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No one – especially Olivia Rodrigo – expected the “driver’s license” to become the biggest song on the planet overnight. But in January, it happened. Introductory single from the 18-year-old actress, best known for her roles on Disney shows Bizaardvark and High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, followed a heartbroken Rodrigo on a tour through the suburbs, lamenting what could have been. Fueled by a juicy plot involving a Disney love triangle (with speculative responses from other parties involved), the “Driver’s License” debuted atop the Billboard Hot 100 and broke Spotify’s record for most song streams in one week. He even had his own effusive “Saturday Night Live” skit: “Looks like just a teenage girl singing in her bedroom on her piano,” remarked Pete Davidson. “And that’s beauty, do you have a problem?” retorted the host Regé-Jean Page. The song’s delicate final moment – “Because you said forever, now I’m driving alone on your street” – is essentially tattooed on the public conscience.
After such a terrific debut, Rodrigo’s next move would determine whether she would be seen as a successful marvel or the next heavyweight in pop music. “Deja vu” strongly suggests the latter. Once again, the narrative centers on an expired romance with distinct child-theater vibes: watching Joy reruns, swapping clothes, shamelessly being boring. Rodrigo catalogs these activities to a sparkling melody, twisting the tension before the big reveal: she is no longer the love interest. “I bet she’s bragging to all of her friends / Saying you’re so unique,” she sings, throwing off a sufficient “hmph” for good measure. Instead of pitting two young women against each other, “deja vu” directs his anger towards a guy without originality who keeps forcing “Uptown Girl” to his lovers – even if it is Rodrigo who introduced his ex to Mr. “Piano Man” in the first place. While the “driver’s license” has channeled Taylor Swift’s intimate tale, “deja vu” nods at Lorde’s quirky melodrama and, ultimately, Florence and the greatness of the Machine. The production (by ‘Driver’s License’ co-writer Dan Nigro, who has worked with Carly Rae Jepsen, Sky Ferreira, and Caroline Polachek), is delightfully captivating, and Rodrigo delves into the sassy, bittersweet catharsis. Rest assured: when the world opens up, everyone will be chanting feverishly: “Strawberry ice cream in Malibu, don’t act like we haven’t done that too!”
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