In this week’s class, we studied the demo and studio version of three different songs. The one that stuck out to me most was Olivia Rodrigo’s song titled ‘drivers license’.

The demo she posted on her Instagram is simply a video of her singing the lyrics while playing the piano. There was no microphone or DAW involved. Having listened to this demo, it becomes a lot easier to analyse the instrumentation and arrangement we hear in the studio version of this record.

In the first few seconds, there is an interesting use of car key sounds and a door chime sample. This effectively puts the listener in the setting of driving a car. The door chimes are intentionally pitched to harmonize with the piano keys, which helps the sample transition seamlessly into the piano. 

A clap track comes in at around the 30-second mark, providing a pacing feeling and gradually building tension. The hand claps might be panned left and right so as not to compete with Rodrigo’s vocals for space in the mix.

The bass in the chorus works to create a fuller sound by taking up the lower frequencies. It also contrasts with the relatively softer first verse, further building the tension. And where does this tension dissolve? It first happens after the line “I guess you didn’t mean what you wrote in that song about me”, which is accompanied by strings and a riser (?). All the instrumentation cuts off here and she finishes the chorus with “‘Cause you said forever, now I drive alone past your street”. This arrangement works to emphasise the last line and provide a satisfying ending to a very cathartic singing chorus.