The world’s favorite new “it” girl, Olivia Rodrigo, just released a documentary about the making of her freshman album Sour, and it would be good 4 u to watch it. After her debut single “Drivers License” blew up overnight, putting the pop phenomenons career in the fast lane in May 2021, it feels appropriate that she take us on a road trip for her first personal film.
“Driving Home 2 U”, now streaming on Disney+, takes us on a trip with Olivia from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles. This Tumblr blog-style concert film-meets-home-video is particularly stylized and made to perfectly show off the story of how Sour and how Olivia Rodrigo, came to be. One of the main purposes of making this documentary was to give the fans that are unable to attend one of her shows, as close to a show as possible. Olivia and director Stacey Lee, give us retro-chic visuals in a hotel room, a gas station, on a roof… all-embracing the little pieces of the locations that are special to Olivia. When talking about the locations they chose to film at, she says, “I want to play these songs in the places that meant so much to me and revisit them with older eyes, I guess.” This film is filled with dynamic videography and authentic moments, as well as Olivia’s signature Y2K, vintage Noughties, and classic punk wardrobe. It gives shine to her vibrant band, shows studio footage from making the album with songwriter Dan Nigro, and allows for her to recount what inspired her to create her infamous blockbuster debut album.
When Sour was first released, the raw, emotional heartbreak album offered a post-break-up anthem that even the perfectly in love could relate to. With Olivia’s documentary, she gives us a glimpse into her first teenage lost love, and not just tells us, but shows us, the rollercoaster of emotions she experienced. Sitting on the bedroom floor, she recounts an old diary entry.
July 13, 2020.
“I got my driver’s license today, a very highly anticipated achievement. All my relatives called to congratulate me. I realized part of the reason I wanted to get my license so bad was because of… this boy. I always felt bad about being too young to be able to drive over to see him. Too young to have any real freedom. I always thought he should be with a girl who had those liberties. I feel his hold on me loosen more and more lately. That’s a lovely feeling. I’m still very much not able to fall for anyone else, though. I can’t even fathom it at the moment.”
Rodrigo shows so much authentic vulnerability, something most artists shy away from. Unlike documentaries about female pop icons such as Taylor Swift’s ‘Miss Americana’ or ‘Billie Eilish: The Worlds a Little Blurry’, we are rarely offered a perspective from anyone other than Rodrigo. In ‘Driving Home 2 U’, there are no interviews with mentors or parents, or other people talking about her success. Just her. What makes this 18 year old different, is that she’s not afraid to embrace her negative emotions and turn them into something positive… and talk about why she does it. Jacob Collier makes a short appearance, sitting on the vintage baby blue Ford Bronco with Olivia, engaging in a conversation about the ups and downs of love and songwriting. “I don’t know if I’ve ever heard a song that really encapsulates [devastation] more than ‘Drivers License’ and it just feels like you’re living it out in a good and painful way,” Collier compliments. Love isn’t easy, especially when it’s on display for the entire world to see. As it’s clear to everyone; however, she has chosen to use that to benefit her as a way to heal from the hurt.
“THE HEARTBREAK THAT KEPT ON GIVING.”
-Olivia Rodrigo
We learn a lot about Olivia’s songwriting process in the documentary. Starting off the film strong with her song “Happier”, she talks about how the song was really what started it all. “I remember posting the song ‘Happier’ online, and looking back on it and being like, ‘Oh my God, this song is terrible. It got no likes. I sang it terribly. Why did I do that?’ But I had this gut feeling to keep it up. That feeling served me well because that song changed everything for me.” She then goes on to say, “The fact that I posted it was the reason that I met Dan, because he found it and was like, ‘Oh my God, I love this song. We should work together.’ That was the first song we produced together.” Had she not trusted her gut at that moment, Sour may have never existed. Watching this documentary, you feel like you’re learning and growing with her. Her entire life changed dramatically in just a year, but she tells us how she grew the most writing and making the album, rather than ‘rising to fame’.
