“Ed Sheeran vs. Marvin Gaye: The Plagiarism Trial Explained”

Did one of the kings of pop, the British Ed Sheeran, plagiarize Marvin Gaye’s famous song, “Let’s get it on”, for his planetary hit “Thinking out loud” ? For a week, this question has been at the heart of the debates of a trial in New York.

Ed Sheeran, 32-year-old singer and songwriter, had won a separate court battle in London’s High Court last year, which had dismissed two musicians accusing him of having copied one of their works for his mega hit “Shape of you”. This time, the plaintiffs are the heirs of Ed Townsend, an American musician and producer who co-wrote “Let’s get it on” with Marvin Gaye. Released in 1973, this classic has gone down in history for its guitar notes and the sensual vocals of the prince of soul and the Motown label.

“Striking Similarities”

As in London, Ed Sheeran went in person to the federal court in Manhattan to defend the legitimacy of his tube. “Yes, (composer) Amy Wadge and I wrote the song ‘Thinking out loud'” released in 2014, the British star assured the court, according to the account of the New York Times present in the courtroom.

In their complaint for copyright infringement, the heirs of Ed Townsend nevertheless assure that there are “striking resemblances” with the title of Marvin Gaye. They want proof that the group Boyz 2 Men had mixed the two songs on stage. Ed Sheeran himself had chained in concert the lines of voices, very different, of the two tubes, on the same harmonies of guitar. A sequence which is still visible on the internet.

At the hearing, the lawyer for the Townsend heirs, Ben Crump, relied on this video: “hard evidence” and even a “confession”, he attacked. Ed Sheeran admitted that he “mixed one song with another” in concert and his lawyer Ilene Farkas claimed that his client had created “Thinking out loud” independently and without copying “Let’s get it on”, despite the musical similarities between the two songs. According to the Briton’s defence, “there are dozens, if not hundreds of songs before and after ‘Let’s get it on’ that use the same or similar chord progression”.

When Ed Sheeran pulls out his guitar in full audience

Quoted by the prosecution, a musicologist said Thursday that the chord progression present on the two songs was almost similar – which finally prompted Ed Sheeran to … take out his guitar in the courtroom. So he played the four key chords of “Thinking Out Loud”, ensuring that they were very different from those used in “Let’s Get It On”. Playing one then the other, he tried to demonstrate that the one in Marvin Gaye’s piece didn’t work for his song.

The hearing is due to resume on Monday. The jury is expected to decide soon.