Music

Elvis Costello said it would be arrogant of him to seek a writing credit from Olivia Rodrigo. Here's why he thinks this.

Elvis Costello laughed off questions about the similarities between Olivia Rodrigo’s “Brutal” and his song “Pump It Up.” While he said that he heard the similarities, he thought it would be “arrogant” of him to demand credit for her song. This comment led people to criticize Taylor Swift, as she allegedly sought writing credit for Rodrigo’s song “Deja Vu.”

Elvis Costello said the similarities between “Brutal” and “Pump It Up” don’t bother him

In a recent interview, Costello said he never considered suing Rodrigo over the similarities between “Brutal” and “Pump It Up.”

“That’s too silly to talk about,” he told The Times.

He added that he took inspiration from a Bob Dylan song. As a result, he felt it would be arrogant to seek credit. 

“Well, I met Olivia, and she was lovely,” he said. “I said, look, this is just a riff and how could I be arrogant enough to sue on the basis of originality when my song is based on ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’? Did Bob Dylan sue me? He teased me about it but didn’t sue. And did Chuck Berry sue Bob because his song was like ‘Too Much Monkey Business’?” 

She said she took inspiration from the other artist

People were quick to mention the fact that Swift received a retroactive co-writing credit for “Deja Vu.” Rodrigo admitted that she wanted her song to sound similar to Swift’s “Cruel Summer.”

“We wanted to write a bridge,” she told Rolling Stone. “I wanted it to be really high-energy ’cause the rest of the song is so serene and eerily calm. But I wanted the last bridge to go crazy and I love ‘Cruel Summer.’ It’s one of my favorite songs ever. I love like the yelly vocals in it, like the harmonized yells that she does, I think they’re, like, super electric and moving, so I wanted to do something like that.”

Several months after this, Swift, Jack Antonoff, and St. Vincent received co-writer credits on “Deja Vu.” This led many to believe that Rodrigo’s comments led Swift to seek credit. Rodrigo later noted that while songwriting is fun, she had a harder time figuring out the business side of the music industry.

When Time named Rodrigo Entertainer of the Year in 2021, she said, “It was really frustrating to see people discredit and deny my creativity.” The song’s producer, Dan Nigro, also noted, “It seems like people get funny about things when songs become really popular.”

People later speculated that Rodrigo’s songs “Vampire” and “The Grudge” are about Swift, though she has never confirmed this.

People connected Elvis Costello’s response to the Olivia Rodrigo song to Taylor Swift

Rodrigo was once a vocal fan of Swift’s, but she stopped speaking about her after the “Deja Vu” drama. Because of this, fans have discussed the alleged feud between them for years. Many mentioned Swift in connection with Costello’s interview.

“It’s really just about who has more money to drown the other side in legal fees these days… or who has more fans who will harass people on their behalf at any perceived slight,” wrote one Reddit user. “Bc so many artists could go after Taylor Swift for her songs being heavily inspired by theirs and don’t.”

“I love when artists are actually artists and want the art out there in whatever form it takes vs this whole no one ever done this before me *cough*Taylor*cough,” added another person.

Some noted that it’s nearly impossible to have something entirely original.

“As a buddy of mine once said, there’s only so many chords,” one person wrote. “Not everything can be completely original and, most likely, everything has been played once already.”