As fearlessly reported in this space, there is currently a trial to resolve whether Ed Sheeran's song "Thinking Out Loud" violates the copyright to Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On."
Sheeran said that if he loses the case, he will quit music. As reported by The Daily Mail, Sheeran said,
"If that happens, I'm done, I'm stopping. I find it really insulting to devote my whole life to being a performer and a songwriter and have someone diminish it."
A verdict is expected today.
The crux of the case seems to be that Sheeran's song has a similar, but not identical, four-chord progression as the Marvin Gaye song.
But in the below fascinating segment on CNN, Joe Bennett, Professor at Berklee College of Music explains and demonstrates on guitar that this four-chord progression is common in pop songs, and gave some examples of other songs that use it: "Have I Told You Lately" by Van Morrison (1989), "Georgy Girl" by The Seekers (1966), "Stuck on You," by Lionel Richie (1983), and "You're Still the One" by Shania Twain (1988).
