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Classic rocker Tom Petty and first-time Grammy nominee Sam Smith, an English singer and songwriter, have similar taste in melodies.
Last year Mr. Petty and composer Jeff Lynne, who co-wrote the tune “I Won’t Back Down” — the first single off Mr. Petty’s 1989 solo album “Full Moon Fever” — reached out to representatives for British singer-songwriter Mr. Smith about similarities between their track and his 2014 single “Stay With Me.”
Mr. Smith’s representatives and Mr. Petty’s camp quietly settled the copyright matter in October, though details weren’t made available until this week, according to media reports.
Mr. Petty and Mr. Lynn have been given a songwriting credit for “Stay With Me” and will receive royalties, reports state. Details regarding the amount have not been widely reported.
“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,” Mr. Smith’s reps told media outlets. “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.”
Among Mr. Smith’s six Grammy nominations is a nod for Song of the Year. However, if “Stay With Me” wins the category, Mr. Petty and Mr. Lynne will not be recognized as Grammy recipients, Bill Freimuth, senior vice president of awards for The Recording Academy, which presents the awards show, told Billboard magazine.
“Rather, they would be given certificates to honor their participation in the work, just as any other writers of sampled or interpolated work,” Mr. Freimuth added.
It seems the age-old quandary of whether life imitates art will not be settled in the criminal courts of New Jersey.