When you think about Ed Sheeran, Marvin Gaye probably isn’t the first person who comes to mind. But maybe he should be. This week, Sheeran is defending himself in court against allegations that he ripped off Gaye’s classic song “Let’s Get it On” in his 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud.”

The lawsuit is being brought by the family of Ed Townsend, a famous Black singer-songwriter who co-wrote “Let’s Get It On” with Gaye. Townsend’s heirs are being represented by civil rights attorney Benjamin Crump, who folks will probably recognize as the lead attorney on countless high-profile police brutality cases. Crump and the Townsend family aren’t pulling the comparisons to the 1973 song out of thin air. In his arguments before the jury, Crump pointed to a 2014 Ed Sheeran performance where the singer mashed up the two songs, noting their similarity.

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