Sam Smith: Stay With Me's similarity to Tom Petty hit 'was coincidence'

After settling a copyright claim from Tom Petty, Sam Smith’s representives have issued a statement about the similarities between Smith’s global hit Stay With Me and Petty’s 1989 hit I Won’t Back Down. From now on Stay With Me is to be co-credited to the writers of I Won’t Back Down, Petty and Jeff Lynne.

“Recently the publishers for the song I Won’t Back Down, written by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, contacted the publishers for Stay With Me, written by Sam Smith, James Napier and William Phillips, about similarities heard in the melodies of the choruses of the two compositions,” the statement said. “Not previously familiar with the 1989 Petty/Lynne song, the writers of Stay With Me listened to ‘I Won’t Back Down’ and acknowledged the similarity.

“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.”

The Sun reported last weekend that the case had been settled out of court last October, with Petty and Lynne to receive 12.5% of royalties from the song.

Smith is one of the favourite to win major awards at both the Grammy and Brit awards next month, with five nominations for the Brits and three for the Grammys.