“It would be stupid” hits Ed Sheeran on accusation of plagiarism of Marvin Gaye song

Ed Sheeran appeared in a US federal court on Tuesday (25), for a judgment that accuses the singer of plagiarism. Singer Ed Sheeran is being accused of plagiarizing parts of “Let’s Get it On” from Marvin Gaye’s hit “Thinking Out Loud”.

The lawsuit was filed in 2017 by the heirs of the late Ed Townsend, who co-wrote the song with Marvin, but it only reached the courts in 2023. They allege that Sheeran should share in the profits from the 2014 hit, as, allegedly, the singer used a melody very similar to Marvin’s music.

During the trial, alleged “surprising similarities and evident common elements” between Gaye and Sheeran’s songs will be discussed.

Sheeran arrived silently and with his head bowed at the Manhattan courthouse, passing through a crowd of journalists waiting outside. According to the newspaper “The New York Times”, the artist claims to have written his own music with the help of composer Amy Wadge, after being questioned by the prosecution lawyers.

_{Ed Sheeran arriving at court. (Photo: Reproduction/ Quem magazine)}

Lawyer representing Gaye’s family stated that Sheeran used the song in a medley during one of his concerts. The singer didn’t stay quiet and countered, saying that “I would have been an idiot to go on stage in front of 20,000 people.” if I had plagiarized Marvin Gaye’s music.

The prosecuting attorney says Sheeran tried to use Gaye’s success to boost his own career. With the single, Ed shot on the BillBoard Hot 100 in the United States and even won the 2016 Grammy Award, in the category of Song of the Year.

According to the New York Times, Ben Crump, the prosecuting attorney, showed the audience a video of a follower during a concert in 2014, which shows Ed Sheeran mixing his song with Marvin Gaye. Sheeran replied that he just “mixed one song into another” and Ilene Farkas, his lawyer, claimed that her client created “Thinking Out Loud” independently.

Sheeran’s team disputed the Townsend heirs’ accusations and claim that “there are dozens, if not hundreds, of songs before and after” to the music of Gaye, “that use the same or similar chord progression”.

“These concoctions are irrelevant to any issue in the case and would be misleading (and) confuse the jury,” highlighted the singer’s team.

There were no further updates on the case, but Sheeran and his team are confident about the process and that justice will be done.

Featured photo: Ed Sheeran. (Photo: Reproduction/ UOL)