Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo have had a complicated history that is hard to ignore, especially with Rodrigo’s new sophomore album Guts. Apparently, something has gone wrong between the two as fans are convinced that some of the tracks are about Swift.
Olivia Rodrigo and Taylor Swift’s Feud Breakdown
Olivia has been a Swiftie for years, and Taylor has also been enjoying Rodrigo’s music. People have seen their heartwarming interactions on Instagram and Twitter. Throughout the years, the two singers have been very supportive of each other’s musical projects. Olivia has also constantly mentioned Taylor during interviews and how much of a great person she is.
However, things got complicated once Swift’s “Sour” was released. The two credited songwriters were Taylor and Jack Antonoff. During Rodrigo’s interviews on The Zach Sang Show, she shared that she was the one who had come up with the “1 Step Forward” song concept on Taylor’s album Reputation, and also had written a verse and a chorus. During an episode of Rolling Stone’s The Breakdown, Rodrigo said that she had been inspired by Taylor’s “Cruel Summer” while writing the bridge of her song “Deja Vu.” In July 2021, Swift and Antonoff were given co-writing credits on “Deja Vu” due to the similarities with “Cruel Summer.” This is quite ironic if one thinks of the “Deja Vu” lyric “Everything is all reused.”
The Plagiarism Controversy
After months of fans pointing out the similarities between “Good 4 U” and Paramore’s 2007 “Misery Business,” Rodrigo credited the band’s main vocalist Hayley Williams and her bandmate Josh Farro on the track. According to Billboard, Olivia Rodrigo has lost millions of dollars giving up 50% of the royalties on her songs to additional writers. In October 2021, Rodrigo finally kind of addressed the situation.
She said that she would write songs that came from her heart and that was the only thing that mattered. She also shared that she had a hard time handling the controversy in the beginning. In November 2021 Swift released Red (Taylor’s Version), which includes the vault track “Nothing New.” Although the song was written back in 2012, fans have noticed that the lyrics can be connected to Rodrigo: “The kind of radiance you only have at seventeen / She’ll know the way and then she’ll say she got the map from me / I’ll say I’m happy for her, then I’ll cry myself to sleep.”
The Meaning Behind Rodrigo’s Lyrics
Olivia Rodrigo’s song “Vampire” was released this year, and she said that the writing process had helped her sort through lots of feelings of regret, anger, and heartache. Some thought that the song might be dedicated to her ex, Adam Faze, while others had theories that the song was actually about the music industry and Taylor Swift.
Olivia was quick to deny the rumors but also said that she didn’t want to reveal what her songs were about. She said that Guts was an album about growing up and finding your footing in the world. However, judging by the dramatic lyrics of her song “The Grudge,” fans are more and more convinced that it’s actually dedicated to Swift. Rodrigo denied the rumors again and explained that she didn’t have beef with anyone.