Skip to main content
Tags: ed sheeran | trial | axis of awesome

Axis of Awesome Song Reemerges Following Ed Sheeran Trial

By    |   Friday, 05 May 2023 11:46 AM EDT

A song from comedy band Axis of Awesome showing the similarity of multiple pop songs using the same simple musical progression has resurfaced following Ed Sheeran's copyright trial win.

In a video clip of the group performing at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival in 2009, members Jordan Raskopoulos, Lee Naimo and Benny Davis explain that "all the greatest hits from the last 40 years just use four chords."

They then show how easy it is for music to fit into a similar structure by playing the same chord progression over and over again while singing 47 different pop songs. The performance begins with Journey's "Don't Stop Believin' " and then goes on to snippets from James Blunt's "You're Beautiful," the Spice Girls' "2 Become 1," Toto's "Africa," and Avril Lavigne's "Complicated."

The song's reemergence comes on the heels of a jury concluding Thursday that Sheeran didn't steal key components of Marvin Gaye's classic 1970s tune "Let's Get It On" when he created his hit song "Thinking Out Loud."

The verdict follows a two-week trial that featured a courtroom performance by Sheeran as the singer insisted that the trial was a threat to all musicians who create their own music.

"I feel like in the songwriting community, everyone sort of knows that there's four chords primarily that are used and there's eight notes," he said, according to the Independent. "We work with what we've got, with doing that."

Filed in 2017, the lawsuit took six years to finally reach a Manhattan federal court.

Sheeran has repeatedly denied plagiarizing "Let's Get It On," with his lawyers arguing that many pop songs used common song construction.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Zoe Papadakis

Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.

© 2024 Newsmax. All rights reserved.


TheWire
A song from comedy band Axis of Awesome showing the similarity of multiple pop songs using the same simple musical progression has resurfaced following Ed Sheeran's copyright trial win.
ed sheeran, trial, axis of awesome
281
2023-46-05
Friday, 05 May 2023 11:46 AM
Newsmax Media, Inc.

Sign up for Newsmax’s Daily Newsletter

Receive breaking news and original analysis - sent right to your inbox.

(Optional for Local News)
Privacy: We never share your email address.
Join the Newsmax Community
Read and Post Comments
Please review Community Guidelines before posting a comment.
 
TOP

Interest-Based Advertising | Do not sell or share my personal information

Newsmax, Moneynews, Newsmax Health, and Independent. American. are registered trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc. Newsmax TV, and Newsmax World are trademarks of Newsmax Media, Inc.

NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved
Download the Newsmax App
NEWSMAX.COM
America's News Page
© Newsmax Media, Inc.
All Rights Reserved