To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the release of Olivia Rodrigo's debut single "Drivers License," a new David Byrne cover version has been released. This is the first in a series of interpretations of songs from Rodrigo's first album "Sour," which are promised to be released in the coming months.
The new Byrne recording is now available on digital streaming platforms (DSPs). In addition, a limited 7-inch vinyl edition of the cover is available for pre-order, featuring a live duet of "Burning Down the House" with Rodrigo from their performance at the Governors Ball last year. Target will also be offering a 4-inch vinyl edition as part of their "Tiny Vinyl" series, with Rodrigo's original "Drivers License" as the B-side.
Both vinyl editions are currently available for pre-order, with the 7-inch version described as "translucent ruby vinyl" and the Target mini-disc coming in "fruit punch vinyl." However, fans will have to wait until April 3 for the standard 7-inch vinyl to ship, and until April 30 for the "tiny" Target disc, according to their respective pre-order sites.
Thursday's announcement was highly anticipated, with some fans hoping for news about "OR3," Rodrigo and producer Dan Nigro's third studio album. However, a graphic of "Drivers License" in Rodrigo's tease for the date suggested that this might not be related to the album. The extended campaign of covers to commemorate her debut album's anniversary suggests that new music may not be immediately forthcoming.
The full "Sour" album was released on May 21, 2021, so while no timetable was given for the rollout of tribute material, it seems likely to extend until then. If anyone has a commercial license to re-promote five-year-old music, it would be Rodrigo. As a signpost of just how well "Sour" performed, it is "the first and only album in Spotify history to have four songs each surpass two billion streams."
"Drivers License," which launched Rodrigo to pop superstar status virtually overnight, has accumulated 4.7 billion global streams across all platforms, according to Rodrigo's label. The single is certified six-times platinum by the RIAA.
While Rodrigo has been taking some time off from touring following the conclusion of her "Guts" tour behind her second album, Byrne has been busy on the road following the release of his recent album "Who Is the Sky?" In a year-end list by Variety, Byrne's Los Angeles tour date was cited as the best concert of 2025. The former frontman of Talking Heads will be taking that tour back out this winter and spring. His Broadway musical "Here Lies Love" is set to open an engagement at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in February.
