Ed Sheeran is being sued for copying Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get it On” into his own “Thinking Out Loud.” Jury deliberations begin this morning.
Sheeran has faced this kind of accusation in the past. We knew about him taking TLC’s “No Scrubs” and turning it into “Shape of You.” He had to add the songwriters of the former to his credits and pay them big time.
Now it comes out — I didn’t know — that Coldplay’s Chris Martin (who famously lifted a piece of music for his own “Viva La Vida”) — was upset when Sheeran stole from him. In 2018, Sheeran gave Keith Urban a song called “Parallel Line.” Sheeran admits he had to call Martin and explain that he’d taken Coldplay’s “Everglow” for it.
Sheeran told Apple’s Zane Lowe in an April interview:
“I had a song that I wrote for Keith Urban and it sort of sounded like a Coldplay song. So I emailed Chris Martin and I said, ‘This sounds like your tune. Can we clear it?’ And he went, ‘Don’t be ridiculous. No.’”
Sheeran told Lowe: “And on the song I made sure they put, ‘I think it sounds like “Everglow,” Coldplay.’ But he was just like, ‘Nah, I know how songs are written. And I know you didn’t go into the studio and go, I want to write this.’”
Sheeran acts like it was his idea to amend the Parallel Line credits, which is hilarious. But now the Urban song says it contains a sample from “Everglow.” Martin is getting paid, so he’s happy, and in fact invited Sheeran on stage for a duet a couple of years ago. Money talks, everybody sings.
But what is going on here with Sheeran? He’s like a human jukebox.
