Robbie Williams defends Olivia Rodrigo over song similarity claims

How the claim emerged

Olivia Rodrigo released Take Me Home (4 Christmas), her first Christmas song, which was inspired by The Waitresses' 1981 song Christmas Wrapping. Fans then pointed to similarities with Williams' 2012 single Candy, which went to number one in the UK. Spanish outlet EL PAÍS reported that the claim spread on social media after a video circulated pairing the two tracks.

Williams' response

Williams first posted "Feliz Navidad, @oliviarodrigo" on X, a post that the Spanish report said had passed five million views within about 48 hours. He then published a longer statement on Instagram, defending Rodrigo and criticising plagiarism accusations in general.

“Most of it, I think, is complete bollocks.”

In the statement, Williams said he had faced similar accusations over his own work and that some of them were justified. On Rodrigo specifically, he said she may have accidentally stumbled across a musical echo of his in one of her new songs.

Legal position

Williams said he did not know whether a publishing or copyright issue existed. He added that he did not want to find out and would not pursue the singer.

“I'm not going after her.”

He argued that artists deserve protection against genuine theft, but said there is a difference between protecting one's work and claiming rights over any vaguely familiar sequence of notes. Williams also said artists who are in a secure position in their careers can afford to take that view, while others cannot.

Wider debate

Williams said that artists will sometimes produce music that resembles existing songs. He wrote that punishing people for accidentally arriving somewhere someone else has been could discourage creativity. The Evening Standard reported that Williams used the word "ambulance chasing" to describe some of these claims.

“We all stand on the shoulders of people who came before us.”

The exchange has drawn wide attention in Britain and Spain, with Portuguese and English-language outlets also covering the statement. Rodrigo's response was not included in the reporting available.