…Some fans of Tom Petty thought perhaps he was being a bit ‘petty’ for wanting royalties from Sam Smith’s song “Stay With Me”, because it sounded an awful lot like Petty’s hit “I Won’t Back Down”. But Tom released a statement this week explaining, saying he has no hard feelings toward Sam and called it a, "a musical accident, no more no less." He further explained how all of this was resolved saying,
"We easily came to an agreement. The word lawsuit was never even said and was never my intention. And no more was to be said about it. How it got out to the press is beyond Sam or myself."
Oh come on Tom, this was easily leaked because there were most likely several people involved in the discussion from both your camp and Sam Smith’s. And I really don’t think Tom Petty or his management team was angry with Sam, probably flattered if nothing else. “I Won’t Back Down” is a memorable song with a easily recognizable chorus. The part that bothered me was when someone from Sam’s team said they didn’t even remember Petty’s song. Please! I could understand it if we were talking about one of Petty’s songs that never made it to the radio airwaves but was tucked down the track list on one of his albums. But “I Won’t Back Down” did very well on several Billboard Music charts. Sam’s people did the right thing in settling this “dispute”, and Petty proved he’s a big man, realizing mistakes happen (and add a few dollars to his bank account).
-Greg Browning
Morning Show Host
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