TORONTO — British singer Sam Smith has added Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne to the list of writers of his hit single “Stay With Me,” acknowledging that it borrows from their song “I Won’t Back Down.”
“Stay With Me,” which appears on Smith’s album In the Lonely Hour, was previously credited to only Smith, James Napier and William Phillips.
The publishers of “I Won’t Back Down” had pointed out similarities in the melodies of the choruses in the two songs.
A representative for Smith said in a statement the trio was not previously familiar with the song by Petty and Lynne, which appeared on Petty’s debut solo album, Full Moon Fever, in 1989.
“Although the likeness was a complete coincidence, all involved came to an immediate and amicable agreement,” read the statement.
Petty and Lynne will now collect a portion of royalties from Smith’s song, which has sold more than 4.1 million copies in the U.S. and U.K. alone.
It wasn’t the first time a song was accused of copying Petty. The Red Hot Chili Peppers single “Dani California” was compared to Petty’s “Last Dance with Mary Jane” and The Strokes’ song “Last Nite” was compared to Petty’s “American Girl.”
BELOW: Listen to Sam Smith’s “Stay With Me” and Tom Petty’s “I Won’t Back Down.”
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