I don’t know anything about Sam Smith. I might have heard one of his songs in a shopping mall once, but that’s it. But when I saw news about him on my Twitter feed and how he offended Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, then I started to pay attention. The above link details how Sam Smith wrote a song that sounds a lot like a Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers song.
Listen to it yourself and see if there is any similarities.
I can hear the similarities between “Stay With Me” and “I Won’t Back Down.” Petty and Lynne now receive co-writing credit for the song due to a dispute.
But what was telling about this was Smith explaining how his song sounded to similar to the rock classic.
“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,” Smith’s rep tells Rolling Stone. “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.”
Wait, what? None of the three writers for “Stay With me” knew about that TPATH song? Not one of them heard the song before??? Not one of them even knew about the song?
This is what is wrong with today’s music artists. I may sound like an old fart, but I am not one. I am in my 20s and it shocks me so many artists are so unfamiliar with songs that are the integral foundation of music. You don’t even have to be a TPATH fan but you should know their arguably most famous song. I know not every current artist is this ignorant, but to have three songwriters be completely unaware of this legendary song?
I ain’t even mad at the unintentional similarities. The fact he doesn’t know TPATH is the bigger crime.
What a shame. I am glad I don’t listen or support Sam Smith. Brings a shame to my name.
Write a blog on a log, Sam I am 