Ed Sheeran insists 'most songs fit over most songs' as he defends himself in Marvin Gaye plagiarism case

Ed Sheeran insisted that 'most songs fit over most songs' as he defended himself over allegedly copying a Marvin Gaye song.

Sheeran testified in court that he has not plagiarised one of Gaye’s greatest hits and has, instead, maintained that the majority of music out there can 'fit' on top of each other.

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Sheeran took the stand in New York on Tuesday (25 April) after Kathryn Townsend Griffin, a heir of Gaye’s co-writer Ed Townsend, accused him of copyright infringement of a particular song.

The suit, first filed back in 2017, some three years after the track was first released on Sheeran's X album, claims that the hit-maker and co-writer, Amy Wadge, copy and pasted an ascending four-chord sequence alongside its rhythm.

Sheeran's smash-hit 'Thinking Out Loud' has been accused of sharing 'striking similarities' to 'Let’s Get It On', as well as 'overt common elements' that violate their copyright.

Griffin is now demanding a share of the profits from Sheeran, his label Warner Music Group, and publisher Sony Music Publishing.

However, the 'Bad Habit' star has since maintained that the track was composed entirely by himself and Wadge in a collaborative writing session.

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A lawyer for the plaintiffs, Ben Crump, argued that a clip of Sheeran performing a live mashup of the two hit singles was 'a confession' of the alleged plagiarism.

Sheeran, however, later hit back saying: "Most pop songs can fit over most pop songs … You could go from 'Let it Be' to 'No Woman, No Cry' and switch back," referring to famous tracks by both the Beatles and Bob Marley.

"If I had done what you’re accusing me of doing, I’d be a quite an idiot to stand on a stage in front of 20,000 people and do that," he added.

After getting interrupted by another lawyer, Keisha Rice, the 'Shape of You' singer claimed: "I feel like you don’t want me to answer because you know that what I’m going to say is actually going to make quite a lot of sense."

Sheeran now faces three separate lawsuits from different parts of the estate with another two, bringing the grand total to five, currently on hold.

LADbible has previously contacted representatives for Sheeran, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Publishing for comment.

Topics: Music, Celebrity, Ed Sheeran

Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle is a Journalist at LADbible Group. She graduated from the University of Manchester in 2021 in English Literature. Alongside her studies, she was the Lifestyle Editor of The Mancunian, the largest student newspaper in the United Kingdom. Her favourite topics to write about include sex and relationships, bizarre lifestyle trends and all things travel.