It wasn’t instant success for English singer-songwriter Ed Shreeran, who had to search for ‘gigs, attention and somewhere to sleep’ in London after moving to the British capital from his West Yorkshire home. One of the world’s biggest pop stars now, the singer continues to top charts on both sides of the Atlantic and has seven Brit awards and four Grammys in his kitty.
As Ed turns 32 today, we take a look at five of his most romantic songs that never fail to bring a smile to the face even in the middle of a rough day.
Shape of You
Released in 2017, Shape of You is one of Ed Sheeran’s most popular songs with over five billion views on YouTube. The romantic song, which comes with strong beats, became such a sensation upon release that it got remade into different languages, including a Carnatic version that accumulated over 11 million views. The song, written by Tameka "Tiny" Cottle, Kevin "She'kspere" Briggs, Johnny McDaid, Kandi Burruss, Ed and Steve Mac, talks about Ed falling for a woman after meeting her at a bar.
Perfect
Perfect is yet another incredibly romantic track, starring Vampire Academy actress Zoey Deutch, by the singer which came out as a part of the same 2017 album. The track with over three billion views on YouTube talks about love blossoming between Ed and one his childhood friends who he envisions a future with. Much slower in tempo than Shape of You, Perfect is bound to make you relive moments of love.
Thinking Out Loud
Thinking Out Loud, released in 2014, was a part of Ed’s studio album X (multiply). The romantic track, with over 3.5 billion views on YouTube, has been written by Ed and Amy Wadge. The lyrics are all about love across ages with lines such as ‘And darling I will be loving you 'til we're 70/And baby my heart could still fall as hard at 23’. The music video of the song features Sheeran and So You Think You Can Dance contestant Brittany Cherry in a ballroom setting.
Photograph
Another melodious track by Ed, Photograph was released in 2015. Written by Ed and Johnny McDaid, the heartfelt track has accumulated over 1.2 billion views on YouTube since its release seven years ago. The song revolves around the idea of mending your heart after a breakup while retaining the good memories that came with the relationship. The music video chronicles Ed’s journey as it shows archival footage of Ed from his childhood to the time he made it as a musician.
Galway Girl
Slightly different from the usual numbers churned out by Ed, Galway Girl — released in 2017 — is an upbeat track. Released as a part of Ed’s studio album ÷ (divide), the song has over 570 million views on YouTube. It is one of the first instances of the 32-year-old singer attempting and perfecting a rap song. Galway Girl also stars Ladybird actress Saoirse Ronan along with Ed who romances her in the music video.
