Sam Smith gives credit to Tom Petty in 'amicable agreement' over Stay With Me royalties
CBC News | Posted: January 26, 2015 9:10 PM | Last Updated: January 26, 2015
Copyright dispute centred on Smith's Stay With Me and its similarity to Petty's I Won't Back Down
British soul singer Sam Smith and American folk rocker Tom Petty have settled a copyright dispute that centres on the similarities between Smith's 2014 track Stay With Me, and Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers' 1989 hit I Won't Back Down.
Despite being written decades apart, the songs' choruses sound strangely alike —so much so, that publishers for I Won't Back Down (written by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne) contacted the publishers of Stay With Me (written by Sam Smith, James Napier and William Phillips) to set the matter straight.
After a close listening, Smith, Napier and Phillips "acknowledged the similarity," a representative for Smith told Rolling Stone magazine.
"Although the likeness was a complete coincidence, all involved came to an immediate and amicable agreement in which Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne are now credited as co-writers of Stay With Me along with Sam Smith, James Napier and William Phillips."
- On mobile? Watch Sam Smith's video for Stay With Me here
- On mobile? Watch the video for I Won't Back Down here
- On mobile? Listen to the songs overlaid here
It's not clear how much Petty and Lynne will make as co-writers of the hit, or whether the pair will be paid retroactively.
Smith's gospel inspired ballad was one of the biggest songs of 2014 and its one of the 22-year-old hit maker's most successful singles to date.