Caged Bird
By Maya AngelouThe free bird leaps on the back of the wind and floats downstream till the current ends and dips his wings in the orange sun rays and dares to claim the sky.
But a bird that stalks down his narrow cage can seldom see through his bars of rage his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing.
The caged bird sings with fearful trill of the things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom
The free bird thinks of another breeze and the trade winds soft through the sighing trees and the fat worms waiting on a dawn-bright lawn and he names the sky his own.
But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to sing
The caged bird sings with a fearful trill of things unknown but longed for still and his tune is heard on the distant hill for the caged bird sings of freedom.
Olivia Rodrigo’s new single has everyone in a total frenzy. The 17-year-old High School Musical: The Musical: The Series star’s pop ballad “Drivers License” has become an unstoppable force on the music scene, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States on top of claiming the record for the biggest weekly streaming debut with 107 million worldwide streams — 76.1 million of which were in the U.S. alone, the second-highest number of domestic debut streams behind Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s “WAP.”
Just three days after its release, the single set the Spotify record for most streams in a single day for a non-holiday song with 15.17 million plays, beating that total one day later when it cracked 17.01 million streams in a 24-hour period. It also set a Global Amazon Music record for most streams in a single week for a debut track and the most on-demand streams in a day. “Drivers License” further topped the Spotify global top 50, the Spotify U.S. top 50, the Apple Music global chart, and the Amazon Music overall top songs chart.
The “Drivers License” music video had 46 million plays since its debut, which also helped put its placement a No. 1 on other international charts, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, the Netherlands, Norway, Ireland, New Zealand, and Portugal. With its debut feat, “Drivers License” becomes the 48th song to premiere on the Billboard Hot 100’s top position, including recent hits like the aforementioned “WAP,” Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s “Rain On Me,” BTS’ “Dynamite,” and Taylor Swift’s “Willow.”
Rodrigo told her TikTok followers that she was inspired to write the song after getting her license six months ago. She said she was excited to “drive alone thru the suburbs crying.”
The song talks about a young girl who finally gets her driver’s license and drives around crying, reminiscing about a lost love. Rodrigo’s lyrics explore her insecurities and the way she’s still haunted by the former love. “And I know we weren’t perfect but I’ve never felt this way for no one,” Rodrigo sings. “I just can’t imagine how you could be so okay now that I’m gone.”