As the due date for the album grew closer, 5 days to be exact, Olivia decided she wanted a more upbeat track added to the list. From there, ‘Brutal’ was born. We get to see footage of Dan strumming a few random chords on his guitar which turned into the classic melodramatic melody of the song. As Dan begins to record, Olivia begins to ad-lib, then voicing her idea of “what if the verses are like, ‘people are mean, the world is cruel’ and then the hook, the thing is like ‘God, its brutal out here.” Overnight, the duo was able to turn determination, and a few guitar chords, into a punk-pop song about teen angst and the pressure and comparison and everything brutal about being a teenager. Towards the end of the documentary, Olivia joins her all-girl band in an abandoned airplane to perform the song with that rock style we all hoped for.
Aside from her beautiful, slow-burn songs about heartbreak, ‘Brutal’ and ‘Jealousy Jealousy’ are exciting, upbeat, and shine a light on the struggles every teen girl faces. Her high energy, Avril Lavigne-esque performance of ‘Jealousy Jealousy’ under a highway especially highlights this as her second song showed in the film. She talks about her negative relationship with the internet and how social media was a huge culprit in her battles with jealousy. We all experience this, and Olivia paints that self-pity picture perfectly in 2 minutes and 53 seconds. After her shaky performance of ‘Good 4 U’ at the 2021 VMA’s, her performance improvement was incredibly evident from the very beginning of this set. If her performance of ‘Jealousy Jealousy’ is any indication of how the Sour Tour will be, ticket holders can expect a very special concert experience.
Another originally angsty track on the Sour album, ‘Good 4 U’, is surprisingly transformed in the documentary. Filmed in a vast desert with high red rock mountains in the background, surrounded by an orchestra, the rendition of the song originally powered by petty anger is repainted showing the hurt, sadness, and self-questioning that fuels the lyrics of the upbeat song. Going all-in on the drama with her full string section complete with cellos and violins, this point is not lost. This highlight performance in the film allows the different levels of her emotion to be completely shown. The complexity of her feelings in the song, and the different perspectives she has allowed, makes the song that much better.
“There’s nothing that connects people, and there’s nothing that’s, like, a truer window into the human emotion than music.”
-Olivia Rodrigo
As you watch this documentary and witness the many wardrobe changes, it’s no secret that Olivia has taste. In an evocative, a capaella performance of ‘Favorite Crime,’ another highlight song within the film, Olivia’s youthful, 90’s style, quintessential fashion staples are put on display. Walking around the empty Arizona amphitheater, filling the quiet, still space with her voice, she shows off her glorified Americana aesthetic. Rodrigo manages to mix and match with fuzzy hats, silk dresses, chunky shoes, knitted sweaters, and layered silver jewelry, all while accomplishing that punk-like, teen star look. Olivia has spoken about her love for vintage fashion because of how it benefits the environment, whereas most celebrities choose to wear brand new designer items. But this gen-Z queen has turned second-hand into the perfect mix of grungy twee and classy chic.
Accompanied in the majority of her performances in ‘Driving Home 2 U’, are Olivia’s all-girl rock star bandmates who are exactly what was needed to bring these songs to life. The vibrancy and talent of the band match so well with Olivia’s energy and the grungy feel of the album. She and the band’s performances not just in the documentary, but at their “first performance” at the Las Vegas’ iHeart Radio Festival, prove to the world that they’re the real deal. As a unit, they take control of the stage and command the audience’s attention, as if they have been doing this for years. Their polished presence and magnetic attraction seem effortless. At the end of the documentary, after the loveliest performance of ‘Hope Ur Ok’ on the beach, the band and Olivia run off into the water as the sun sets behind them. This beautiful end to the story of Olivia’s past year leaves lingering anticipation for her upcoming tour and has set the tone for how 2022 will be serving miss Rodrigo.
So what’s next for the biggest new artist of 2021, multi-award-winning woman of the year? At just 18 years old, the singer-songwriter has accomplished more than most accomplish in a lifetime. But she’s just getting started. Olivia’s Sour Tour kicks off on April 3rd and will wrap on May 25th. She will be attending the Grammys on April 3rd in which she’s nominated for 7 awards. She’s also already in the studio working on her second LP. As soon as the Sour era began it feels like it was coming to a close. Olivia says in her documentary, “It felt like a closing chapter for me,” she adds. “I’m so, so excited to put out new music and to create the next set of worlds.” And her fans can’t wait to see what she does. With the start of her career being so strong and rapidly growing, there’s a lot of room for her to grow and create in the future. ‘Driving Home 2 U’, accomplishes the idea that it’s not about the destination, but the journey. And as one road trip ends, another begins.