Ed Sheeran says ‘Thinking Out Loud’ copyright battle was “about heart and integrity”

6 May, 2023

Ed Sheeran has said that his ‘Thinking Out Loud’ plagiarism case was ultimately “about heart and integrity”, as he celebrated his court battle win earlier this week.

The pop star was found to have not copied Marvin Gaye‘s ‘Let’s Get It On’ for his 2014 Number One hit ‘Thinking Out Loud’, a US court ruled on Thursday (May 4).

Ed Townsend, one of the co-writers on Gaye’s classic 1973 track, brought the case against Sheeran in 2016.

Sheeran spoke to the New York-based radio programme Elvis Duran And The Morning Show yesterday (May 5) about his court victory.

“The one thing that felt like the biggest win for me was, afterwards, Kathryn Griffin Townsend [daughter of the late Ed Townsend] and her family and everyone came up to me, hugged me and said, ‘We believe you,’” he said. “I got to walk away…from it knowing I did the right thing.”

Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran. CREDIT: Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

The accusations alleged that Sheeran and co-writer Amy Wadge copied the rhythm of the 1973 song as well as an ascending four-chord sequence. It also referenced “striking similarities” between the two tracks that violated copyright, all of which Sheeran denied.

Sheeran added that he felt the court case “overshadowed” important things happening in his life and career, including the premiere of his new documentary Ed Sheeran: The Sum Of It All, the release of his new album ‘–‘, and his late grandmother’s funeral.

“On both sides, it takes a massive toll – both personally and financially – but it’s about heart and integrity, and that’s why I fought it was, I can’t be accused of something that I didn’t do. So I just had to prove that,” Sheeran said.

After his court win, the singer did an impromptu performance of ‘Boat’, the opening track from ‘-‘, on top of a car that his team owns. Watch footage below.

Earlier in the week Sheeran reportedly took to the stand in Manhattan to insist that he would be “done” with music if found guilty.

After winning his copyright defence case, the singer told reporters outside court: “I am obviously very happy with the outcome of the case and it looks like I am not having to retire from my day job after all. But at the same time I’m unbelievably frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all.”

He also said it was “devastating” to be accused of stealing someone else’s song, describing himself as “just a guy with a guitar who loves writing music for people to enjoy” who will never allow himself to be “a piggybank for anyone to shake”.

The singer-songwriter also made headlines last weekend after his wife revealed that he wrote “seven songs in four hours” after learning of her cancer diagnosis.

Elsewhere, he has opened up about why he confides in Taylor Swift.

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