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The “Blurred Lines” copyright infringement verdict appears to offer strong precedent for lawsuits when songs sound very similar to older songs. In the aftermath of that decision, Sam Smith added Tom Petty as a co-writer on “Stay With Me.” Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars also added the Gap Band as writers on their smash “Uptown Funk.”
Miguel is the latest to credit an older hit-making band on a new track. After he wrote the song “Leaves,” which ended up as the 11th track on Wildheart, the singer realized it sounded “kind of reminiscent of [the Smashing Pumpkins’ song] ‘1979.’” He told news.comau, “I was a fan of them growing up, but I never bought their albums or saw them live. It’s weird how some things just sink in. Towards the end of the song when the drum programming kicks in it’s even more reminiscent; you realize it in a more straight-on way.”
Miguel acted preemptively by talking with Billy Corgan and adding him to the songwriting credits before Wildheart's release. “It’s cool they were cool about everything,” the R&B singer noted. “It’s all about respect. We’re all standing on the shoulders of giants at this point.”
