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@Olivia_Rodrigo's "drivers license" is all in 4/4, but uses some VERY creative phrasing to create a sense of suspense! cc @SwitchedOnPop @Top40Theory @TheDanielNigro
each verse is 7 bars long, with 6 lines and one bar of rest. Your ears expect 8, but you get an odd number. (1/5)
each verse is 7 bars long, with 6 lines and one bar of rest. Your ears expect 8, but you get an odd number. (1/5)
Rodrigo sings the last line, "Crying 'cause you weren't around," then her voice drops out, leaving you in the emptiness of the music...
But then, a piano chord pitchshifts down as the next section starts up a bar early, as if she's interrupted by her own thoughts. (2/5)
But then, a piano chord pitchshifts down as the next section starts up a bar early, as if she's interrupted by her own thoughts. (2/5)
similarly, each chorus is 10(!) bars long. The first four lines are two pairs of 3 bars, which is pretty uncommon...
But just as you get used to it, the last two lines have twice as many syllables - and cut off the chorus unresolved in only 2 bars! (3/5)
But just as you get used to it, the last two lines have twice as many syllables - and cut off the chorus unresolved in only 2 bars! (3/5)
The bridge is more conventional, with two sets of 8 bars. It's the only part of the song that feels familiar and predictable. Olivia's going nowhere, stuck in her past memories. (4/5)
In the final chorus, she repeats the last line, resolving the song with 3 sets of 4 bars.
It's neater, but it's still not symmetrical. Where any other song would give you a chorus of 16, "drivers license" doesn't give you the satisfaction. Brilliant pop songwriting. (5/5)
It's neater, but it's still not symmetrical. Where any other song would give you a chorus of 16, "drivers license" doesn't give you the satisfaction. Brilliant pop songwriting. (5/5)
listen for yourself! As catchy and 4/4 as it is, it's surprisingly difficult to count along with the phrasings
P.S. I myself wrote a big pop song with a 7-bar chorus and 10-bar finale - coming up with that organically is still one of my proudest creative moments 
https://open.spotify.com/track/6Pe6hM9vri1ulCLGfp21xI?si=wzmjozE-RxOexQg4ud-oLA
https://open.spotify.com/track/6Pe6hM9vri1ulCLGfp21xI?si=wzmjozE-RxOexQg4ud-oLA
OH, and @Olivia_Rodrigo sings the same phrasing in her early demo of the song! Musical prodigy incoming (6/5?)
https://www.instagram.com/p/CC_rPlyhhSX/
https://www.instagram.com/p/CC_rPlyhhSX/
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