Ed Sheeran “Bad Habits” released

Bad Habits Ed Sheeran

Writer(s): Ed Sheeran, Fred Gibson, Johnny McDaid (see lyrics here) Released: June 25, 2021 First Charted: July 3, 2021 Peak: 2 BB, 12 BA, 11 AC, 17 A40, 111 UK, 14 CN, 12 AU, 24 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 3.0 US, 3.6 UK, 11.15 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 806.18 video, 1819.87 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Ed Sheeran was born in England in 1991. He released his first solo album in 2011. A decade later, Equals (=), marked his fifth time to ascend to the top of the UK album charts and fourth time atop the U.S. charts. The lead single, “Bad Habits,” was his eighth chart topper in the UK. It also topped the charts in 27 other countries and was the best selling song of the year in the UK. “The moody song” SF is “part ballad and part dance track.” Sheeran is “in a deep internal conflict about his bad habits. His unhealthy lifestyle, such as nighttime drinking and partying, is leading him to make some poor choices, which le later regrets.” SF He addressed his drinking when his first daughter was on the way. Sheeran’s wife, Cherry, expressed concern about him being too drunk to drive her to the hospital safely when she was ready to give birth. WK Originally Sheeran had a slower, acoustic song in mind as the album’s lead single. However, when Covid-19 restrictions were beginning to be lifted in England in 2021, he thought, “I don’t know if the world needs a depressing, sad, slow acoustic song when [the country is] opening up.” WK He inserted a “dancy vibe” into the song to make it a more “upbeat dance tune.” SF The video for the song was compared to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” WK The video was also inspired by the American TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. WK Sheeran portrays a vampire in a hot pink suit. He and other monsters attack people during the night. He said he chose vampires as a way to “play on the nature of habits in a fantastical way.” WK Resources: SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 4/13/2024; last updated 10/14/2024.

Ed Sheeran debuted at #1 with “Shape of You”

Shape of You Ed Sheeran

Writer(s): Ed Sheeran, Steve Mac, Johnny McDaid, Kandi Burruss, Tameka Cottle, Kevin Briggs (see lyrics here) Released: January 6, 2017 First Charted: January 28, 2017 Peak: 112 US, 112 BA, 110 DG, 14 ST, 19 RR, 124 AC, 112 A40, 114 UK, 116 CN, 115 AU, 12 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 12.54 US, 4.99 UK, 41.5 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 5.0 radio, 6511.2 video, 3552.21 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Shape of You” emerged from a writing session with Steve Mac and Johnny McDaid. They set the song aside, thinking it didn’t fit Sheeran, and wrote two more songs. SF Wanting an R&B feel for the song, he added an interpolation of TLC’s 1999 #1 hit “No Scrubs.” WK When Sheeran listened to the song again at the end of the session, he wondered if it might be a good fit for Rihanna. SF When Sheeran met with the Atlantic UK label executives, he played what he thought was the completed album – and then played “Shape of You.” The execs not only thought he should keep the song instead of giving it away, but even thought it should be the single. SF As Sheeran said, “it took…the guys I wrote it with probably about a month or two to convince me that should even be on the album, and probably took them another month to convince me that it should be a single.” SF Sheeran decided to put it out as a single, but simultaneously released “Castle on the Hill,” since he said, they “were kind of opposing ends of the album.” SF “Shape of You” and “Castle on the Hill” – debuted at numbers 1 and 2 respectively on the UK chart, making him the first artist to accomplish the feat. WK The pair also debuted in the top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, the first time an artist had done that in the U.S. SF “Shape” launched at #1, giving Sheeran his first U.S. chart-topper. The song stayed on top for 12 non-consecutive weeks and stayed in the top 10 for a record-setting 33 weeks. WK The song proved a success worldwide, reaching the pinnacle of the charts in 44 countries. WK It also amassed 1.32 billion streams on Spotify by September 2017, making it the service’s most-streamed song of all time. WK It also set a record for the most streams in a single day when, in its first 24 hours, the song was played 6.8 million times. SF Once the album was released, Sheeran broke his own record with over 10 million streams in 24 hours. SF On YouTube, it became the third most-watched music video ever with over 3 billion views. WK Resources: SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: Last updated 7/25/2023.