Sam Smith Must Pay Tom Petty Royalties for ‘Stay With Me’ [VIDEO]
Don't you hate it when one song sounds a lot like another? Yeah, so does Sam Smith. I'm not a Tom Petty fan, so forgive my naiveté on this matter. But apparently, Sam Smith's Stay With Me sounds a heck of a lot like Tom Petty's I Won't Back Down. So much so, that an agreement was quietly reached over the weekend where Smith must pay Petty royalties on the song. It's not clear if he'll have to pay him retroactively, or from now on. But one thing IS for sure: if Sam Smith wins a Grammy for Stay With Me, Tom Petty and his fellow songwriter will NOT receive one as well. Instead, they'll receive a certificate, acknowledging their songwriting credit.
For more details, here's the article.
Sam Smith's rep says it's "purely coincidence." I have to assume this is true; isn't it possible that, at this point, we've literally written every melody known to man? Check out the comparison below.