Song Clearance Sheet
5 sources citedThinking Out Loud
Pop2010s79BPM
D majKey
More around 80 BPM → · More in D major → · More “Cleared After Dispute” →
Tempo/key via GetSongBPM →, Deezer →
The verdict
Cleared After Dispute
Two separate suits over similarity to “Let’s Get It On,” both resolved for Sheeran on different legal bases: the Townsend heirs’ 2023 jury trial found independent creation (appeal later withdrawn with prejudice), and the Structured Asset Sales suit was dismissed as a matter of law — the chord progression ruled a “basic musical building block.” The plaintiff had directly cited the “Blurred Lines” verdict (in this catalogue) as inspiration.
Quick Facts
Released2014
Albumx (Multiply)
GenrePop, Soul, Blue-Eyed Soul
LabelAsylum / Atlantic Records
ProducerJake Gosling
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The songwriters of record — Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
Unknown · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
Cleared through two separate suits over “Let’s Get It On” (this batch) — one by jury (independent creation), one dismissed as a “basic building block.” Directly tied to “Blurred Lines” and “Stairway to Heaven,” both in this catalogue.
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found; confirmed songwriters of record.
Related Songs
Same album, answer records, and songs worth knowing about
The plaintiff cited that verdict as his direct inspiration (already in this catalogue)
This case was postponed to await that ruling (already in this catalogue)
The song at the center of both suits (this batch)
Same defendant, a second copyright suit around the same period (this batch)
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge
A direct connection to “Blurred Lines”One of the two suits was filed in 2016 by Structured Asset Sales, LLC (owned by David Pullman), which owned part of Ed Townsend’s copyright interest in “Let’s Get It On.” Pullman has directly stated the “Blurred Lines” verdict (in this catalogue) inspired him to have three independent musicologists compare the songs, who found them “substantially or strikingly similar.”
Two suits, resolved on two different legal basesThe Townsend heirs’ case went to a full jury trial in April–May 2023, featuring “smoking gun” video of Sheeran performing a live mashup transitioning between the two songs; Sheeran testified in his own defense that the trial threatened how musicians create. After ~3 hours the jury ruled for Sheeran on May 4, 2023, finding independent creation. The separate Structured Asset Sales suit was then dismissed by the judge as a matter of law — the chord progression a “basic musical building block” too common to protect. The Townsend heirs’ appeal was later withdrawn “with prejudice,” barring refiling. (The case had been postponed in 2019 to await the “Stairway to Heaven” ruling, in this catalogue.)
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
A $100M second suit, postponed for Stairway
Ed Townsend’s heirs filed their own distinct suit in 2017 seeking at least $100 million; the judge postponed it in 2019 specifically to await the “Stairway to Heaven”/Led Zeppelin resolution (this catalogue) first.
Rolling Stone · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
—
Times sampled
Won both suits — jury verdict + “basic building block”
Covers
—
First flip
Who to Contact
TO
Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge
The confirmed songwriters of record
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
Don't Want the Hassle?
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References
Every source cited on this page — 5 in total
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Page history · 3 updates
Jul 2026BPM corrected to feel tempo 79 (GetSongBPM read 78; Deezer 158 was a double-time detection). Key D maj retained.
Jul 2026Page created — full research (Research Queue Batch 24)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending the automated GetSongBPM/Deezer pass