Every Musical Performance In Olivia Rodrigo: Driving Home 2 U (A Sour Film), Ranked

The hot streak of Olivia Rodrigo has continued with her brand new Disney+ film. Olivia Rodrigo: driving home 2 u (a SOUR film) just premiered on the streaming service and is already one of the most interesting looks into the blossoming career of the young pop sensation.

Although it works as an intriguing documentary about her life and the process that went into making her hit album, the true highlight of the movie is that it features special performances. Rodrigo performs every song from her debut album throughout the runtime, often doing so in unique ways that hadn’t been heard before.

11 1 step forward, 3 steps back

It’s one of the lesser-known songs from SOUR but “1 step forward, 3 steps back” is still very good. For the most part, Rodrigo keeps this performance simple and doesn’t really do much to change the track.

She performs it in the backseat of a car as it drives through the desert with nothing more than her guitar. That approach actually works well for it because it’s an emotional song that doesn’t need to have any extra production behind it, though that does hold it back from ranking near the top.

10 hope ur ok

The final song on the album, “hope ur ok” is also the final performance of the documentary. This one also takes place around sand, except this time it’s at the beach instead of the desert. The thing that helps this stand out though is that Olivia isn’t alone.

She has several people with her singing backup vocals, playing guitar, and on the drums. It’s really fitting because the song is about the people that Olivia knows and how she wants them to be doing well, so having others around is key. Plus, it ends with them all jumping into the water for a good time, which is welcome.

9 driver’s license

The song that put Olivia Rodrigo on the map is “driver’s license.” One of the first scenes of the documentary even shows Olivia in the car as the track comes on the radio and it gets called the biggest song in the world at the time.

The only reason this doesn’t rank higher is that this version isn’t really a performance. It’s actually a combination of clips from live performances of the show, the music video, behind-the-scenes photoshoots, and more. Although it’s not a traditional show, it’s still very entertaining.

8 traitor

One of the highlights of the film is hearing Olivia Rodrigo explain what each song means to her. She reveals that one of her favorite songs is “traitor” because she feels that some of the lines she wrote for it are among her best.

This is actually another simple performance as she just plays it while playing guitar and sitting down at a gas station. Again though, she has more than proven that she doesn’t need that much to wow an audience because her voice is more than enough.

7 deja vu

Once again, this take on “deja vu” is proof that sometimes all you need is Olivia Rodrigo and a microphone. She calmly sits down and belts out a fantastic rendition of the hit song on her own but of course, her friends are there to only improve this.

The instruments being played in the background are great, with the standout being the person on the xylophone, which is expertly used in this track. In the end, it plays quietly on a car radio as Olivia gets back in for one more drive and it sounds great.

6 favorite crime

Right after the “deja vu” performance, Olivia goes into a pretty sweet version of “favorite crime.” This one takes place in Arcosanti, Arizona in what looks to be an outdoor concert venue of sorts. Recording it here really gives the song a unique feel.

You get the sense that her boisterous voice is echoing off the walls, though it never does so in a way that feels like it overshadows the beautifully written lyrics. It’s one of the film’s best cases of not doing too much with a performance.

5 enough 4 u

If you watch anything that Olivia Rodrigo has done with “enough 4 u,” it’s clear that she understands how to make the song work perfectly. She does so in almost every version by not trying too hard and simply letting her vocal capabilities do the talking.

Whether it’s the performance on SOUR Prom or this documentary, Olivia just belts out the song with only the help of a single instrument. Here, it’s a piano and all she does is sit in the forest and play it. With a song this good and a voice as impressive as hers though, that’s really all she needs.

4 brutal

Blu DeTiger and Towa Bird are listed as featured guests for this version of “brutal” and they make a great song even better. The addition of live guitars is one thing but the setting of this performance is also a highlight.

Olivia Rodrigo performs it with the rest of the gang inside what seems to be a dilapidated airplane. Not only does it make for a cool visual but her voice echoes impressively off the walls to give this a different feel from almost everything else. Throw in the energy of this rock track and you’ve got a winner.

3 happier

The first performance of the film is “happier,” which is one of the most emotional songs on SOUR. That’s saying something given the content of the tracklist. It’s one of those songs that would’ve been great if it was just the High School Musical star singing on her own.

However, it gets put over the top when you consider the production that goes into it. The camera pans around a house, giving off the feel of being one continuous shot, showing Olivia singing along with her band members playing various instruments to add to it all.

2 good 4 u

While “driver’s license” really cemented Olivia Rodrigo as a star, it’s highly possible that “good 4 u” is her biggest hit. Comparisons have been made to Paramore on this song, though that doesn’t feel as evident in this version.

Instead of being based in the world of rock music, there’s a classical feel to this take. Olivia performs the song in the desert again but is surrounded by violin players, who help make sure that this version of the track feels like something special. It alone makes this documentary worth checking out.

1 jealousy, jealousy

An argument could be made that “jealousy, jealousy” is the best song on SOUR and it certainly feels like one that has more of a rock vibe than most. Olivia Rodrigo seemed to run with that in this documentary as her performance is more rock than ever.

Her band plays as there’s much more of an emphasis on the guitar and drums than in the album version. A snippet of this version was released on YouTube and social media quickly blew up with fans wanting her to make it available on Spotify because of how good it is.

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