🎸 Ed Sheeran Neva Steal 🎵 From Marvin Gaye, Da Jury Sez 🎉
Da British songwritah stay in da kine beef, kau he wen rip off Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” wen he wen make his hit “Thinking Out Loud.” But no, Ed Sheeran neva steal from da Marvin Gaye classic wen he wen write da song “Thinking Out Loud,” one New York federal jury wen find on T’ursday. Dey wen say da British pop stah neva wen break copyright law. 🚫
Da whole case wen focus on da kine allegations dat Sheeran’s hit wen steal from Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” Da plaintiffs, all da heirs of Ed Townsend, da R&B composah and producah who wen co-write da song wit Gaye, wen sue Sheeran in 2017. Da verdict wen come aftah one two-week trial, where Ed Sheeran wen play his guitar on da witness stand and da musicologists wen argue ’bout chord arrangements and pitches. 🎼
Da lawyers fo’ da plaintiffs wen argue dat “Let’s Get It On,” wen come out 50 years ago, stay one anthem everybody know, and stay part of pop culture. Dey wen say Sheeran wen ride da wave of da song and wen become famous ’cause of dat. 😮
Sheeran, one songwritah who stay busy all da time, wen stay at da trial every day. He wen hug his lawyers wen da jury wen say da verdict stay in his favor, and he wen tell da jurors mahalo befo’ dey wen leave da courtroom. 🤗
“I’m jus’ one guy wit one guitar who love fo’ write music fo’ peopo fo’ enjoy,” Sheeran wen say outside da courthouse. “I no am and neva goin’ let myself be one piggy bank fo’ anybody fo’ shake.” 💸
Da lawyers fo’ da plaintiffs neva wen respond right away wen ask fo’ comment. Kathryn Townsend Griffin, one plaintiff and one daughtah of da “Let’s Get It On” co-writah, wen testify she no stay one copyright troll, she jus’ like fo’ protect her faddah’s legacy. 👩👧
At da trial, Sheeran wen testify dat “Thinking Out Loud” no stay one rip-off, and dat he and songwritah Amy Wadge wen write da song aftah one emotional conversation ’bout her sick muddah-in-law and da recent death of his grandfaddah. 😢
“I find ’em real insulting fo’ work my whole life fo’ be one performah and songwritah and den get somebody fo’ say I wen steal ’em,” he wen tell da jurors. 🙅♂️
If Sheeran wen lose, da case coulda open up new legal kine problems fo’ songwritahs. “It really woulda open up da floodgates to all kine copycat lawsuits nobody woulda t’ought fo’ bring in da past,” said Aaron Moss, one partner at law firm Greenberg Glusker who neva stay involved in da case. 🌊
Sheeran’s legal team wen argue dat da plaintiffs wen try fo’ own da kine chord progressions dat stay basic music building blocks fo’ all artists. One musicologist who wen testify fo’ da defense wen say da same chord progressions and rhythmic anticipation in “Let’s Get It On” no stay original and wen get used in songs befo’ Marvin Gaye wen release his hit. 🎹
Sheeran also wen say dat chords stay open fo’ all musicians fo’ use, an’ he wen testify dat Van Morrison stay one big influence on him. Fo’ show how music stay overlapping, Sheeran wen play fo’ da jury da chord progression he wen get accused of stealing, an’ he wen sing some of da Northern Irish singer’s songs. 🎤
Ben Crump, one lawyah fo’ da plaintiffs, wen say at da trial dat dea smoking gun stay one video of one concert wea Sheeran wen play one medley of both “Thinking Out Loud” and “Let’s Get It On,” going smooth from one to da oddah. Sheeran’s lawyah wen say da artist stay always mixing up songs in his concerts. 🎶
Da jury wen tink ’bout ’em fo’ few hours befo’ dey wen reach da verdict. Sophia Neis, one 23-year-old who stay on da jury, wen say she and da oddah six jurors all wen come in wit dea own opinions and wen go back and forth wit each oddah as dey wen go through da evidence. 🧐
“In da end, we all wen come to one agreement,” she wen say, adding dat she neva wen hear similarities in da songs. 🎧
Sheeran, who stay getting ready fo’ go on tour dis month, wen testify dat if da verdict wen stay against him, coulda force him fo’ quit being one songwritah. 🚫
“It looks like I no going have fo’ retire from my day job aftah all,” he wen say outside da courthouse T’ursday. 🌟
