Ed Sheeran Songs: Fan Favorites

Ed Sheeran, renowned for stellar lyrics and unshakable humility, has had a remarkable journey in the music industry. He is an English singer-songwriter and one of the most loved global stars. In this article, we will discuss some of the most famous Ed Sheeran songs and the evolution of Ed Sheeran albums. We will also unfold some interesting facts about him and his early days in the music industry.

About Ed Sheeran and His Childhood 

Edward Christopher Sheeran, famously known as Ed Sheeran, was born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and later moved to Framlingham, Suffolk, at a very young age. Growing up in a family interested in art and an older brother who works as a music composer, Sheeran was inclined towards music since childhood. He sang at a local church choir when he was four and learned to play the guitar when he was eleven. His passion for songwriting had been cultivated way back in time since he used to write songs during high school. 

Unsurprisingly, his school report from 2004 states him as a “natural performer” and he was also voted “most likely to be famous” by his classmates. Despite being applauded for his musical talent, he got bullied in school for his appearance and speech. His unusual red hair and stuttering made him an easy target for bullies at school. Even after going through all sorts of speech therapy, stuttering persisted.

Then, one fine day, he received a “The Marshall Mathers” LP from a family member. Fortunately, he cured his stuttering by rapping along with the record. Who could’ve imagined that a kid who used to stutter would become a youth sensation in the coming years and that the red hair he was ridiculed for would become his trademark in the future? From being called a ginger boy at school to performing at sold-out venues today, he has honestly had a remarkable and inspiring journey.

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About Ed Sheeran Albums and His Early Days 

Ed Sheeran released his first collection of work titled “Spinning Man” when he was just 13. To this date, he has released seven studio albums and over a dozen EPs. 

When he first moved to London to seek a music career, fame didn’t knock at his door right away: he was mainly doing live gigs and busking on the streets to share his love for music with others. Astonishingly, he did a whopping 300+ live gigs in 2009- a testament to how hardworking he is.

What changed things for him was his track “The A Team,” from yet another EP, which helped Ed Sheeran gain recognition on YouTube and helped him garner some praise from some esteemed newspapers and well-acclaimed singers. His rise to fame in the international music space began when he first performed the same track, “The A Team,” on a BBC music show.

When the song was released six weeks later, it received much-deserved recognition and served as the lead single for Ed Sheeran’s debut album, + (Plus). The song “The A Team” was a huge success, with over 58,000 copies sold over the first week and becoming the best-selling debut single and the overall eight-best-selling track of 2011. Soon after, Ed released other singles from his debut album + (Plus): You Need Me, I Don’t Need You, Drunk, and Lego House, etc.

All Ed Sheeran songs from his debut album were highly received by critics and viewers alike and debuted at number 1 on the UK album charts. His odyssey in the music industry was so remarkable that he garnered the Brit Awards for Best British Male Solo Artist and British Breakthrough Act of the Year in 2012 after the release of his debut album. 

After the success of his debut album, he rolled out new albums frequently, carving a permanent spot for himself in the music industry and the playlists of music enthusiasts worldwide. 

Subsequent Ed Sheeran albums were titled “x” (multiply), “÷” (divide), “No. 6 Collaborations Project,” “=” (equals), “-” (subtract), and “Autumn Variations.” 

His latest album, Autumn Variations, was released in September 2023, and it is the first album from his own record label, Gingerbread Man Records.

His album titles are peculiar in a way and are symbolic of his love for mathematics. He believes math symbols can convey deeper meanings and add complexity to his music. Mathematical symbols are metaphors for the diversity of emotions and experiences that Sheeran eloquently expresses through his craft.  

To add more glory to his name, his innate talent for beautifully portraying complex emotions with meaningful lyrics paved the way for him to write songs for other global stars and famous bands, including Taylor Swift, Jessie Ware, Justin Bieber, One Direction, and many more. 

“Being a pop star happened accidentally because I never considered the music I made as pop. I considered myself an acoustic singer, but somehow, I became a pop star because I became popular.”

