Olivia Rodrigo's Christmas single gets a defense from the Waitresses' Christopher Butler

Olivia Rodrigo released her first Christmas song, "take me home (4 christmas)," on Thursday (Nov. 5). Within a day it was being lined up against the Waitresses' 1981 song "Christmas Wrapping." On Friday the comparison got its answer from the man who wrote that one.

Christopher Butler, the Waitresses' guitarist and songwriter, said Rodrigo emailed him about two months before release and invited him to hear the song. He wrote that her track copies no melody or chord progression from "Christmas Wrapping" and that "there's nothing actionable in her tune." He called it an homage and said he'd take flattery for the win.

Butler also pointed at Gwen Stefani's "Shake The Snow Globe," which he said carries "buckets of provable cribs." He said he is meanwhile in the middle of another "Christmas Wrapping" case involving direct copying. He and Beth met Rodrigo after her Unraveled Tour show in Columbus, and he noted, with some pride, that they paid for their own tickets despite comps being offered.

The single is out now.