Read

Ed Sheeran's Lessons on Success, Family, and Death

Creator:
Published:
January 30, 2024
December 27, 2019
Learn some of the important life lessons Ed Sheeran fills his songs with.|Learn some of the important life lessons Ed Sheeran fills his songs with.

Ed Sheeran is one of the most famous and successful musicians on the planet. He just wrapped up his two-year ÷ (“divide”) tour which is currently the highest grossing and ticket-selling tour of all time. His new album, #6 Collaborations Project, a veritable “who’s who” of pop music featuring artists as diverse as Bruno Mars, Eminem, Ella Mai, and Chris Stapleton, dropped this July and quickly hit number one in more than a dozen countries.

But despite all the fame and fortune, he doesn’t live the stereotypical pop-star lifestyle. He doesn’t do social media. He married a girl from his hometown. He doesn’t tour with a band, just his guitar and a loop pedal. Despite making £75,000 a day, he only pays himself £1,000 a month. He doesn’t like to wear fancy clothes, and other than his red hair, he’s admittedly rather average looking.

Though his songs span genres from guitar ballads, to club bangers, to hip hop, his lyrics frequently depart from the usual pop star fare of fame, fortune, and sex. On the contrary, his lyrics reflect someone far more grounded than one might expect from a 28-year-old millionaire. Perhaps that’s why he continues to be so successful album after album, despite being pretty much the only current singer-songwriter on so high an echelon. He fills his songs with keen insights on life. His self-reflection prompts his listeners to do the same.

Here are a few gems I’ve gleaned from the lyrics of the ginger singer-songwriter from Suffolk.

Success

In “Take Me Back to London,” he recounts warning London rapper Stormzy about the loneliness of success and how “when you get to the top, man, it’s never enough.” Likewise, on “Beautiful People,” he paints a picture of the LA high life complete with Lamborghinis and flashy parties, but says he fears becoming one of the “beautiful people” with “pre-nups and broken homes / surrounded but still alone.”

Lyrics like these stand out in a music scene saturated with bragging about high living and big spending. It’s also instructive for those of us trying to launch or develop a career, invest in a dream, or struggling to make ends meet. It’s easy to forget that fame and fortune come at a cost: time away from the people who really matter, anxiety about losing what we’ve gained, and the allure of pursuing more and more.

Love

His lyrics likewise often reflect a divergent view on romantic relationships from what popular media most frequently highlights. In “Blow,” Sheeran, Bruno Mars, and Chris Stapleton swap starkly contrasting verses about the women they desire. While Mars sings about drugs and whip cream in a limousine and Stapleton refers to his lady as a “supernatural freak,” Sheeran sings about wanting to make a baby.

No doubt, this is a reference to sex, but this is not one-night stand sex. He writes songs that are sexy, but they aren’t JUST sexy. They span the gamut from first glance meeting where he notices the girl doesn’t have a wedding ring in “South of the Border” to when the couple is old and dying after a lifetime together like in “Thinking Out Loud” and “Perfect.” They’re holistically sexy. They reflect on lifelong relationships, marriages that include struggles, disappointments, children, and grandchildren. These songs remind us what sex and romance are really about: relationships, not just using one another for a physical or emotional high.

Family

Sheeran’s songs celebrate the beauty of family relationships. He tells us, “It’s alright to cry — even my dad does sometimes.” He recounts childhood memories with his brother and friends in “Castle on a Hill” and his grandparents falling in love in “Nancy Mulligan.” An enduring theme in each of these songs is that what ultimately matters in life are meaningful relationships. In a culture that so often prioritizes career and fun over family, these songs stand on distinctly different ground.

Death

“Small Bump” relates the anticipation of an expectant father thinking about his unborn child and the heartbreak surrounding miscarriage. In “Afire Love,” he reflects on his grandfather’s loss of memory and eventual death as well as his grandparents’ romance. It’s full of images like: “My father told me, ‘Son, it’s not his fault he doesn’t know your face;’” “black suit, black tie, standing in the rain;” and “my father and all of my family rise from the seats to sing hallelujah.”

These songs do for me what I think funerals are meant to: celebrate the beauty of life and of the person who has died. Life is beautiful and worth celebrating, even in miscarriage, even in dementia, even in death.

Just another pop star?

It’s hard to know how we’ll view the legacies of today’s stars years down the road. The temptation for many of us (especially those who fancy ourselves music aficionados) is to think all the great music and art is in the past and everything current is automatically subpar. But the depth of Sheeran’s lyrics — as well as the breadth of the human experience from which he gleans them — suggest we’ll remember them and him for years to come. I know I will.

Creators:
Mike Tenney
Published:
January 30, 2024
December 27, 2019
On a related note...
"Grandma"

"Grandma"

Christine Chu

From Unseen to Seen

From Unseen to Seen

Alli Bobzien

A reflective narrative by Alli Bobzien.

This Lawyer is Advocating for Domestic Violence Survivors

This Lawyer is Advocating for Domestic Violence Survivors

Grotto

Born to Work: Bruce Springsteen’s Legacy of Commitment

Born to Work: Bruce Springsteen’s Legacy of Commitment

Marty Moran

Preparing Young Actors to Change the World

Preparing Young Actors to Change the World

Grotto

5 Instas Every Booklover Should Be Following

5 Instas Every Booklover Should Be Following

Gabriella Patti

3 Easy Steps to Make Praying Out Loud Less Awkward

3 Easy Steps to Make Praying Out Loud Less Awkward

Lisa Greey Lytwyn

Why I Finally Decided to Watch 'Star Wars'

Why I Finally Decided to Watch 'Star Wars'

Emily Mae Mentock

5 Lifestyle Instas that Will Inspire (Not Depress) You

5 Lifestyle Instas that Will Inspire (Not Depress) You

Gabriella Patti

This Twitter Feed is the Most Peaceful Place on the Internet

This Twitter Feed is the Most Peaceful Place on the Internet

Mike Jordan Laskey

Actor Hasn't Forgotten His Immigrant Roots

Actor Hasn't Forgotten His Immigrant Roots

Grotto

Restoring Beauty to American Flags

Restoring Beauty to American Flags

Grotto

Ice Cream Minivan

Ice Cream Minivan

Grotto

Free Download: Fall Phone and Desktop Wallpapers

Free Download: Fall Phone and Desktop Wallpapers

Grotto

Why Introverted Leaders are Not a Contradiction

Why Introverted Leaders are Not a Contradiction

Jessie McCartney

Providing a Safe, Fun Environment for Children in Foster Care

Providing a Safe, Fun Environment for Children in Foster Care

Grotto

Music Therapy For Every Kind of Patient

Music Therapy For Every Kind of Patient

Grotto

Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

Sts. Louis and Zélie Martin Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

Grotto

My Pandemic Journal is Changing the Way I See the World

My Pandemic Journal is Changing the Way I See the World

Patrick Schmadeke

How to Take Charge of Your Life

How to Take Charge of Your Life

Khang Tran

newsletter

We’d love to be pals.

Sign up for our newsletter, and we’ll meet you in your inbox each week.