If you’ve heard the song “Stay With Me” from UK singer Sam Smith, you may have noticed the resemblance to Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers’ 1989 hit “I Won’t Back Down.”
If you did, you weren’t the only one to notice.
Now, it has been revealed that Tom Petty and “I Won’t Back Down” co-writer Jeff Lynne (ELO) will receive songwriting royalties for the Sam Smith tune after an out-of-court settlement that happened back in October.
According to a source of The Sun, the writers of “Stay With Me” did not intentionally rip-off “I Won’t Back Down” and were quick
Petty and Lynne with each receive 12.5% of the writing credit.
“Stay With Me” has sold nearly 4 million copies world wide and was one of the most successful singles of 2014.
Listen below and decide for yourself.
Sam Smith “Stay With Me”:
Tom Petty “I Won’t Back Down”: