Ed Sheeran is being sued for allegedly copying the “heart” of Marvin Gaye‘s ‘Let’s Get It On’ in his Grammy-winning song ‘Thinking Out Loud’.
The copyright infringement lawsuit has been filed in New York by the heirs of Ed Townsend, Gaye’s co-writer and co-producer on the 1973 soul classic. Sheeran, Sony/ATV Music Publishing and Atlantic Records are listed as defendants.
According to Reuters, the lawsuit claims: “The Defendants copied the ‘heart’ of ‘Let’s’ and repeated it continuously throughout ‘Thinking’. The melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic compositions of ‘Thinking’ are substantially and/or strikingly similar to the drum composition of ‘Let’s.'”
None of the defendants has commented on the lawsuit, which is asking that damages for copyright infringement be assessed at a jury trial.
In an unrelated lawsuit, it emerged in June that Sheeran is being sued by the songwriters behind X Factor winner Matt Cardle’s single ‘Amazing’, who allege their song was copied in Sheeran’s 2014 smash ‘Photograph’.
‘Thinking Out Loud’ peaked at Number One in the UK and Number Two in the US in 2014, and later won two Grammy awards for Sheeran: Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance. Compare it with ‘Let’s Get It On’ below.