Ed Sheeran

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10 Most Famous Ed Sheeran Songs

i) Perfect – Love in its purest form

The song “Perfect” has been a love anthem for many years, all thanks to Ed’s ability to hit the right chords of your heart with his beautiful lyrics. The track “Perfect” is from his third album “÷'”(divide), which by no means divided his sales, only grew his fame by multifold.

Back when it was released, it was a common track played on all headphones, making everyone smile ear to ear and fall deeper in love. The music video adds all the more charm to this already elegantly penned song. Needless to say, the song was a huge success and made it to number one in the UK and Australia and stayed at the summit of the Billboard Hot 100 for six weeks!

ii) Shape of You – Groove to the beat of love

“Shape of You,” a real earworm track by Ed Sheeran, made him a household name. From music streaming platforms to clubs and restaurants, the song was played everywhere at all times of the day. The song gained widespread popularity in no time because of its groovy rhythm and catchy lyrics. This song is from the album “÷” (divide) and within a week of release, it entered the UK singles chart at number 1.

It topped various charts, including topping the Billboard Hot 100 and retaining the number 1 position for 12 weeks! He won a Grammy for “Best Pop Solo Performance” and several other awards and nominations for this iconic track. In August 2023, the track became BRIT-certified 10 x Platinum, just over six years after its initial release—a remarkable feat!  

Ed Sheeran once shared that he wrote the song “Shape of You” with Rihanna in mind, and thought it would be a good track for her. However, as he was penning down the lyrics, he changed his mind and thought she wouldn’t sing it. We all can agree that keeping this song for himself worked out beautifully for him, as this track tops almost all “Ed Sheeran songs list” available online. 

“Girl, you know I want your love

Your love was handmade for somebody like me.”

Shape Of You

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iii) Photograph – Memories in melody

The lyrics of “Photograph” are a testament to his exceptional songwriting talent and still come in handy while posting throwback pictures on social media. Moreover, the song holds the power to make anyone nostalgic and put a wide smile on the listener’s face, making it a perfect song to play on guitar at a social gathering. 

This track is featured in his second album “x” (multiply) and undoubtedly multiplied his fan-following significantly. This track was nominated for the Brits Award for the British Video of the Year category and won some awards too. It stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for 30 weeks, solidifying the status of one of the most beloved Ed Sheeran songs.

“We keep this love in a photograph

We made these memories for ourselves

Where our eyes are never closing

Hearts are never broken

And time’s forever frozen still.“

Photograph

iv) Thinking Out Loud – Love’s timeless serenade

“Thinking Out Loud,” an incredible song from his second album, is about everlasting love—a love that stays till death do you part. If you love soft rock and are a hopeless romantic, then I’m sure you must have played this song on a loop at some point. An interesting story behind this song is that it came into reality unplanned. Ed’s singer-songwriter friend Amy had come to his place for a chill session when she picked up the guitar and played some tunes out of nowhere. And, somehow, the melody developed from the riff, and Sheeran and Amy wrote the entire song within 20 minutes at 2 a.m.  

Sheeran once mentioned his grandparents and his then-girlfriend were his inspiration behind the song. 

The song did wonders on the charts in several countries and fetched him Grammys for “Song of the Year” and “Best Pop Solo Performance.” Undoubtedly, this song is one of the most loved and popular Ed Sheeran songs. And guess what? If you wish to play this iconic song on guitar, you can tune into the “Thinking Out Loud” guitar lesson on Torrins, and captivate people with your tunes. 

“I’m thinking ’bout how people fall in love in mysterious ways

Maybe it’s all part of a plan.”

Thinking Out Loud

v) Shivers – A dance of desire

“Shivers,” a dance-pop track from his fifth album titled = (Equals), is a special song for the star and his fans alike. Shivers is a catchy and groovy song with superb lyrics, very typical of Ed Sheeran. Ed cited on his social media that this song was too special to go wrong and he took 3 days to finish writing it, which is unusually long for him. Shivers, contrary to its title, has quite a fiery music video. The song received critical acclaim and immense love from fans and peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Ed Sheeran cosplayed Elton John in the music video of Shivers.

