• Ed Sheeran took to the stand for the primary time in his “Pondering Out Loud” copyright trial on Tuesday.
• The singer is being sued by the heirs of the cowriter of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.”
• Sheeran instructed the courtroom he hadn’t heard Gaye’s tune till he watched the 1999 film, “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.”

Ed Sheeran claimed he hadn’t heard Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” till he watched “Austin Powers” as he took to the stand for the primary time in his “Pondering Out Loud” copyright trial.

The heirs of Ed Townsend, who cowrote “Let’s Get It On,” are suing Sheeran, alleging that his 2014 tune “Pondering Out Loud” has “hanging similarities” to Gaye’s 1973 soul basic.

Townsend’s heirs declare that Warner Music Group and Sony Music Publishing owe them cash for stealing components of the tune.

Showing in a Manhattan federal courtroom on Tuesday, Sheeran testified that he didn’t copy from Gaye’s tune.

“It’s my perception that almost all pop songs are constructed on constructing blocks which were freely out there for a whole lot of years,” the 32-year-old singer instructed the courtroom, in keeping with Individuals, earlier than stating that plenty of different standard songs, together with Van Morrison’s “Loopy Love” and “Somebody You Liked” by Lewis Capaldi, share the identical progressions.

Sheeran later mentioned, in keeping with Individuals, that he first heard “Let’s Get It On” within the 1999 film “Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.”

He insisted, nevertheless, that “Pondering Out Loud” was not based mostly on Gaye’s tune, however as an alternative on a dialog that he and cowriter Amy Wadge had about his grandparents.

The tune is about discovering love at an outdated age, he instructed the courtroom, in keeping with NBC Information.

Hearken to “Pondering Out Loud” right here:

And “Let’s Get It On” right here:

Earlier on Tuesday, Sheeran was questioned a few reside mashup of “Pondering Out Loud” and “Let’s Get It On” he carried out throughout a 2014 present in Zurich, which was caught on digicam.

Ben Crump, a lawyer for the Townsend household, instructed the courtroom that the live performance video amounted to a “smoking gun” confession, in keeping with the BBC.

Sheeran responded by saying that he usually mixes songs with related chords at his performances.

“You may go from ‘Let it Be’ to ‘No Lady, No Cry’ and change again,” Sheeran mentioned, referring to the basic songs by The Beatles and Bob Marley.

“If I had achieved what you are accusing me of doing, I would be fairly an fool to face on a stage in entrance of 20,000 individuals and try this,” he added, in keeping with Individuals.

Sheeran is predicted to testify as soon as extra because the trial, which is ready to final for round two weeks, proceeds.