Miguel’s latest album, Wildheart, has received almost unanimous critical praise, and apparently, one person who deserves a little bit of credit is none other than Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan.

Corgan received a co-writing credit on the album’s penultimate track, “Leaves,” for its similarities to the Pumpkins’ Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness hit, “1979.” But rather than risking a court day with Corgan, Miguel headed off a potential conflict before the album landed in stores last month. Miguel approached Corgan with the song, who approved it and agreed to the songwriting credit.

When speaking about the song with News.Com.Au, Miguel said “Leaves” was inadvertently inspired by “1979."

“The guitar riff just came to me in such a subconscious way, the song literally wrote itself in minutes," he said. “It was kind of reminiscent of ‘1979.' 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.”

While the similarities may be nuanced, Miguel admits they become more prominent as the song progresses.

“Towards the end of the song when the drum programming kicks in, it’s even more reminiscent,” he said. “You realize it in a more straight-on way. It’s cool they were cool about everything. It’s all about respect. We’re all standing on the shoulders of giants at this point.”

Compare “Leaves” and “1979” by giving them each a spin below:

Worst to First: Every Smashing Pumpkins Album Ranked

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