trauma anymore.

POP MUSIC FANTASY LEAGUE? I need this in my life. Been missing something like that since Fantasy Movie League went on hiatus

"He said forever. A 17 year-old boy said you two were forever, but you weren't. Wow." But Todd, when you're fifteen, and someone tells you they love you, you're gonna believe it.

God damn that Secret of Nimh story hits hard. I think a lot of people have that one thing that's years old and they've gotten over it, but has nestled into their irrational brain as an "I can never touch this again".

the driver’s license cinematic universe if you will

I always appreciate the Todd episodes where it's less of a "review" and more of him trying to solve a mystery.

What’s really funny about Sabrina Carpenter being touchy about Olivia’s music is that Olivia never *actually* says anything bad about “that blonde girl”. Not in any of the songs on her album. She talks about how she felt insecure because of the blonde girl, how upset she is that her ex told her not to worry about his friendship with the blonde girl, only to turn around and date her two weeks later, etc. but her anger lies 100% with her ex, and not his new girlfriend.

I'm a grown ass man, and this track clicked BECAUSE of how immature it sounds. It sounds EXACTLY like something an angsty 16 year old would write, and it took me right back to that immature emotional insecurity that you can only feel as a teenager.

Todd discussing his high-school ex and The Secret of Nimh is more heartbreaking than anything in the song.

honestly the reason that i think this song hits so hard is that it aligns with all the same emotion beats that teens are feeling right now. “you said forever now i drive alone past your street” hits exactly the same as “i was looking so forward to this time of my life and now the pandemic’s taken it away and i’ll never get that back”. as a teen/class of 2020 member myself, the time this song was released was actually when the dust had settled on 2020 and i got to look back on all the experiences i missed out on that i’ll never get to have: prom, graduation, parties, dating, the summer vacation after high school ends. this song encapsulates that feeling perfectly - of all the things you’ll never get to do.

As a teenager who watches Todd’s videos, I just wanna defend us on one thing. No one likes Bizaardvark. I haven’t met a single person who didn’t think that show was unbearably cringe. He was right about pretty much everything else though. It’s always strange watching him dissect and analyze ‘teenagers’ like we’re some alien race, lol.

You really hit all the potential reasons this song is so huge. It feels like a culmination of trends for years now. I don't get it personally, but I get why teenagers get it.

this song sounds and feels like the best possible result of a lorde knockoff. that's a compliment, i promise, lorde is really good. i can imagine being 14 and just sobbing while listening to it, and i support that level of melodramatics

I think Todd missed an important element. There hasn't been any female artist who speaks to teenage and young girls since Taylor Swift circa 2012. Rodrigo tapped into that innocent, emotionally heavy space where young girls hear it and don't feel condescended or pandered to.

It's funny seeing all the adults talking about how "out of touch" they are with music bc the don't know who Olivia is, but as a 16 year old who is obsessed with music I also had no idea who she was. It has nothing to do with your music taste, you and I just don't watch television 🥴

While we're on the subject of Lorde, I want to say that Melodrama was one of the best pop albums of the 2010s. I wish that it was bigger than it was, but I'm glad it's getting the critical praise it deserves.

I feel like Driver’s License hits for the same reason early Taylor Swift songs about being 15 and sad got really popular: it’s easy to relate to if you can easily remember getting your license or being in high school. I don’t think that’s exclusively why it got popular, but I think it’s a big reason

It's got that one earworm line. The emotionally drained "you said forever now I drive alone passed your street." Like that evocation of that line just screams the times

Todd: "I rented 'Secret of Nimh' last week, like we always talked about"

Disney corporation manufacturing drama is par for the course with them. Doesn’t mean it’s not weird tho.

I didn’t even know that Olivia Rodrigo was a teen Disney actress until this video. I just thought she was another indie teen girl. Shows how much I’m plugged into modern popular music.

I think Olivia Rodrigo is getting big because she makes songs for teenagers. Not just pop songs that teenagers like, pop songs that are actually for teenagers. How long has it been since we've gotten pop songs like that?

"Olivia is basically the Owl City to Lorde's Postal Service." Soul of a poet.

I think one of the reason for this song's success could also be the "old-fashioned Taylor Swift appeal". Like you know, Taylor Swift from before Reputation, when she was all about break-up songs that were emotional, relatable and written in that unmistakable way, with so many precise personal details. Well, now Taylor doesn't really do that anymore, considering she hasn't had a break-up in years and has been writing fictional stories for her last two albums. So I guess there was a spot for a song like that, and drivers license fit perfectly. And well, Olivia is a really big fan of Taylor, so not surprising. Also Taylor has praised the song and apparently likes Olivia's music a lot Oh, and change Olivia's name by Conan Gray's and "drivers license" by "Heather" and almost the same point can be made, though Heather isn't exactly about a break-up. Plus, those two songs actually have similarities not only with a lot of old TS songs like You belong with me, but also with each other ?

