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Robbie Williams has come to Olivia Rodrigo's defence after listeners noticed similarities between her new Christmas single, "Take Me Home (4 Christmas)," and his 2012 hit "Candy," making it clear he has no intention of pursuing a copyright complaint against the younger singer.
The 52-year-old addressed the debate in a lengthy Instagram statement on November 9, explaining that he believes musicians are increasingly quick to accuse one another of copying songs. He argued that similarities can occur naturally when artists work with the same limited collection of notes, chords and musical arrangements.
"There are only so many notes. Only so many chords. Only so many ways of putting them together before you inevitably find yourself somewhere somebody else has been," he wrote.
Williams also acknowledged that some complaints about musical similarities are justified, while others are not. Drawing on his own experience of having his work compared with earlier releases, he questioned the growing tendency to treat every resemblance as grounds for legal action.
The former Take That member then turned to Rodrigo, 23, making it clear that he has admired her music for years. "I love Olivia Rodrigo," he wrote. "I've loved her since 'Brutal.' What a f--king record. I wish I'd made it."
He also joked about her use of profanity during performances, saying she was making him look like "a Victorian schoolmistress" despite his own reputation for swearing.
Addressing the comparisons between the two songs, Williams suggested Rodrigo might have unintentionally drawn on elements of his earlier work. However, he said he was neither concerned about the resemblance nor interested in determining whether it raised a publishing or copyright issue.
"I don't want to know," he declared. "I'm not going after her. Because I think at some point, some f--king sanity has to prevail."
Williams added that he recognised his established position in the music industry gave him the freedom to take that approach, something not every artist might be able to afford. He nevertheless stressed that genuine theft should be taken seriously and that musicians deserve protection for their work.
However, he criticised what he described as attempts to turn minor musical similarities into financial opportunities, calling some of the behaviour "ambulance chasing" and "disgusting".
He argued that artists inevitably draw inspiration, consciously or otherwise, from those who came before them, warning that excessive scrutiny could discourage creativity.
Williams ended his statement with a direct message to Rodrigo, reiterating his admiration while returning to his earlier joke about her language.
"Olivia, if you're reading this, I think you're f--king brilliant," he wrote. "But please stop swearing so much. It makes me feel like I have to keep up."
