At one point, Terrence Howard claims he was set to star in a Marvin Gaye biopic, but he denied it because Quincy Jones allegedly revealed the iconic soul singer was…
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In a Manhattan federal court hearing on a copyright claim, Ed Sheeran was found not responsible for using significant portions of the Marvin Gaye ’70s hit song “Let’s Get It On” in his own song “Thinking Out Loud.”
The verdict was reached on Thursday (May 4), clearing Sheeran after a few hours of deliberation. The trial ran for two weeks. Sheeran spoke to the press after the court was adjourned.
Before deliberation, U.S. District Court Judge Louis Stanton said, “Independent creation is a complete defense, no matter how similar that song is.”
“I am obviously very happy with the outcome of the case, and it looks like I’m not going to have to retire from my day job after all,” Sheeran said. I am absolutely frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all… If the jury had decided this matter the other way, we might as well say goodbye to the creative freedom of songwriters.”
He said, “I am just a guy with a guitar who loves writing music for people to enjoy.”
The case ended amicably. According to The Associated Press, Sheeran thanked the jury while also speaking and exchanging pleasantries with the plaintiffs.
Sheeran would also release a full statement after the court was over, which is available below.
Good afternoon,
I am obviously very happy with the outcome of the case, and it looks like I’m not going to have to retire from my day job after all – but, at the same time, I am unbelievably frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all.
We have spent the last eight years talking about two songs with dramatically different lyrics, melodies and four chords which are also different and used by songwriters every day, all over the world.
These chords are common building blocks which were used to create music long before “Let’s Get It On” was written and will be used to make music long after we are all gone. They are a songwriter’s ‘alphabet’, our tool kit and should be there for us all to use. No-one owns them or the way they are played, in the same way, nobody owns the color blue.
Unfortunately, unfounded claims like this one are being fueled by individuals who are offered as experts in musical analysis. In this instance, the other side’s musicologist left out words and notes, presented simple (and different) pitches as melody, creating misleading comparisons and disinformation to find supposed similarities where none exist. They tried to manipulate my and Amy’s song to try to convince the jury that they had a genuine claim, and I am very grateful that the jury saw through those attempts. This seems so dangerous to me, both for potential claimants who may be convinced to bring a bogus claim, as well as those songwriters facing them. It is simply wrong. By stopping this practice, we can also properly support genuine music copyright claims so that legitimate claims are rightly heard and resolved.
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While Ed Sheeran was in New York wrapping up his copyright case over allegedly copying Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” in the creation of his single “Thinking of You.” In Ireland, his grandmother was being laid to rest.
According to The Daily Mail, Sheeran’s 98-year-old grandmother died during the trial, and her funeral was on Wednesday.
During the services, Sheeran’s father spoke about missing his son during the occasion.
“I am very sad that our son Edward is unable to be here today. He’s so upset that he cannot be present — he has to be thousands of miles away in a court in America defending his integrity,” Sheeran’s father said. “I know he is comforted by the fact that he was able to spend some precious time alone with his grandma just a month ago.”
Ed Sheeran was reportedly able to watch the service online.
In a Manhattan federal court hearing, Ed Sheeran was found not responsible for using significant portions of the Marvin Gaye ’70s hit song “Let’s Get It On” in his own song “Thinking Out Loud.”
The verdict was reached on Thursday (May 4), clearing Sheeran after a few hours of deliberation. The trial ran for two weeks. Sheeran spoke to the press after the court was adjourned.
Before deliberation, U.S. District Court Judge Louis Stanton said, “Independent creation is a complete defense, no matter how similar that song is.”
“I am obviously very happy with the outcome of the case, and it looks like I’m not going to have to retire from my day job after all,” Sheeran said. I am absolutely frustrated that baseless claims like this are allowed to go to court at all… If the jury had decided this matter the other way, we might as well say goodbye to the creative freedom of songwriters.”
He said, “I am just a guy with a guitar who loves writing music for people to enjoy.”
The case ended amicably. According to The Associated Press, Sheeran thanked the jury while also speaking and exchanging pleasantries with the plaintiffs.