My theory as a Gen-Z: TikTok viral smash hit. It started going around on TikTok with ppl claiming it was the saddest song ever and they'd never heard a song this emotional and all that. Then a lot of alt kids started responding with "actually it's really not, get over yourself popular kids". And this just created an environment where everyone had to listen to it to get their thoughts out there. Also, we're at a point where Gen-Z is both always online but still has the typical Disney Channel attachment so yeah if a Disney Star they like releases a song and they're making TikToks about it, they're also gonna stream it a lot, and loop it while they use it for vids.

"I wouldn't make it the biggest hit of the decade" See you in 2030 when Todd names this song the best of the 2020s

As a former teenage girl, I can say that this song taps into a deep and honest emotional place that many, probably most, teenage girls have experienced. It takes me back to a time in my life when I was more innocent, but not necessarily happier. Those early experiences of personal loss can be so painful as to seem insurmountable when you've never gone through something like heartbreak before. "Driver's License" works so well because it *isn't* mature or profound; it's an authentic look into the mind of a heartbroken teenage girl, almost like a diary entry. It's rare to see this experience expressed so beautifully in popular culture, which I think is why this song resonated with so many people.

I think the obvious teenage lyrics is what makes it universal. They’re not great because they’re profound, but because they tap into that feelings you had as a teenager. I’m a 32 year old guy and driver’s license is the first pop song in a decade that I understood and made me feel feelings.

Even if this was an organic hit, the idea that the Disney corporation now knows that it can get smash hit songs by exploiting the personal lives of it's stars is horrifying. EDIT: Guys... I know this is nothing new. I know that Disney has been trying to exploit the personal lives of its stars forever. My point is, how many times has this drama resulted in a song that instantly shattered all Spotify records and dominated the world? This isn't some niche thing that only kids following Radio Disney know about, it's a song more than twice as big as anything else in the country right out of the box, and that is unprecedented for them.

I think you are underestimating how lonely high schoolers are right now with the shut down. Like I just remember how lonely I felt in high school, then you add not seeing people. Plus the song has this whole vibe of “this is what I thought I’d be doing.” Which is basically how all high schoolers feel right now.

As a teenager, Phil Collins’ Against All Odds is still the go-to breakup song. 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘸𝘸𝘸

This song reeks of "I'm 16 and I found true love no guys really" but like, that's fine, teens need that, but man it feels weird listening to this as someone not in highschool

It's kind of weird that listening to pop music has become a niche since Spotify has made our music tastes so diverse that even the biggest songs are only being listened to by like 20% of the population, if even that

You never hear a song entitled "learners permit"

Honestly it’s so melodramatic and angsty, but that’s why I love it. I think it’s honestly really good for a 17-year old, and I could definitely see younger me bawling my eyes out to it after my first breakup. Also, I don’t think you’re as out of touch as you think. I’m 22 and my next breakup will absolutely be defined by Phil Collins

"I got dumped and I'm sad" is something to write a song about. "My boyfriend's weepy ex is really annoying" is not. Please never leave Todd.

In my head cannon, the girl in “Driver’s License” grew up to become the woman who rues the choices she made in Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car”.

When I was a teen, I was so heartbroken by this song "Jar of Hearts" by Christina Perri which this song reminds me of. We're just too old to get it, I guess? I like the song though, and I'm glad something with at least a shred of authenticity was her break-out, I bet the other Disney stars are a bit jealous they couldn't make it with a simple break-up song. Perhaps we'll have a Disney star who isn't forced into being so promiscuous, I hope she has some small shred of autonomy isn't used as mercilessly by Disney as the others...here's to hoping...*cheers*

it just feels real. like she actually feels the emotions she sings about, because she rote it and not some 30yr old dude. i think i still get chills listening to it.

I didn't realize just how annoying I found Skin by Sabrina Carpenter until it was on the radio, I switched the station, I hit the new station right at the part of Believer by Imagine Dragons where they yell "PAIN," and I heard that and was like "ah... sweet relief..."

i firmly stand on the idea that it was all a publicity stunt because, let's be honest, the timing just does not add up

“Trying to manufacture her authenticity” is a hell of a sentence.

I’m guessing that he is winning his fantasy league right now with butter being number 1 and Olivia rodrigo having her entire album on the top 50

My “Secret of Nimh” is the final season of She-Ra. My ex and I watched every season together and just before the last one released, we broke up. It’s a harmless show and shouldn’t be so untouchable to me, but it is what it is. Plus it’s a very bittersweet feeling knowing the two main characters reform their friendship and get together in the end while your own relationship burned in flames lol

Internet: Lol, Taylor Swift just dates and breaks up with guys so she can write hit songs about it. Disney: Write that down, write that down!

