#sam-smith

Then know you’re the love of my life

Want to tell you I’m sorry

I miss having you by my side

When you were mine"

#MichaelPangilinan performs as both #SamSmith and #JohnLegend - "Lay Me Down" (#YourFaceSoundsFamiliar)

by Daniel Kreps

Over the weekend, The Sun reported that Sam Smith had quietly and amicably settled a copyright dispute with Tom Petty over the likeness between Smith’s three-time Grammy-nominated “Stay With Me” and Petty’s Full Moon Fever hit “I Won’t Back Down,” co-written with ELO’s Jeff Lynne. In a statement to Rolling Stone, Smith’s reps have confirmed that “Stay With Me” is now co-credited to Petty and Lynne, adding that while there are undeniable “similarities” between the two singles, it was a “complete coincidence.”

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"Recently the publishers for the song ‘I Won’t Back Down,’ written by Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, contacted the publishers for ‘Stay With Me,’ written by Sam Smith, James Napier and William Phillips, about similarities heard in the melodies of the choruses of the two compositions," Smith’s rep tells Rolling Stone. “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.”

Smith’s rep added, “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.”

A representative for Petty was not immediately available for comment.

On the ASCAP site, where songwriter information is collated and frequently updated, Petty and Lynne are now listed among the “Stay With Me” team of Smith, Napier and Phillips. It’s unclear whether Petty and Lynne were retroactively compensated for their songwriting credit or if they’ll receive future earnings on the track.

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By Piya Sinha-Roy

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - British soul singer Sam Smith was the big winner at the Grammy Awards on Sunday, taking both record and song of the year, while rocker Beck robbed him of a sweep by winning album of the year at the music industry’s biggest night.

The 22-year-old newcomer Smith won two of the top Grammy awards for his heartbreak single “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version),” and was anointed best new artist. His debut album “In The Lonely Hour” won best pop vocal album.

"I want to thank the man who this record is about, who I fell in love with last year. Thank you so much for breaking my heart because you got me four Grammys," Smith said as he accepted his gramophone-shaped trophy for record of the year.

Beck pulled off a surprise in the album of the year category, as his “Morning Phase” record beat out Smith, Pharrell Williams, Beyonce and Ed Sheeran. The record won three Grammys on the night, including best rock album.

"We made this record at my house for the most part, so I would like to thank my kids for letting me keep them awake a little bit longer," Beck said as he accepted his trophy from R&B star Prince.

A standout moment came with Katy Perry and President Barack Obama teaming up to take a stand against domestic violence. Perry was introduced on a white stage by a survivor of domestic abuse.

Another social message came from Smith, who made an early appeal in the telecast for people to accept who they are.

"Before I made this record, I was doing everything to try and get my music heard," Smith said. "I tried to lose weight and I was making awful music and it was only until that I started to be myself that the music started to flow and people started to listen."

Other notable winners of the night were Pharrell and Beyonce, who won three Grammys each.

by Daniel Kreps

Grammy nominee and Rolling Stone cover star Sam Smith unveiled the video for his new single “Lay Me Down,” the latest track off his platinum-selling debut album In the Lonely Hour. The video, filmed at the parish church of St. Margaret, Lee outside London and directed by Ryan Hope, finds Smith performing his ballad in front of what appears to be a mournful funeral but turns out to be a joyous gay marriage, a controversial situation given the United Kingdom’s (and the Church’s) stand on same-sex marriages.

Rolling Stone was on set with Smith as the singer talked about the message behind the video. “Obviously gay marriage isn’t legal in churches, and we’re doing a gay marriage today, in the church. We’re the first ever to do it. It’s obviously not a real marriage, but still,” Smith tells Rolling Stone from the set. “The priest just said to us, ‘We’re going against the rules by doing this today,’ which I thought was a lovely element in the video.

"Going to the church today, it’s like, ‘This is the first time we’ve let people with big noses in.’ That’s the equivalent to me," Smith adds. "I’m walking in, I’m going, ‘Why? Why are a man and a man not allowed to get married in this room?’ Because it’s the most natural thing."

Smith echoed these sentiments in a Facebook post accompanying the video’s release. “This video shows my dreams that one day gay men and women and transgendered men and women all over the world, like all our straight families and friends, will be able to get married under any roof, in any city, in any town, in any village, in any country,” wrote the singer.

While same-sex couples now have the right to marry in 35 states plus the District of Columbia, Smith tells Rolling Stone the fight isn’t nearly won. “It seems ludicrous to me now, when I hear about people that have issues with it. But we’re very deluded, being from America or from the UK,” the singer says. “There’s more places in America where it’s not accepted, but just watching documentaries about homosexuals in Africa, or Jamaica, or all of those places that it’s really, really tough. Especially as a British person, I feel like we hate it when people say stuff like, ‘Everyone’s all right with gays now.’ But it’s not the case. It’s so not the case.”

Smith compared homophobia with another societal ill. “It’s the same with racism. We have so far to go with all of these things,” Smith said. “So people need to stop resting and thinking, ‘It’s all good. We don’t need to work anymore’ and start protesting again.”

Additional reporting by Patrick Doyle

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by Jocelyn Vena

Sam Smith and John Legend have teamed up for a good cause. The two soulful singers have recorded a new version of Smith’s “Lay Me Down” for the U.K. charity Comic Relief’s Red Nose Day.

All proceeds from the track’s sale will go to the charity. In addition to the recording, the singers will appear at the “Comic Relief: Face the Funny” event on March 13. The event will take place at the London Palladium and will air on BBC One.

" ‘Lay Me Down’ holds a very special place in my heart," Smith said. "Not only did I perform it at the Brits, I’m now going to perform it live on the Red Nose Day show with the extremely talented John Legend."

"I recently visited a Comic Relief-funded project in my hometown which supports the young LGBT community in London," Smith added. "I’m extremely proud that my single will help raise money for projects like this and many others in the UK and across Africa."

For his part, Legend gushed about his Grammy-winning collaborator. “Sam is such a talented artist. We’ve been looking forward to working together for a while now,” he said. “I’m so glad we could collaborate on such a great song and for such a great cause.”

Pop music group Disclosure has aired the video “Omen,” the fruit of their recent collaboration with Sam Smith.

It’s featured on Caracal, their upcoming second album, which releases in September.