The 2015 Grammy Awards were fraught with controversy, from Kanye's stage rush balk (followed by a backstage bawl) to Sam Smith's song of the year Grammy for "Stay With Me," which allegedly borrows from Tom Petty's 1989 song "I Won't Back Down," in that they use exactly the same melody.
Sam Smith and his lawyer claim that they were not familiar with Tom Petty or his hit song, "I Won't Back Down," and argue that the earlier artist who, as they claim, "no one has actually ever heard of," is simply engaged in a bit of "petty larceny," trying to collect on royalties from the success of "Stay With Me."
Some have argued that there is no possible way Sam Smith has not heard "I Won't Back Down," considering its acclaim, but Smith counters that although there are pressures from all around, he maintains a firm stance, saying, "In a world that keeps on pushing me around, I'll stand my ground."
Smith and his lawyer have, however, acknowledged the similarity between the two songs and since Petty's number preceded Smith's, they have agreed to an undisclosed settlement. Sam Smith is, however, perturbed with Tom Petty's apparent gold-digging and says that he will not stand for this sort of behavior in the future. When asked if he had anything he wanted to say to Petty, Smith replied, "Hey! Don't come around here no more - whatever you're looking for..."
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