It's good with real instruments...the way the song builds to the bridge gives chills. She has a bit of a billie eilish factor with no autotune and hardly any effects on her vocals, draws you in during the verses to make the chorus super effective when she belts. Yeah the lyrics are simple but everyone remembers being a teenager and can relate that way. When the competition is really predictable, monotonous, overproduced, good songs stand out.

"At least Glee made you bleed from the eyes." -best summation I've ever read for that series.

The song reminds me of one of those old Taylor Swift songs, like Love Story or You Belong With Me. It's juvenile, sure, but it's earnest and sincere enough that it's hard for me to hate it. Drivers License feels like it comes from genuine teenage heartbreak, even though as an adult, I find it a little melodramatic.

It’s weird hearing owl city’s name out of the blue. I’m a massive fan of his and I sometimes forget fireflies happened

i think this song is so loved for the same reason all to well is considered by the fans to be taylor swifts best song, it jumps back and forth between anger and sadness. So many breakup songs are just sad or angry but a combination of emoting and a few impactful lyrics combine and the result is a more, as you said, emotionally realistic representation of a breakup. Teenagers are sad but they are also really angry and just want to scream out both emotions at once.

I thought this song would hit me really hard and when I finally listened to the whole thing it was just like, “Okay. There’s that.” But Todd finally saying “ARiana” instead of “AIRiana” - that was a moment.

a show about kids being youtube stars,,,,, disney decided they want icarly now too huh

It just feels really nice to not be only one feeling out of touch with modern music industry while watching Todd's videos

Heres one thing which I think you forgot to mention: Olivia is an open fan of taylor swift, many people who didnt know of her found her out through taylor supporting her and then realized she was a fan of taylor and stan culture logic now dictates that you stan olivia now as well so taylors huge following also now listen to drivers license causing for its inital big stream. After that the sheer fact that it was a debut number 1 by a no name intruiged people and it keeped garnering streams along with the people who like the song. Combined with how the song is a very marketable song and youve got a big hit on ur hands.

Honestly ... I think it’s the “fuckin” in the bridge. It’s a good breakup song and she threads the needle of selling the message of the song without being too cutesy about it. I was on board with the mourning the things you won’t get to do in a relationship. And then the bridge kicks in and magnifies it. The “fuckin” makes you believe everything she’s saying to that point is real, and you really believe it’s less of a song than an emotional release. (I say this as a 41 year old man who has never heard of a single name mentioned on this video).

The song makes me think too much of that "Lost Boy" song, in the sense that it just gives the vibe of some song written for a school talent show.

I'm a little disappointed, I can't get away from how sad and lonely the line 'I drive alone past your street'. It gets me so much. Even years and years after a break up or a lost friendship, if I happen to drive past a street I recognized for the wrong reasons it ruined my day.

As a part of the target audience, I really don’t get it either. The song is decent I guess, it’s pretty, but I just don’t get why it’s such a big hit. My theory is #5, I first heard the song when on a Zoom with a friend and they asked me if I’d heard it, and then demanded I play it on my phone. The friend excitedly clambers on about the drama behind it, and I think that’s how it got so big. Some people really loved the song because of the drama or the relatability or whatever and made others listen to it.

Yes, when I first heard the song, I thought: "Oh, that's a Lorde bridge"

This proves Todd can have an opinion on almost anything and I would listen

i think u missed the factor twitter has played into all of this. rodrigo is a huge swiftie and swift stans were really advertising the song. so i would add stan twitter as reason number 6

"There's so many weirdos here! ...we're home!" This is the part where Todd reflects on his TGWTG days.

reflecting on this video after sour came out, i think i finally get it. like its just... so teenage. its very much lorde energy, like getting a peek into a teenage girls diary. we're always going to need these kinds of songs, or rather, they're always going to be popular because teenagers are always going to want emotional songs that speak to them. when i was a teenager, it was lorde's pure heroine and marina's electra heart.

What's crazy to me is that most people when faced with this song think it's fundamentally alright (probs because of the emotional authenticity that Todd mentioned), which is actually quite weird for a song this huge, especially one that's SO teen-ager. You'd think it would split people, with plenty hating it against the teens who are swooning over it, but I can't see many people who're completely opposed to it

It says a lot about the state of the world that there can be such an enormous hit that's apparently conquering the charts and I haven't even heard of it.

as a teen who literally had this exact thing happen where we broke up before i got my licence, i feel like this should hit hard, but really it just reminds that i could be listening to lorde.

"I've got a lot of money riding on BTS having a good year." Sorry, BTS Army, Toddstradus has spoken. They're probably gonna break up by June.

Bite the bullet: watch Nimh!