NOW IN ENGLISH
🎸 Ed Sheeran Didn’t Steal 🎵 From Marvin Gaye, Jury Says 🎉
The British singer-songwriter was in a legal battle, accused of ripping off Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” when creating his hit “Thinking Out Loud.” However, Ed Sheeran did not steal from the Marvin Gaye classic when writing “Thinking Out Loud,” a New York federal jury found on Thursday. They decided the British pop star did not commit copyright infringement. 🚫
The case focused on allegations that Sheeran’s hit copied from Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.” The plaintiffs, heirs of Ed Townsend, the R&B composer and producer who co-wrote the song with Gaye, sued Sheeran in 2017. The verdict followed a two-week trial, during which Sheeran played his guitar on the witness stand and musicologists argued over chord arrangements and pitches. 🎼
The lawyers for the plaintiffs argued that “Let’s Get It On,” released 50 years ago, is a well-known anthem and part of pop culture. They claimed Sheeran piggybacked off the song and gained fame because of it. 😮
Sheeran, a prolific songwriter who attended every day of the trial, hugged his lawyers when the jury announced the verdict in his favor and thanked the jurors before they left the courtroom. 🤗
“I’m just a guy with a guitar who loves writing music for people to enjoy,” Sheeran said outside the courthouse. “I am not and will never allow myself to be a piggy bank for anyone to shake.” 💸
The lawyers for the plaintiffs did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Kathryn Townsend Griffin, a plaintiff and daughter of the “Let’s Get It On” co-writer, testified that she wasn’t a copyright troll and was only seeking to protect her father’s legacy. 👩👧
At the trial, Sheeran testified that “Thinking Out Loud” wasn’t a rip-off, and that he and songwriter Amy Wadge wrote the song after an emotional conversation about her ailing mother-in-law and the recent death of his grandfather. 😢
“I find it really insulting to work my whole life to be a performer and a songwriter and have someone diminish it by saying that I stole it,” he told jurors. 🙅♂️
Had Sheeran lost, the case could have ushered in new legal uncertainty for songwriters. “It really would have opened up the floodgates to countless copycat lawsuits that nobody would have thought to bring in the past,” said Aaron Moss, a partner at law firm Greenberg Glusker who wasn’t involved in the case. 🌊
Sheeran’s legal team argued that the plaintiffs were trying to monopolize chord progressions that are basic musical building blocks for all artists. A musicologist who testified for the defense said the same chord progressions and rhythmic anticipation in “Let’s Get It On” weren’t original and had been used in songs before Gaye released his hit. 🎹
Sheeran also said that chords were open to all musicians to use, testifying that Van Morrison was a big influence on him. To show how music overlaps, Sheeran played for the jury the chord progression he was accused of appropriating and sang some of the Northern Irish singer’s songs. 🎤
Ben Crump, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said at trial that their smoking gun was a video of a concert in which Sheeran played a medley of both “Thinking Out Loud” and “Let’s Get It On,” seamlessly transitioning from one to the other. A lawyer for She eran said the artist routinely mashed up songs in concert. 🎶
The jury deliberated for a few hours before reaching the verdict. Sophia Neis, a 23-year-old who served on the jury, said she and the six other jurors each came in with their own opinions and went back and forth with one another as they went through the evidence. 🧐
“In the end, we all came to an agreement,” she said, adding that she didn’t hear similarities in the songs. 🎧
Sheeran, who is set to start touring this month, had testified that an unfavorable verdict could have forced him out of business as a songwriter. 🚫
“It looks like I’m not going to have to retire from my day job after all,” he said outside the courthouse on Thursday. 🌟
