Sam Smith has said they regret never replying to a letter Tom Petty sent them during the 2015 dispute over songwriting credit for "Stay With Me". Petty and co-writer Jeff Lynne were added as credited writers on the 2014 single after publishers flagged similarities between its chorus and Petty's 1989 track "I Won't Back Down", with the matter resolved amicably and no lawsuit filed. The episode remains a notable footnote to one of Smith's biggest hits, and the singer's comments offer a more personal, reflective account of how the situation felt at the time.

Speaking on Alchemy With Anthony Mason, Smith maintained they had never heard Petty's song, saying they mainly listened to female and R&B artists such as Stevie Wonder and George Michael as a young songwriter. They revealed Petty wrote to them the night before the 2015 Grammys, where "Stay With Me" won Record and Song of the Year, reassuring Smith that "there are only so many notes on the piano" — a gesture Smith now recognises as kind but admits they never acknowledged, calling themselves at the time "a little sassy 22-year-old queer kid". Petty died in 2017; Smith has since released their fifth album, "Hazel Eyes", and is currently touring the UK.