Paramore singer Hayley Williams and former guitarist Joshua Farro are cashing in on Olivia Rodrigo’s hit “Good 4 U.”
The pair have been added as songwriters to Rodrigo’s single in recognition of its interpolation of Paramore’s 2007 track “Misery Business,” according to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.
When it was released, “Good For U” was credited only to Rodrigo and her producer Dan Nigro.
Last month, Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent were added as co-writers to Rodrigo’s “Deja Vu” because of its interpolation of Swift’s 2019 song “Cruel Summer.” (Swift and Antonoff were already credited on Rodrigo’s “1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back,” which interpolates Swift’s 2017 track “New Year’s Day.”)
Adding songwriters is nothing new. Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” lists Fred Fairbrass, Richard Fairbrass and Rob Manzoli of Right Said Fred because the song interpolates their 1991 hit “I’m Too Sexy.”
Justin Bieber’s hit “Hold On” interpolates “Somebody That I Used to Know” so it includes a credit for Walter de Backer (aka Gotye) and the late Brazilian musician Luiz Bonfá (whose 1967 track “Seville” is sampled in “Somebody That I Used to Know”).
“Brutal,” another song on Rodrigo’s debut album Sour, has been called out for similarities with Elvis Costello & The Attractions’ 1978 track “Pump It Up” – but Costello tweeted in June: “It’s how rock and roll works. You take the broken pieces of another thrill and make a brand new toy. That’s what I did.”
Courtney Love recently accused Rodrigo of copying the cover art of Hole’s 1994 album Live Through This in promotional content for her Sour Prom livestream and copying the overall aesthetic of indie band Pom Pom Squad for her single “Good 4 U.”
On Facebook, Love fumed: “My cover was my original idea. A thing you maybe have to actually live life to acquire? … Yes, it’s rude.” In response to a comment, she accused Rodrigo of “stealing an original idea and not asking permission.”
Rodrigo responded in the September issue of GQ. "To be honest, I'm just flattered that Courtney Love knows that I exist.”