Ed Sheeran, musical sensation and Hollywood hookup king released his third studio album, Divide, earlier this month. Its lead single, “Shape of You,” wasted no time in a race up the Billboard charts, but savvy listeners may have noticed some similarities between Sheeran’s hit and a 90s classic, TLC’S “No Scrubs.”
Sheeran is no stranger to songwriting controversy, including allegations comparing his hit “Thinking Out Loud” with Marvin Gaye’s classic, “Let’s Get It On,” and other criticisms citing similarities between “Shape of You” with Tracy Chapman’s “Mountain o’ Things” and Sia’s catchy hit “Cheap Thrills.”
Sheeran’s attributed inspiration
Shortly after the single and album’s release, fans began to draw correlations between “Shape of You” and “No Scrubs,” particularly regarding the song’s bridge.
Sheeran’s lyrics (“Boy, let’s not talk too much / grab in my waist and put that body on me”) warranted comparisons to TLC’s iconic, “No, I don’t want no scrubs / a scrub is a guy that can’t get no love from me.” In addition to matching the syllable count and rhythm, the melody is eerily similar - so much so that Sheeran has validated fan concerns and added Kandi Burruss, Kevin “She’kspere” Briggs, and Tameka “Tiny” Colette as writers to the song’s credits. While Sheeran gives credit where he finds it due, this in turn, means a larger paycheck for the artists credited and more recognition regarding their work.
Check out the songs to compare for yourself:
Continued Plagiarism controversy
This isn't the first time Sheeran's been wrapped up in controversy regarding plagiarism.
Other recent concerns regarding "Shape of You" stem from the intro's similarities to "Cheap Thrills" by Sia, and his ballad "Thinking Out Loud" has drawn comparisons to Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On." Additionally, his song "Photograph" is under fire as well for its similarities to Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard's "Amazing." The song was originally released by Matt Cardle, 2010's winner of "The X Factor."
