Pop star Olivia Rodrigo unwrapped her first-ever Christmas song on Thursday night, alongside a festive music video starring Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon.
The track, called Take Me Home (4 Christmas), finds the pop star asking her boyfriend to “show some serious commitment” by bringing her to his parents’ house for the Christmas break.
As soon as it was released, fans noticed similarities to The Waitresses’ 1981 festive hit Christmas Wrapping… And it turns out that was by design rather than mistake.
Chris Butler, who wrote The Waitresses’ song, posted a message on Facebook, external, saying Rodrigo had contacted him to seek permission for the song; and praising her “phenomenal” writing.
“About two months ago, I received a weird email from someone claiming to be ‘Olivia Rodrigo’,” he said. “Said she’d written a Christmas song, and invited me to hear it.”
Admitting he’d never heard of the pop star before, Butler said he assumed the email was a fake.
But after researching her career, he became a fan – not just of her music, but of the fact she’d hired an all-female band, and negotiated control of her master recordings.
In the end, he decided to reply to her email – and posted the text to his Facebook profile.
“If you really are you, thanks for contacting me. And your comments are really sweet, and very flattering,” he said.
“They’re really sweet and flattering… even if you AREN’T you.
“If you really are Olivia Rodrigo: I like you, I like your music. I like the arrangements especially. Soft-loud-soft, etc. And that your recordings sound like people are playing on them.
He continued: “I like that your lyrics are intense, real, and poetic. I like that you “got” my songwriting, and that you like our band.”
Butler also accepted the invitation to hear Rodrigo’s Christmas song, and told his followers: “Her song was/is great.
“It’s going to be a smash, maybe even that elusive Christmas number one contest they have every year in the UK.”
Although the song is indebted to the Waitresses’ new wave and post-punk sound, Butler does not receive a writing credit on Take Me Home (4 Christmas) as it neither samples nor interpolates any of his music.
Posting on social media, Rodrigo said it was written last summer with her longtime collaborator Dan Nigro, and Amy Allen, who has previously contributed to songs by Harry Styles, Sabrina Carpenter and Tate McCrae.
Meanwhile, the Christmas jumper-tastic video, external follows the single’s storyline, with SNL star Ben Marshall playing her feckless boyfriend, and Nixon starring as her prospective mother-in-law.
Rodrigo’s track arrives in the same week as several other major contenders for this year’s Christmas number one.
Singer-songwriter Sam Fender has covered the Rolling Stones’ You Can’t Always Get What You Want, external for this year’s John Lewis Christmas advertising campaign; while CMAT has teamed up with Elton John for a countrified version of his festive classic Step Into Christmas., external
Alanis Morissette is releasing an album called Good Weather for Immaculate Conception, while Sufjan Stevens is issuing a compilation of his festive output, titled Worst Christmas Ever.
Chic legend Nile Rodgers has also teamed up with X Factor star Rebecca Ferguson to cover The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire), although the duo have received a backlash for using AI to create the song’s video.
And Kate Nash has written a track called Christmas Eve, external, which tells the story of the night her grandparents met in Dublin.
However, all the new Christmas songs have the unenviable task of going up against Wham’s Last Christmas and Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You, which typically dominate the festive charts.
The two songs entered the UK’s Spotify top 10 on 1 November, two weeks earlier than last year.
Wham secured the Christmas number one slot in both 2023 and 2024 – and could receive a sales boost this year, as fans mark the 10th anniversary of George Michael’s death.
Last year’s festive chart-topper was Kylie Minogue’s XMAS.
