• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Lieff Ink

TELL YOUR STORY

  • About
  • Services
    • Writing • Editing
    • PR
    • Writing Tutor
  • Words
  • Press
  • Blog
  • Clients
    • Client List
    • Testimonials
  • Contact
  • Book
    • Accolades
    • Reviews

Why Tom Petty “Won’t Back Down”…

February 9, 2015

Sam Smith & Tom Petty photoWhile watching Sam Smith perform his now-Grammy winning song “Stay With Me” last night I kept thinking that it sounded a little bit too familiar. And I was right. Smith, who won four Grammys including Song of the Year and Record of the Year for “Stay With Me,” has been going through a lawsuit with legendary rockers Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne. Petty and Lynne sued Smith for his song sounding too much like 1989’s “I Won’t Back Down.” The pair won the lawsuit resulting in the two veteran rockers walking away with a 12.5 percent stake in Smith’s song.

Two side notes: 1) After thanking everyone and their mother last night for his awards, Smith still chose not to thank Petty. Maybe he didn’t want to draw attention to the lawsuit or maybe he just doesn’t want to give someone else credit for his wins – even though he did thank his ex for breaking his heart and getting four Grammys out of it…oh well. 2) The length of “I Won’t Back Down” is 2:57 while “Stay With Me” is 2:53 – really Sam? Only a four-second difference? Come on man!

Anyway, all that said, Smith isn’t the only one who has had to pay for plagiarism. Here are three examples of artists who had to shell out money for their lack of creativity:

Johnny Cash vs. Gordon Jenkins

Country legend Johnny Cash was forced to pay composer Gordon Jenkins $75,000 for using lyrics and melody from Jenkins’ 1953 track “Crescent City Blues” as the basis for his own 1955 song “Folsom Prison Blues.” Although Cash changed the song’s theme, the lyrics, including the opening lines, “I hear the train a-comin, it’s rollin’ ‘round the bend” were too similar to ignore.

Albert Hammond’s vs. Radiohead

If you listen to Hammond’s song it is very clear that Radiohead lifted the song (I knew there was something sketchy about that band!) and as a result Hammond and Mike Hazelwood, the writers of 1973’s “The Air That I Breathe,” won the lawsuit. They were given the writing credits for Radiohead’s 1992 song “Creep” due to similarities in chord progression and vocal melodies.

The Black Crowes vs. Gretchen Wilson

In 2008 blues rock band The Black Crowes sued country singer Gretchen Wilson for copyright infringement, accusing Wilson of ripping off their song “Jealous Again” in her song “Work Hard Play Harder.” The band also sued television channel TNT because it broadcasted “Work Hard” in their commercials for their Holly Hunter cop show Saving Grace and Wilson’s publisher and label Sony. In the end Wilson settled with band leaders and brothers Chris and Rich Robinson.

And my CMC students wonder why I tell them plagiarism will cost them…

Laura

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Carly says

    February 9, 2015 at 5:08 pm

    Wasn’t there also a copyright issue between Vanilla Ice & Bowie?

    Reply
  2. Laura says

    February 11, 2015 at 7:52 pm

    Yes! He sampled Queen and David Bowie’s “Under Pressure” without consent or license for his ubiquitous 1990 hit “Ice Ice Baby.” The case never went to court because Vanilla Ice settled with Queen and David Bowie for an undisclosed amount.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Blog Archive

  • March 2023
  • February 2023
  • January 2023
  • December 2022
  • November 2022
  • October 2022
  • September 2022
  • August 2022
  • July 2022
  • June 2022
  • May 2022
  • April 2022
  • March 2022
  • February 2022
  • January 2022
  • December 2021
  • November 2021
  • October 2021
  • September 2021
  • August 2021
  • July 2021
  • June 2021
  • May 2021
  • April 2021
  • March 2021
  • February 2021
  • January 2021
  • December 2020
  • November 2020
  • October 2020
  • September 2020
  • August 2020
  • July 2020
  • June 2020
  • May 2020
  • April 2020
  • March 2020
  • February 2020
  • January 2020
  • December 2019
  • November 2019
  • October 2019
  • September 2019
  • August 2019
  • July 2019
  • June 2019
  • May 2019
  • April 2019
  • March 2019
  • February 2019
  • January 2019
  • December 2018
  • November 2018
  • October 2018
  • September 2018
  • August 2018
  • July 2018
  • June 2018
  • May 2018
  • April 2018
  • March 2018
  • February 2018
  • January 2018
  • December 2017
  • November 2017
  • October 2017
  • September 2017
  • August 2017
  • July 2017
  • June 2017
  • May 2017
  • April 2017
  • March 2017
  • February 2017
  • January 2017
  • December 2016
  • November 2016
  • October 2016
  • September 2016
  • August 2016
  • July 2016
  • June 2016
  • May 2016
  • April 2016
  • March 2016
  • February 2016
  • January 2016
  • December 2015
  • November 2015
  • October 2015
  • September 2015
  • August 2015
  • July 2015
  • June 2015
  • May 2015
  • April 2015
  • March 2015
  • February 2015
  • January 2015
  • December 2014
  • November 2014
  • October 2014
  • September 2014
  • August 2014
  • July 2014
  • June 2014
  • May 2014
  • April 2014
  • March 2014
  • February 2014
  • January 2014
  • December 2013
  • November 2013
  • October 2013
  • September 2013
  • August 2013
  • July 2013
  • June 2013
  • May 2013
  • April 2013
  • March 2013
  • February 2013
  • January 2013
  • December 2012
  • November 2012
  • October 2012
  • September 2012
  • August 2012
  • July 2012
  • June 2012
  • May 2012
  • April 2012
  • March 2012
  • February 2012
  • January 2012
  • December 2011
  • November 2011
  • October 2011
  • September 2011
  • August 2011
  • July 2011
  • June 2011
  • May 2011
  • April 2011
  • March 2011
  • February 2011
  • January 2011
  • December 2010
  • November 2010
  • October 2010
  • September 2010
  • August 2010
  • July 2010
  • June 2010
  • May 2010
  • April 2010
  • March 2010
  • February 2010
  • January 2010

Footer

Laura Lieff was named Colorado Mountain College’s 2017-2018 Part Time Staff Member of the Year for her work as a writing tutor and teaching assistant.
Laura Lieff was named Colorado Mountain College’s 2017-2018 Part Time Staff Member of the Year for her work as a writing tutor and teaching assistant.

Work With Me

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
lieff-ink-logo_updated-2
  • About
  • Services
  • Words
  • Blog
  • Client List
  • Contact

Copyright © 2023 · PO Box 1228 Edwards CO 81632 · info@lauralieff.com