“Immediately obvious” that Smith’s hit was copied from a 2015 song, a lawsuit claims.
Sam Smith and Normani are facing a copyright lawsuit over their 2019 hit “Dancing With a Stranger,” filed by three songwriters who say the song is “strikingly similar” to an earlier track with the same name and refrain.
In a complaint filed Friday in Los Angeles federal court, songwriters Jordan Vincent, Christopher Miranda and Rosco Banlaoi accused Smith and Normani of stealing the core from their 2015 track “Dancing With a Stranger.”
“The hook/chorus in both songs—the most significant part and artistic aspect of these works—contains the lyrics ‘dancing with a stranger’ being sung over a nearly identical melody and musical composition,” the songwriters wrote. “In both songs, the title, hook, chorus, lyrics, and musical composition are all the same—and are repeated throughout the song giving both songs their identities.”