The post Ed Sheeran Missed His Grandmother’s Funeral While Battling Copyright Case Over Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” appeared first on The Source.
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Opening statements were set to occur Tuesday after a jury was chosen in a trial that mashes up Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” with Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On.”
The heirs of Ed Townsend, Gaye’s co-writer of the 1973 soul classic, sued Sheeran, alleging the English pop star’s hit 2014 tune has “striking similarities” to “Let’s Get It On” and “overt common elements” that violate their copyright.
The lawsuit filed in 2017 has finally made it to a trial that is expected to last up to two weeks in the Manhattan federal courtroom of 95-year-old Judge Louis L. Stanton.
Sheeran, 32, is among the witnesses expected to testify, though he was not in court at the start of jury selection. He was expected to be in court on Tuesday.
“Let’s Get It On” is the sexy slow jam that’s been heard in countless films and commercials and garnered hundreds of millions of streams, spins, and radio plays over the past 50 years. “Thinking Out Loud,” which won a Grammy for Song of the Year, is a much more marital take on love and sex.
While the jury will hear the recordings of both songs, probably many times, their lyrics — and vibes — are legally insignificant. Jurors are supposed only to consider the raw elements of melody, harmony, and rhythm that make up the composition of “Let’s Get It On,” as documented on sheet music filed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
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Legendary rapper, hip-hop producer, and founding member of the influential collective Diggin’ In The Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), Lord Finesse is back with his most ambitious project to date: Motown State of Mind, a set of handpicked Motown classics remixed and reimagined. The inspired new remix album will be available to stream on June 26 via Motown/UMe and the remix of Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You” is available to stream now (available here).
In true DJ style, the remixes will also be released as a 45 RPM box set on July 24 containing seven 7-inch records on black vinyl featuring the remixed version on Side A and the classic original on Side B. In support of the release, there will be digital activations throughout June including livestreams and IG live takeovers from Motown’s various handles.
Curated and arranged for the new generation, going back to the original masters/sources, the remixes include chart toppers such as Michael Jackson’s “I Wanna Be Where You Are” and DeBarge’s “I Like It” alongside deep cuts from Motown’s catalog like Sisters Love’s “Now Is The Time.”
“Now Is The Time” is a unique track as it was originally recorded in 1970 and in 1973 the group recorded a version of the song which was produced by Willie Hutch and appeared in the movie The Mack, but was never officially released. As an ode to the 1973 version, Lord Finesse and J Zone (producer, drummer, multi-instrumentalist, rapper, and writer) recreate the song as if it was released that year. The instrumental version of the track will be included as the B-side in the 45 box set.
The reimagined versions also feature collaborations from the likes of Dinky Bingham (the CEO of production/publishing company Dinky B. Music and a producer of gold and platinum hits for artists such as Changing Faces, New Edition, Kylie Minogue andJaheim) as well as producer Tall Black Guy (who’s worked with artists such as Gilles Peterson, Lefto, Anthony Valadez, Jazzy Jeff, Questlove, amongst others).
Lord Finesse classifies the remixes to be his “best project to date.” “I’m my own worst critic. If I like it, I don’t think no one can really tell me anything,” he explains. With that in mind, Finesse closes out the album with a mastermind remix of the critically acclaimed Jackson 5 medley “I Want You Back/ABC/The Love You Save.” The standalone singles of those three original aforementioned tracks, alongside the release of their fourth single “I’ll Be There,” made the group the first to debut with four consecutive number one hits on Billboard’sHot 100.
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The talk of Twitter this week has been the resurfacing of a 2013 dance track video featuring Marvin Gaye‘s adopted and eldest son, Marvin Gaye III. The struggle apparent in the video has caused a gamut of reactions, and we’ve dug in to find the best responses.
The track “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You” featuring D’Extra Wiley is a dance number that, for what it’s worth, sounds similar to other songs in the “oontz oontz oontz” lane although the vocals are a bit understated. Not for nothing, Gaye gets props for making his wife, Wendy Gaye, the love interest in the video but that hasn’t stopped folks from frying the clip online.
It isn’t known why the song has managed to make its way back to prominence, and it appears that the venture was self-funded by Gaye via his own imprint. It also the only track Gaye has that appears online in streaming services.
