Tom Petty Awarded Cowriting Credit for Sam Smith’s ‘Stay With Me’
by Jeff Giles January 26, 2015 9:59 AM
One of 2014′s biggest hit singles just put some extra money in Tom Petty‘s pocket.
Consequence of Sound reports that as soon as Sam Smith‘s ‘Stay With Me’ hit the interwebs and airwaves last spring, people started pointing out melodic similarities to Petty’s ‘I Won’t Back Down,’ particularly in the chorus. Petty and Smith apparently agreed, and the two have reached an agreement that changes the song’s writing credits accordingly.
“When Sam’s track was originally released, it was clear to a lot of musicians that there were notable similarities between the tracks,” explained a source. “After it was pointed out to Sam’s camp, they didn’t try to fight it and amicably dished out royalties. It wasn’t a deliberate thing, musicians are just inspired by other artists and Sam and his team were quick to hold up their hand when it was officially flagged.”
Petty’s ‘I Won’t Back Down’ co-writer, Jeff Lynne, also benefits from the change, which was reportedly worked out last fall, but is only being reported now; as the source put it, the whole thing was “done behind closed doors without any mud being slung.” Check out both songs below, and join us in cheering an example of people solving a multimillion-dollar problem amicably.
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