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Courtney Love’s Plagiarism Claims Against Olivia Rodrigo Explained: ‘Hole’ Versus ‘Sour’ Albums
Singer Courtney Love accused newcomer Olivia Rodrigo of plagiarism while comparing the art between her band Hole’s 1994 album Live Through This and the former Disney actress’ Sour.
“Spot the difference! #Twinning,” Courtney, 56, wrote via Twitter on June 24 while tagging Olivia, 18, and retweeting the singer’s promotion for her Sour Prom the Concert film on YouTube.
The art shows Olivia, who said she “never got to go” to the high school dance, as a sad prom queen. The Bizaardvark actress has black mascara running down her face as she’s crying while wearing a pink dress, crown and holding a bouquet of flowers.
On the cover of Hole’s Live Through This, which features songs like “Miss World” and “Plump,” Courtney can be seen in a similar prom queen get-up with a streak of black mascara streaming from her eyes.
Multiple outlets reported that Olivia commented on Courtney’s tweet, “Love u and live through this sooooo much,” to which the “Doll Parts” singer responded, “Olivia — you’re welcome. My favorite florist is in Notting Hill, London! DM me for deets! I look forward to reading your note!” However, it appears the interaction has since been deleted.
While things stayed civil on Twitter, Billboard reports Courtney took to Facebook to air her grievances against the “Driver’s License” singer.
“Stealing an original idea and not asking permission is rude. There’s no way to be elegant about it. I’m not angry. It happens all the time to me. But this was bad form,” she wrote in a comment to a fan. “That’s not bullying or bomb-throwing. This person’s music has nothing to do with my life. Possibly never will. It was rude And I gave every right to stick up for my work. Don’t gatekeep me! I’m honorable as f—k to my fellow artists, and I expect the same.”
The “Falling to Pieces” singer wrote in a separate comment, “I’ve informed her I await her flowers and note. I sure hope it’s long. Does Disney teach kids reading and writing? God knows. Let’s see.”
Some people pointed out that Courtney’s darker spin on a prom queen seemed inspired by the 1976 film Carrie, but the “Everything’s Ruined” artist refuted the claims. She said the movie is an “entirely different concept” than Hole’s cover art.
However, Courtney’s statements are not the only plagiarism claims Olivia has received. Some Twitter users drew a comparison between her “Good 4 U” music video and the aesthetic used by Brooklyn indie band Pom Pom Squad, who formed in 2015. Similar to Olivia’s costume, the group’s front woman Mia Berrin is dressed in a cheerleader uniform with long latex gloves in their “Head Cheerleader” music video.
Olivia has not publicly responded to the claims. Life & Style reached out to her team for comment but did not immediately hear back.
