It looks like soulful British star Sam Smith owes a bit of his massive musical success to American legend Tom Petty, and will be paying up big-time as a result. Smith’s ubiquitous hit “Stay With Me” appears to have been heavily inspired by the chorus of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers‘ 1989 track “Won’t Back Down.”
Smith’s camp acknowledged the similarity between the two songs and recently settled with Petty, paying the icon and his writing partner—Electric Light Orchestra’s Jeff Lynne—12.5% of the songwriting royalties for “Stay With Me.” The track will also now be co-credited to Petty and Lynne.
This isn’t the first time that Tom Petty’s musical influence was eerily present on a newer song, and probably won’t be the last. Listen to the songs below and spot the similarities for yourself.
(via Pajiba)
