Why Tom Petty Challenged Sam Smith Over One Of Their Songs

Sam Smith has become one of the biggest names in music. Smith started their career as a musician at a young age. However, they only began getting the attention of fans and other musicians when they were featured on Disclosure's track, "Latch," per Britannica. It wasn't long after that track came out that the pop singer landed a record deal and released their first album. Smith's career took off from that point on as they released hit singles like "Lay Me Down" and "Unholy."

As for Tom Petty, his rise to stardom is similar to Smith's in the sense that they both started at a young age, per Britannica. Petty had been part of a band that later broke up before he was able to form the iconic Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. Petty saw much success in his career, from Grammy awards to being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. His music was received well by both fans and those in the industry.

Besides having successful careers, it seems that Petty and Smith may have more in common than you think. Musicians are constantly inspired by other musicians that came before them, but the problem comes when the song sounds a little too similar. In Petty's case, he felt that one of Smith's biggest songs was eerily close to one that he created.

Sam Smith has had a successful career in the music industry, but they have also been a part of some controversial moments. One included Tom Petty challenging the pop singer in 2015 about their song "Stay With Me."

According to Rolling Stone, publishers for Petty's 1989 "I Won't Back Down" reached out to publishers for Smith's song "Stay With Me" to discuss the similarities between the musical composition. Petty and the publishers believed the similarities between the songs were too close. Smith held to their beliefs as they said the similarities between the two songs were a complete "accident."

Smith spoke to CBC about their thoughts on the case and whether they intentionally copied Petty's track. Smith, who was 22 at the time, said, "I just go into the studio, and 'Stay With Me' was me just writing a song about me sleeping with too many people, and wishing they would stay over." Smith claims they were writing about their feelings and they were "shocked" to hear about the two songs' comparable melodies. They said, '... I am 22, and I've never heard the song." Smith has not been the only musician to face a dispute about possible copyright infringement.

Sam Smith was beginning their career when Tom Petty decided to challenge them on the musical similarities. Smith settled the issue, per Rolling Stone. The "Stay With Me" singer gave writing credits to Petty and Jeff Lynne, and Petty now receives 12.5% of royalties from the song, per The Guardian.

Sometimes celebrity feuds cause major beef, but for Smith and Petty, it was anything but that. Petty released a statement addressing the case (via Rolling Stone). He wrote, "Let me say I have never had any hard feelings toward Sam. All my years of songwriting have shown me these things can happen. Most times you catch it before it gets out the studio door but in this case, it got by." The lead singer shared Smith was "understanding" of the situation, so they quickly came to an agreement. He said, "The word lawsuit was never even said and was never my intention." Petty went on to wish Smith well in their career going forward.

Smith's career wasn't hindered by the challenge. In fact, they went on to win at the 2015 Grammys for record of the year and song of the year for "Stay With Me," per Grammy Awards. According to Billboard, although Petty was credited for the song by the time of the 2015 Grammys, he didn't receive the award. Instead, he got a certificate for "participation in the work."