Sheeran played the basic four-chord progression of his Grammy-winning song, “Thinking Out Loud,” denying that it is a copy of Marvin Gaye’s 1973 soul classic “Let’s Get It On,” the New York Times said.
The English musician also sang what he said were his song’s original lyrics, “I’m singing out now,” ABC News reported. The lawsuit against Sheeran was filed by heirs of Gaye cowriter Ed Townsend, who allege that harmonic progressions and rhythmic elements of his 2014 song were lifted from the classic made famous by Gaye without permission.Sheeran said he writes most of his songs in a day, and noted that he cowrote “Thinking Out Loud” with singer-songwriter Amy Wadge, a regular partner.“We sat guitar to guitar,” Sheeran said, according to ABC News. “We wrote together quite a lot.
Both Wadge and he had suffered recent loss, Sheeran said, noting that his grandfather had just passed away and his grandmother was battling cancer. Wadge had family members who were fighting illness.