Todd making sure we don’t forget Lorde is my love language.

I’m too old to be in touch with pop, but I think the vocal performance on this song is so exemplary that it’s undeniable. I think it’s just so great. Gives me goosebumps on every listen

Glad I'm not the only one who got kind of a Lorde vibe from this song, lol. It's a bit like "Greenlight" had a surprisingly boring child with Ruth B's "Lost Boy".

You know the state of pop music's changed forever when I literally only know of this song only because and after Todd uploaded this video. Streaming has made me gave the least amount of shit towards the charts more than before, and its both a good and a bad thing depending on how you look at it

Todd... WHY, JUST WHY did you put money on the fantasy league? We all know your history predicting pop stars and singers futures

This song reminds me of the Praying song Ke$ha made a while back. It’s way less intense the Ke$ha.

this song snuck up on me. first time I heard it on jimmy live and I was like "eh". then I decided to give it another chance by listening to the radio version and that bridge sort of hit me, then I kept going back to it again and gaining appreciation for it more. I think with this song it's less about what's written and more about *how* you sing it

I feel like Joshua’s song was more like, an ill timed release schedule, while Sabrina’ is undeniably a response to the drivers license phenomenon, like if you told me Lie Lie Lie was written 2 years ago directed at someone else I would believe you because it’s so incredibly generic, but Skin is so specific it’s painful🥴

This is like Green Light on Xanax. But that's not so bad.

Youth is king. She sings, no autotune-- writes and produces. This makes her pretty special . The whole album rocks this 56 year old.

Honestly, I think the reason that driver's license and the rest of Olivia Rodrigo's music is so big is because it really taps into that universal teenage angst that most people can relate to feeling at least a little bit at some point in their youth. How truly, genuinely, completely heartbroken and bitter Olivia Rodrigo sounds while singing driver's license, good 4 u, etc. really sells the melodrama of a high school breakup in a way that I personally haven't heard any other musician or band capture, and I think that's the appeal. (Or at least I think that's the appeal because I don't have cable, have never watched Disney channel, and don't know who the heck Olivia Rodrigo even is outside of her music career and so cannot connect to the real world drama.)

Gen Z artists are starting to come up. I didn’t get any of Billie’s music and now I don’t get Driver’s license. I’m not going to fight it, I’m at peace. Her voice is amazing though. I hope she sticks around.

"You said forever now I'm driving alone past your street" Because they're practicing social distancing within their respective bubbles of course

The fact Olivia is pretty damn talented helps the song IMO. The live performances shes done on talk shows and such are nothing short of great, and real. I think in the modern music wave its nice to have something that feels.. real

The part where driver's license is playing while Todd reminisces his ex is the best part of the video

Wait so every time I buy a BTS album I'm in a roundabout way also supporting one of my favourtite content creators? Truly a win-win situation!

I got my secret of Nimh last week, just like we always talked about.

It could also, and this is a stretch, be about someone who died. So many of us have lost dear ones to COVID. This is a breakup song on a the surface but can translate to an expression of deeper grief very easily.

"a 17 year old boy said forever" I hate to break it to you, Todd, but the guy this is likely about is 20 years old. And she JUST turned 18 two days ago.

Rip daft punk

"I bet if you're watching this, you're smart and interesting and probably like learning things" Me: Haha music notes go brrrrrr

I think another thing that helped its popularity was the simplicity. It’s easy to sing along to and the lyrics are simple to memorize, so it’s perfect for the home alone/ alone in the car moments when you are sad. Since it is easy to sing you also have the cover market. Tiktoker’s and KZfaqr’s can make a cover of this pretty easily and make it sound good because where it is placed in the range. Olivia also had a beautiful voice, which makes it pleasant to listen to, so that definitely helps.

I loved Todd's mini sad moment

I really respect Olivia and even if the songs not to a specific taste it's still amazing to see young artists succeeding and her vocals are amazing especially considering she's a teenager. It kinda sucks when it feels like people are just trying to put down a teenage girl because she's a teenage girl.

audibly said "jesus christ" at the Secret of Nimh part.

I really find that mumbly "indie girl" voice grating.

I’m a 40-something who listened to this song once and had the lyric “you said forever now I drive alone past your street” absolutely transport me back to that time in my life. That was all I needed to hear to know why it’s so big. I feel like so many people can relate, not just teenage girls. I don’t recall any other song where I’ve listened to it literally once and never forgotten a specific lyric because it had such an emotional impact.

Me sitting in the back not knowing this song even existed until just now: -_-

Was feeling down in the dumps about Daft Punk's break-up, but a new Todd video came to the rescue at the perfect moment.

When someone can sing this well and convey this kind of emotion the lyrics dont matter at all

That "This song is to Lorde what Owl City was to The Postal Service" line, tho.