Ed Sheeran once reached out to Chris Martin to ask if he would ‘clear’ a track that sounded similar to Coldplay song
Before being cleared in a $100 million copyright breach case, Ed Sheeran told in a chat for Apple Music how he once reached out to Chris Martin to ask if he would “clear” a song of his that sounded similar to a Coldplay track.
Ed Sheeran once reached out to Chris Martin to ask if he would “clear” a song of his that sounded similar to a Coldplay track.
‘The A Team’ singer, 32, was cleared in court on Thursday (04.05.23) in a $100 million case of the allegation his ‘Thinking out Loud’ song ripped off Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let’s Get it On’, and told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe in a chat recorded before the verdict how he had asked 46-year-old Coldplay frontman Chris’ opinion on one of his tunes before it was released.
Referring to country singer Keith Urban’s 2018 record ‘Parallel Line’, Ed said: “I had a song that I wrote for Keith Urban, and it sort of sounded like a Coldplay song.
“So I emailed Chris Martin and I said, ‘This sounds like your tune. Can we clear it?’ And he went, ‘Don’t be ridiculous. No.’
“And on the song I made sure they put, ‘I think it sounds like “Everglow” by Coldplay.’
“But (Chris) was just like, ‘Nah, I know how songs are written. And I know you didn’t go into the studio and go, I want to write this.’”
Ed added about copyright cases: “The thing with these cases, it’s not usually songwriters that are suing songwriters. I mean sometimes it is, but it’s not.
“I feel like in the songwriting community, everyone sort of knows that there’s four chords primarily that are used and there’s eight notes. And we work with what we’ve got, with doing that.”
Speaking how he would “never” sue a fellow songwriter for breach of copyright, Ed said: “I would just never do it. I’d just never do it. I feel like if people felt that they had, would come to me.
“And I’ve cleared songs for people that have come.”
Ed broke down in tears after a jury found his hit song ‘Thinking Out’ Loud didn't copy Marvin Gaye’s ‘Let's Get it On’.
It was reported that as jurors at the Manhattan Federal Court in New York cleared him of infringing copyright, he put his hands over his face before he stood and hugged his lawyer.
Ed’s co-writer Amy Wadge said she and the singer shared “a few tears” of relief after winning the case.
The copyright lawsuit was first brought about in 2018 by the estate of the late Ed Townsend, who co-wrote the 1973 R and B classic with Gaye.
Ed said outside court: “I’m just a guy with a guitar who loves writing music for people to enjoy. I am not and will not allow myself to be a piggy bank.”
