Christopher Butler, the songwriter behind The Waitresses' festive hit 'Christmas Wrapping', has described some Taylor Swift fans as 'vicious' after facing hostile reactions to his defence of Olivia Rodrigo amid accusations that her new Christmas song copied his work.
The musician said he had inadvertently opened up a confrontation between Rodrigo's critics and Swift's devoted supporters after dismissing claims that the young pop star had plagiarised his 1981 classic. His comments also prompted him to question why there was so much 'enmity' between the two singers' fanbases.
The dispute centres on Rodrigo's first-ever Christmas single, 'take me home (4 christmas)', released in the US on 5 November, which quickly drew comparisons with The Waitresses' 'Christmas Wrapping'. Rather than accuse the singer of copying his work, Butler defended the track, insisting that the similarities were not evidence of plagiarism.
Butler Defends Olivia Rodrigo
Butler, who wrote The Waitresses' 1981 festive favourite, revealed that Rodrigo had personally contacted him approximately two months before releasing her new song. In a Facebook post dated 1 November, he explained that he initially suspected the email was fake because he was unfamiliar with the singer, prompting him to research her career before replying.
After listening to her music, he said he was impressed by her songwriting, arrangements and appreciation for The Waitresses. Rodrigo subsequently invited Butler and his companion Beth to her Daisy Chain Fields festival in Irvine, California, although they could not attend because of the short notice.
The songwriter later received messages from someone at the singer's record label explaining that her tour would be stopping in Columbus, Ohio, where they eventually met after her performance. Butler described the encounter as a delight and said he had been impressed by Rodrigo's show, which lasted more than two hours.
When 'take me home (4 christmas)' was released, Butler publicly praised the track, describing it as a potential hit and celebrating its upbeat sound. Addressing listeners who suggested Rodrigo had copied 'Christmas Wrapping', he wrote in a YouTube comment: 'The vibe is there, but no plagiarism — and this is from the guy who wrote "CW". LOVE O.R., too.'
He also argued on Facebook that the new song contained no copied melody or chord progression that would justify a plagiarism claim. His comments represented his personal assessment as the original songwriter, rather than a formal legal determination.
Chris Butler, writer of the song ‘Christmas Wrapping’, calls Taylor Swift fans vicious. They have been harassing him on his social media for saying Olivia Rodrigo did not plagiarize his song.
by u/Relevant-Peach3997 in Fauxmoi
Swifties Branded 'Vicious'
However, the discussion took another turn after Butler made a joke involving Swift in an earlier exchange about Rodrigo's growing popularity. Responding to a comment referencing 'Taylor "Vampire" Swift', he wrote: 'Swift is seeing something in the rearview mirror...and it's coming fast.'
When challenged about the remark, Butler clarified that he was joking about the possibility of a younger female artist with a huge following being perceived as a threat to Swift's position in pop music. He also referred to the music industry's tendency to embrace 'The Next Big Thing', suggesting competition between established stars and rising performers was nothing new.
The comments brought some of Swift's supporters into the wider discussion, with Butler subsequently describing the hostility he said he encountered online. In another exchange, he wrote: 'Ha! Phil - welcome to the new world I just inadvertently cracked open—Olivia Haters, vicious Swifties/Defenders. Who knew there was such enmity between their fans?'
His response followed an exchange involving another commenter, Phil Polley, who had written: 'You're entitled to an opinion, and preferably to keep it to yourself.' Butler's remarks reflected his frustration with the reactions he said he had received after defending Rodrigo, rather than an assessment of Swift's entire fanbase.
Swift has previously been connected to a songwriting credit controversy involving Rodrigo, although that dispute was separate from the current Christmas song comparisons. In 2021, Swift, Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent received retroactive songwriting credits on Rodrigo's 'deja vu', following comparisons with Swift's 'Cruel Summer' and Rodrigo's acknowledgement that the bridge was inspired by the earlier song.
However, Butler has maintained that Rodrigo's latest release does not copy 'Christmas Wrapping'. There has been no publicly reported legal finding of copyright infringement involving Rodrigo's Christmas single.
