Rock Icon Elvis Costello Defends Olivia Rodrigo From A ‘Brutal’ Accusation

Some people think a key riff in Olivia Rodrigo’s song “Brutal” sounds a little too much like an Elvis Costello track ― and that’s totally fine with him.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer said it’s what he’s done himself.

“It’s how rock and roll works,” Costello wrote on Twitter in response to a fan who spotted the similarities:

Costello’s hashtags refer to the fact that his song was influenced by Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” which itself came in part from Chuck Berry’s “Too Much Monkey Business.” 

Here are the four tunes, from the newest to the oldest, each one a “brand new toy” at some point: 

Rodrigo’s new album “Sour” is sitting at #1 on the Billboard charts. She also has two of the current top 10 and six of the top 50 singles on the Hot 100. 

Last week, rocker Courtney Love accused the 18-year-old of ripping off the cover image from her 1994 Hole album, “Live Through This,” which itself was a visual homage to the film “Carrie.”