Ed Sheeran Is ‘Done’ With Music If He Loses Copyright Lawsuit

Musician Ed Sheeran leaves after the first day of his copyright-infringement trial at Manhattan Federal Court on April 25, 2023 in New York City. The four-time Grammy winner stands accused of lifting parts of Marvin Gaye’s legendary R&B song “Let’s Get It On” in his 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud.”

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Ed Sheeran's copyright lawsuit trial is pushing him to quit music. The singer-songwriter just spent his fifth day in court. He is being sued for alleged copyright infringement over his 2014 song "Thinking Out Loud."

The plaintiff is Structured Asset Sales, who purchased a third of the shares of the song from the family of Ed Townsend (he co-wrote "Let's Get It On" with Marvin Gaye) in 2018. The suit alleges that Sheeran's hit song took elements directly from "Let's Get It On."

Per People, during the hearing, Sheeran, 32, took the stand and was questioned by his lawyer Ilene Farkas. At one point, he was asked what he would do if the court found "Thinking Out Loud" to be too similar to "Let's Get It On." He answered, "If that happens, I'm done. I'm stopping. I find it to be really insulting. I work really hard to be where I'm at."

Devastating Frustrations

Later in the hearing, the "Shivers" singer was questioned by the plaintiff's lawyer Robert Frank. Sheeran told him, "You're trying to diminish my success. 'Thinking Out Loud' was my first Grammy." Amy Wage, Sheeran's co-writer for "Thinking Out Loud," also took the stand and explained to jurors that the song's tune sounded more like Van Morrison's "Have I Told You Lately," as it has the same chords in a different key. She also chimed in on the accusations, saying, "It was pretty devastating and pretty frightening because it's something we did not do."

Sheeran also grew frustrated with the plaintiffs' musicologist Alexander Stewart, who previously argued that the songs were similar. "I think what he's doing is criminal here," he said. "I don't know why he's allowed to be an expert."

RELATED: Ed Sheeran & Alanis Morisette Will Guest Judge On ‘American Idol’

The English singer-songwriter said the creation of "Thinking Out Loud" was a "very collaborative" process between him and co-writer Wedge. He recalled being inspired to create the song after hearing Wedge "mumbling" the chords as he got ready to go to dinner and said he knew they needed to write a song to them. As for the lyrics, he said they were inspired by their personal struggles as Sheeran's grandmother had been diagnosed with cancer, his "grandad" had died, and Wedge was going through a family illness, he said.

Ed Sheeran’s 10 Best Lyrics That Warm (Or Break) Your Heart

Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran knows how to make some of the saddest lines upbeat. His lyricism is top-tier, accompanied by his acoustic guitar and infectious pop melodies, and the Brit often strikes musical gold. Born Edward Christopher Sheeran on February 17, 1991, in England, he developed an interest in music at a very young age. He sang at a local church choir at the age of four. As we previously reported, Sheeran developed a stutter after undergoing surgery to remove a birthmark in his early years. He was gifted Eminem's The Marshall Mathers album as a kid by his uncle. The album helped him to grow out of it. When he was nine, his uncle told his dad his nephew would be "the next Bob Dylan." After learning the 2000 record and "rapping it back, to back, to back, to back," it cured his stutter.

Sheeran's Rise To Stardom

Gaining more confidence, Sheeran learned how to play the guitar and started writing songs when he was eleven. Two years later, at thirteen, Sheeran began recording music. He independently released his first collection of work, titled Spinning Man. In 2008, he moved to London, playing music in small venues and on the street. That same year, he auditioned for the ITV series Britannia High. Since the show's producers were looking for triple threats, Sheeran's dance skills proved to be highly uncoordinated, so he got cut. He wasn't too torn up about it, able to admit that everyone auditioning really wanted to be cast.

He released another EP in 2009, titled You Need Me. He and fellow English singer Leddra Chapman recorded covers with each other often, including CeeLo Green's "F--- You." In 2010, Sheeran released his critically acclaimed Loose Change EP, which featured his future debut single, "The A-Team."

With seven studio albums below his belt, see which of our favorite Ed Sheeran songs warms (or breaks) our hearts.

10. Drunk

Mike Coppola/Getty Images

From Ed's 2011 '+ (Plus)' album, he cleverly sings, "On cold days cold plays out like the band's name. I know I can't heal things with a handshake." The singer-songwriter than admits he knows what he can change, but he's been cut wide open like a landscape. The lines, "Open bottles of beer but never champagne, to applaud you with the sound that my hands make," he chooses beer over champagne, which is used to celebrate something.

9. The A Team

Paul Kane/Getty Images

The worst things in life come free to us / 'Cause we're just under the upper hand / And go mad for a couple grams