Robbie Williams ProfileRobbie Williams has entered the discourse surrounding Olivia Rodrigo’s new festive tune, take me home (4 christmas), following its release last week.
After she was accused of plagiarising two different songs, including one of his own, Williams described the claims as “absolute bollocks.”
Take me home (4 christmas) contains echoes of The Waitresses’ Christmas Wrapping – the band’s Christopher Butler said Rodrigo contacted him, explaining that she was inspired by the song. Fans in the UK also alleged that the song features a similarity to the Robbie Williams song, Candy. And he couldn’t care less.
In a note posted on Instagram this week, Williams shared his thoughts on the matter, and on inspiration in music.
“There’s something about the music industry that’s been bothering me for a while. People coming after people because they’ve spotted a similarity between two songs,” he wrote.
The Rock DJ star continued, “Some of it is absolutely justified. Most of it, I think, is complete bollocks. I’ve had plenty of people come after me over the years because something I’ve released apparently sounds like something somebody else released.
“And sometimes I listen and think, fair enough, I can hear that. Other times I think, are you having a fucking laugh?”
In his statement, Williams added that artists deserve to be protected, but noted the difference between protecting your work and “treating every vaguely familiar sequence of notes as a winning lottery ticket.
“It sounds to me as though she may have accidentally stumbled across a musical echo of mine in one of her new songs. And do you know what? I couldn’t care less,” he wrote.
“I don’t know whether there’s technically a publishing issue, a copyright issue, or no issue whatsoever. And I don’t want to know. I’m not going after her. Because I think at some point, some fucking sanity has to prevail.”
Williams explained that it’s inevitable that artists would at times produce music that bears similarity to other songs, particularly in melody.
His statement concluded, “We all stand on the shoulders of people who came before us. Sometimes consciously. Sometimes without even knowing it. That’s how music works.
“If we keep punishing people for accidentally arriving somewhere somebody else has already been, eventually we’re going to frighten the creativity out of everyone.
“Anyway, Olivia, if you’re reading this, I think you’re fucking brilliant.”
Williams’ take on the matter is different to other artists.
Along with the release of her 2021 album, sour, Rodrigo was hit with plagiarism claims. Paramore’s Hayley Williams and Josh Farro were credited as co-writers on her song, good 4 u, as its chorus was reportedly inspired by the band’s 2007 song, Misery Business.
Meanwhile, for another hit single, déjà vu, Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, and St. Vincent received writing credits for its alleged interpolation of Swift’s song, Cruel Summer.
Robbie Williams, the ultimate showman, is currently touring in stadiums across Australia. Check out his BRITPOP Tour setlist here.