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vi) Perfect Duet – Harmonies of Love

After the love garnered from his single “Perfect,” Ed Sheeran decided to release an acoustic version of the song in collaboration with Beyonce, titled “Perfect Duet.” Truth be told, it is the perfect duet, a splendid showcase of Beyonce’s versatility and Ed’s keenness to experiment. As expected, this version was a big success on international charts. Together, they created magic, and the song reached number one in the US and the UK, becoming the UK Christmas number one for that year. 

Sheeran once shared that “Perfect” was Beyonce’s favourite song from the album; thus, she readily agreed to re-record the song when asked.

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vii) Bad Habits – The allure of the night

Bad Habits, a dance-pop song, is the lead single of Ed Sheeran’s fourth album, titled = (Equals). The song is about substance abuse and addiction. He once mentioned that he realised it was time to get his drinking problems under control when he was about to become a father. So, assumingly, the thought process behind this song might have stemmed from his personal experiences and a desire to change his lifestyle. 

In an interview, Ed Sheeran mentioned that “Bad Habits” is his favourite song to perform live, as he likes to end the show with this super energetic jumping song! As reported by Phonographic Performance Limited (PPL), the song “’Bad Habits” was the most-played song in 2021.

When it comes to numbers, this song, too, was a commercial success and reached the 2nd position on the Billboard Hot 100.

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viii) I Don’t Care – Embracing life’s chaos

This dance-hall-influenced song is from Sheeran’s fourth album, No. 6 Collaborations Project. This song is in collaboration with Justin Beiber, and it was the fourth time the duo collaborated. This song is for all those people who find the world chaotic (shown adequately with the peculiar editing in the video) and find comfort with just one person, the one they belong to. The song became a hit and was nominated for the Brit’s “British Single of the Year” award along with other nominations. The song helped Ed secure some awards and reached 2nd place on the Billboard Hot 100. 

ix) I See Fire – A ballad of flames and shadows

“I See Fire” is a folk track sung by Ed Sheeran for the 2013 film “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug.” The film is based on the novel “The Hobbit” by J. R. R. Tolkien. Sheeran is a fan of Tolkien’s work and it was the first book that his father read to him. Getting an opportunity to be associated with the film based on that novel made him happier than ever. 

Ed was especially praised for his guitar work in this song. The song was critically acclaimed and was nominated for a Grammy in the “Best Song Written for Visual Media” category. It also reached number one in New Zealand. 

If you wish to learn the epic guitar work in this song, you can tune into the “I See Fire” guitar lesson on Torrins.

x) Sing—melodies that make you move

“Sing,” a dance-along song, was featured in the second album by Ed and has backing vocals by Pharrell Williams. This song introduced the world to the “R&B” side of Ed, contrary to the folk-rock sound he gained fame for in his first album. Ed wrote this song after taking inspiration from Justin Timberlake’s song “Justified,” as Ed is a big fan of his work. This song was Ed’s debut to the number-one position in the UK and helped him top charts in several other countries. The good news for all guitarists is that you can get access to a detailed “Sing” guitar lesson at Torrins.

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This concludes our list of Ed Sheeran’s popular songs. I won’t be surprised if you said you went down memory lane after reading about some of his early songs like “Photograph” and “Perfect.” His songs have been a constant on my playlists, and I am sure I am not the only one. Ed Sheeran is one of the biggest pop stars today, yet he continues to experiment and has a song for every occasion. 

His willingness to explore and experiment is evident in his recent collaboration with Punjabi singer, Diljit Dosanjh, where they sang a Punjabi track together in a concert in Mumbai. Moreover, when it comes to experimenting, we ought to mention his versatility across genres, from R&B to country folk, having done it all. In his beliefs, there is no such thing as genre; either it’s good music or bad music. 

I hope this article helped you gain insights into some Ed Sheeran albums and helped you explore or re-discover some famous Ed Sheeran songs you had forgotten about. You can learn to play guitar, piano, and bass accompaniment for some of the popular songs of Ed Sheeran with the help of detailed song lessons available at Torrins, because who would not enjoy Ed Sheeran-themed jamming sessions around the bonfire, right?

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