We’ve collected the reactions below, along with the video for research purposes.
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Photo: Getty
Source: HipHopWired.com
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Source: PA Images / Getty
Marvin Gaye stands as one of the most talented singers of his generation and his influence still shines brightly today. The R&B and Soul legend was shot and killed 35 years ago on April 1, 1964, and Twitter is reminiscing on Gaye’s lasting impression on what would have been his 80th his birthday.
Gaye was born Marvin Pentz Gay Jr. on April 2, 1939, in Washington, D.C. As a boy, he began singing in church and began to hone his talent. However, Gaye recalled later in life that his father brutally beat him well into his teenage years. After a failed stint in the military, Gaye began singing with a series of Washington, D.C. singing groups in the ’50s before joining Harvey Fuqua’s Moonglows group and moving to Chicago. After the group disbanded, Gaye traveled to Detroit with Fuqua and later signed with Motown subsidiary Tamla Records and the rest is history.
With over two dozen studio albums, four live albums, and over 80 singles, Gaye saw his career take a huge creative turn in 1971 with the release of the politically-charged What’s Going On. The shelved follow up to that album, 1972’s You’re The Man, was just released last weekend.
We’ve collected some of the Twitter responses remembering the great Marvin Gaye below.
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Photo: Getty
Source: HipHopWired.com
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Source: David Buchan / Getty
Pharrell Williams and Robin Thicke‘s “Blurred Lines” hit has sparked a flurry of legal back and forth between the artists and the estate of Marvin Gaye. The pair were ordered to pay $5 million to the late R&B legend’s estate over of one of his most popular dance tunes.
CNN reports:
The pair had been accused of copyright infringement for their 2013 single because of the similarities to Gaye’s 1977 hit “Got to Give It Up.”
Gaye died in 1984 after being shot to death by his father, Marvin Gay Sr. (the singer added the “e” to create his stage name).
Thicke and Williams were ordered in 2015 to pay Gaye’s estate more than $7 million, but that judgment was reduced to $5.3 million and the pair appealed the verdict.
In the recent judgment from U.S. District Judge John A. Kronstadt in California, Thicke, Williams and Williams’ More Water From Nazareth Publishing are jointly required to pay Gaye’s family damages of nearly $2.9 million.
The outlet adds that Thicke was ordered to hand over $1.7 million and Williams, by way of his publishing company, will have to pay $357,631 to the estate.
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Photo: Getty
Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams were ordered to pay $5 million to Marvin Gaye’s family for the copyright of Thicke’s 2013 hit single, “Blurred Lines,” after a 5-year legal battle.
The songwriters were accused of copyright infringement due to the song’s similarities to Gaye’s 1977 hit, “Got To Give It Up.” The pair were ordered to pay $7 million in 2015, but it was reduced to $5.3 million after they appealed.
In March, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the verdict which cleared T.I., who was also featured on the song, and Interscope Records, which is the label it was released under.
Thicke, Williams and Williams’ distributing company were required to pay the estate’s damages of almost $2.9 million. Thicke additionally was arranged to pay more than $1.7 million and Williams and his distributing company must pay $357,631 to Gaye’s home. Gaye’s family will likewise get pre-judgment enthusiasm on the harms and 50% of the royalties from “Blurred Lines.”
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Source: Supreme / Supreme
Supreme is dropping another collection you’ll either love or hate. Where you still will likely be depending on whether or not you’re able to get your hands on one of the items emblazoned with the image of the late, great Marvin Gaye.
The streetwear brand went with a photo of the righteous soul singer standing in the rain with a jacket sporting a fly turned up collar used on the cover of his landmark What’s Going On album. The collection consists of tees, hoodies and a skateboard.
Supreme also will be dropping a few new tee designs (we like the Ludens and Cat in the Hat inspired joints), if you care.
The collection drops online tomorrow (Dec. 13) at the usual Supreme hour, 11am on a Thursday. They’ll also be at the physical stores in NY, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, London, Paris, following by Japan a couple of days later.
Expect the collection to sell out in seconds, but good hunting. Check out detailed photos in the gallery.
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Photos: Supreme