Elvis Costello has once again explained why he didn’t get litigious over similarities between his “Pump It Up” and Olivia Rodrigo’s “Brutal,” and even defended the pop singer over the track.

When “Brutal” first arrived as the opening track on Rodrigo’s Sour back in 2021, listeners were quick to note how similar the single’s chord structure was to Costello’s 1978 hit.

“This is fine by me,” Costello said on social media when asked about “Brutal.” “It’s how rock & roll works. You take the broken pieces of...