Olivia Rodrigo Marks 5 Years of ‘Drivers License’ With David Byrne Cover

Five years ago, a breakup song about driving past an ex’s house turned into a pop culture moment no one saw coming. Now, Olivia Rodrigo is looking back and celebrating just how far “Drivers License” has taken her.

In honor of the hit song’s fifth anniversary, Rodrigo shared a brand-new cover of “Drivers License” performed by David Byrne on Thursday, Jan. 8. Along with the release, she posted reflective messages on Instagram about making the emotional ballad and what it still means to her today.

Byrne’s version of “Drivers License” puts a fresh spin on the song with different production and lyrics adjusted to match his life experience as a 73-year-old man. “And you're probably with that blond boy / The one that always made me doubt / He's so much younger than me / Everything I'm insecure about,” he sings on the cover.

Rodrigo revealed that Byrne’s take is just the beginning. His cover is the first in a series of reworked tracks from her debut album Sour, which, as she noted, “is turning 5 years old this year.” She added, “and to celebrate, i’m so excited to announce an upcoming series of reimagined SOUR covers from some of my favorite artists ever.”

She also shared her excitement about working with Byrne, writing, “we’re starting off insanely strong with an incredible reworking of ‘drivers license’ from one of my all-time heroes, David Byrne.” Rodrigo continued, “David is nothing short of a legend and I actually cried when I heard his version of this song.”

The Talking Heads member’s cover of “Drivers License” is available to stream now. Fans can also buy a 7-inch vinyl that includes Byrne’s version along with the pair’s performance of “Burning Down the House” from the 2025 Governors Ball Music Festival in New York City.

“I’m stoked!! Go give it a listen,” Rodrigo added. She also released a Target-exclusive tiny vinyl featuring the original “Drivers License” and her live Governors Ball performance of the song.

“Drivers License” first dropped in January 2021 as the lead single from Sour. Fueled by fan speculation about a possible love triangle involving Rodrigo, Sabrina Carpenter and Joshua Bassett.

The song went on to earn Rodrigo a Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance, along with MTV Video Music Awards for Song of the Year and Push Performance of the Year.

In another Instagram post, Rodrigo shared photos from around the song’s release and reflected on how much her life has changed. “looking back at these pics I feel like I look like a baby but it also feels like just yesterday lol,” she wrote.

She added, “his song has totally changed my life in ways I still can’t totally wrap my head around.” Rodrigo closed the message with gratitude and a promise to fans: “I’m forever grateful for this magical chapter and I can’t wait to scream red lights stop signs with u guys at every concert I play for the rest of my life! happy birthday DL.”