Olivia Rodrigo is celebrating the fifth birthday of her breakthrough single, “drivers license,” by today (Jan. 8) releasing a cover of the song by friend and collaborator David Byrne. It’s the first in a series of covers pegged to the upcoming fifth anniversary of Rodrigo’s debut album, SOUR.
Byrne’s take on “license” is available on DSPs and for pre-order on translucent seven-inch ruby vinyl. The b-side chronicles Byrne’s surprise appearance last summer during Rodrigo’s Governors Ball set to perform the Talking Heads classic “Burning Down the House.”
A separate Target-exclusive vinyl pairs the original version of “license” with a live version taped at the same Governors Ball set.
Rodrigo has often performed with some of her older musical heroes, including Billy Joel at New York’s Madison Square Garden in 2022 and No Doubt at their 2024 Coachella reunion. She also selected ’90s alternative band the Breeders as one of the openers on her GUTS tour.
For his part, Byrne told Rolling Stone of Rodrigo, whom he met after a Madison Square Garden show, “Great performer. She was having a really good time. I got introduced to her afterwards and she seemed like a real person. Growing up in the world she did, she survived it really well and handled it really well.”
