The singer had to give retroactive credit to the composers of “Misery Business” for the authorship of “Good 4 U”, one of her biggest hits
Since Olivia Rodrigo released, in May 2021, the song “Good 4 U” is pointed out as being too inspired by “Misery Business”, hit released by Paramore in 2007. The situation was confirmed shortly afterwards: in August of that year, the vocalist Hayley Williams and the guitarist Josh Farro — responsible for creating the emo group’s song — were included as co-authors of the hit Rodrigo, alongside the artist and her producer, Dan Nigro.
Despite the announcement of the measure, there was no official statement from both parties. Neither the Paramore, nor Olivia addressed the issue in the statement confirming the addition of authorship. The young artist, however, spoke about the topic very few times in an interview.
One of these occasions occurred recently, in a statement to the British newspaper TheGuardian. The singer’s speech is not so direct, as she was asked if the situation involving “Good 4 U” left her wary of the compositions for her next album, Guts, scheduled to come out this Friday (8).
“I was so inexperienced about how the music industry worked, the litigation side… I feel like I know a lot more about the industry now and I feel better equipped in that aspect. [Um possível escrutínio similar ao de ‘Good 4 U’] It wasn’t something I thought about much.”
At another point in the interview, Rodrigo was invited to explain whether “Vampire”, one of the singles from Guts, would be a hint to Taylor Swift. Previously friends, the singers broke off their relationship recently — also due to copyright issues, as Swift claimed the authorship of another song by his colleague, “Deja Vu”, for similarities with “Cruel Summer.”
“How can I respond to that? I never want to say who any of my songs are about. I’ve never done this before in my career and probably won’t now or in the future. I think it’s best not to establish that a song is about something specific. I was very surprised when people thought that.”
Olivia Rodrigo and credit to Paramore
Another rare occasion when Olivia Rodrigo spoke out about retroactive credit to the Paramore gave himself in an interview with teen vogue, still in 2021. The singer opened up about the criticism she received for the case.
“I find it disappointing to see people take things out of context and discredit the work of any young person. But at the end of the day, I’m very proud and happy to say that my job is to be a songwriter. All the songs are inspired by each other. Obviously, I write all my lyrics with my heart and life first.”
The artist reported having created the lyrics and melody of “Good 4 U”, one morning while taking a shower. And she didn’t deny that she could end up being influenced by other songs from the past.
“What’s so beautiful about music is that it can be inspired by songs that have been released in the past. Each artist is inspired by artists who came before them. It’s a fun and beautiful sharing process. Nothing in music is new. There are four chords in each song. That’s the fun part – trying to make it your own.”
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
