In a civil trial in New York, Ed Sheeran took to the stand to defend himself against allegations of plagiarism. The claim is that the singer-songwriter copied the iconic song “Let’s Get It On” by Marvin Gaye. Sheeran performed parts of his hit song “Thinking Out Loud” and described his creative process. He further claimed that his process was inspired by the love he observed between his grandparents.
The lawsuit was filed by the heirs of Ed Townsend, who co-wrote “Let’s Get it On” with Gaye in 1973. Townsend’s heirs claim that Sheeran copied the syncopated chord progression from the song “Thinking Out Loud.” Furthermore, they are seeking a share of the profits from the hit song.
Sheeran testified for nearly an hour on the stand. He explained how he collaborated with friend and songwriter Amy Wadge to write “Thinking Out Loud” in 2014. He picked up a guitar and played the chord progression to the song in question, and sang the opening words –
“When your legs don’t work like they used to.”
Lawyers for Townsend’s heirs showed a video of Sheeran transitioning between “Thinking Out Loud” and “Let’s Get It On” during a live performance, which they claimed was a confession that he had ripped off the song. Sheeran denied the allegations, saying that most pop songs can fit over most pop songs and that he would be “quite an idiot” to stand on a stage in front of thousands of people and do that.
The trial was briefly interrupted when one of the plaintiffs, Townsend’s daughter Kathryn Griffin Townsend, collapsed and had to be carried out of court. She later returned to the courtroom.
The trial is expected to resume on Monday, May 1. Sheeran was previously cleared of claims that he copied his hit song “Shape of You” in a trial in London last year.
