Has Ed Sheeran written off for his song "Thinking Out Loud" on Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On"? The answer to this question now lies with a jury - that's exactly what the lawyers of the British musician wanted to prevent. But New York District Judge Louis Stanton rejected Sheerans request to dismiss the lawsuit. There are "significant similarities between several musical elements" of the two pieces of music, Stanton communicated.
The application went to court last summer. It says, "Thinking out Loud" without permission copied a variety of elements of the Gaye song, including rhythms, harmonies, background vocals and tempo. Plaintiffs are the heirs of producer Edward Townsend, who co-wrote "Let's Get It On" with Gaye, and an investment firm that owns parts of the copyright of Gayes Songs. The value in dispute is 100 million US dollars (88 million euros).
Official music video from "Thinking Out Loud"
Comparison of "Thinking Out Loud" and "Let's Get It On"
Sheeran has had tremendous success with Thinking Out Loud, taking the charts' top spot in more than ten countries and more than 2.6 billion times playing on YouTube. He recorded it in 2014 for his second studio album titled "x". Sheeran won the Grammy for the song of the year 2015.
Also because of his hit "Photograph" from the same album Sheeran had been sued. Two songwriters from California accused him of stealing the chorus and 39 notes of their song "Amazing", which was released in 2012 by British casting show winner Matt Cardle. The lawsuit was settled in 2017 with a settlement. Whether Sheeran has paid the plaintiffs has not been publicly disclosed.