Ed Sheeran strums guitar in court during copyright trial
The singer played an excerpt from Thinking Out Loud on the witness stand last Thursday.
Ed Sheeran sang and played guitar in court last week as he tried to distinguish his song from Marvin Gaye’s Let’s Get It On.
The copyright infringement trial, which is taking place in Manhattan federal court in New York, saw the British pop star perform a four-chord progression from his 2014 hit song.
He paired it with what he claimed to be the song’s original lyrics, “I’m singing out now”, which was later replaced with “I’m thinking out loud”.
The trial is taking place six years after the heirs of Ed Townsend – who co-wrote Gaye’s 1973 hit – filed a lawsuit against Sheeran for copyright crime.
Thinking Out Loud was co-written by Sheeran and longtime collaborator Amy Wadge at the singer’s home, and was later released as a single and added to his second studio album, Multiply.
In a report by The Guardian, he said of the song: “I draw inspiration from a lot from things in my life and family,” claiming he was inspired by his grandparents’ love for one another.
He also stated: “If I’d done what you’re accusing me of doing, I’d be an idiot to stand on stage in front of 20,000 people and do that.
“It is my belief that most pop songs are built on building blocks that have been freely available for hundreds of years.”