ED SHEERAN Equals (=) | The story behind the new album in 2021 of ‘The Joker

ed sheeran equals

What’s left of that kid who dreamed of being an artist while singing with his guitar in the street? is Ed still not comfortable in the music industry? who is ‘The Joker’? Find out all the answers about Ed Sheeran’s new album in 2021 ‘= (Equals)‘.

Tunes and Playlists that make you thrill | Trembol
CATEGORY | News
AUTHOR | JC Trembol

Reading Time | 3 min

Listening Time | 10 min

Ed Sheeran Bad Habits

Ed Sheeran Bad Habits | The meaning of the best song of 2021

At 30 years old and having debuted in fatherhood, Ed Sheeran returns with ‘= (Equals)’, a new album that arrived in 2021 loaded with singles destined to become Hits.

The first of them was ‘Bad Habits’, a song in which Ed makes it clear that he is not a perfect guy 😇 and that he also has a few vices that he hopelessly wishes he could change.

Every time you come around, you know I can’t say no
Every time the sun goes down, I let you take control
I can feel the paradise before my world implodes
And tonight had something wonderful

It’s hard to resist the temptation and of course, Ed has enjoyed the success to the fullest. This is his song of redemption where he tells us about all the bad habits he had and has put aside since he became a father.

By the way, he wrote ‘Bad Habits’ with the album already finished because he wanted to break away from his pop-folk style and show something new to the fans, in this case with a mix of ballad and dance that has become the song of the year 2021.

People see me as the acoustic singer-songwriter who does ballads and there was just a lot of that. So I wanted to go in the studio and make something that was totally different. I spent a month and just made lots of mad tunes – and this was one of the mad ones.

significado = Ed Sheeran

Portada Ed Sheeran = (Equals)

Ed Sheeran = (Equals) | Story behind each song on the album

‘=’ begins with a taste of what the album will be like with ‘Tides‘, a song in which Sheeran tells us about his feelings and how his life has changed in recent years, including how being a first-time father influenced him.

After this introduction we get to Shivers, the second single in which Ed Sheeran talks about love and, specifically, about what Ed felt when he was with Athina Andrelos, his teenage girlfriend.

I wanna be that guy, I wanna kiss your eyes
I wanna drink that smile, I wanna feel like I’m
Like my soul’s on fire, I wanna stay up all day and all night

Sheeran wrote ‘Shivers‘ after finishing the ‘Divide Tour’. Contrary to what usually happens when he gets down to writing, it took him 3 days to finish the song because, according to him, it was “too special to get wrong 👩‍❤️‍👨”.

The 3rd track, First Times‘, as its title suggests, is about those first times that, no matter when they happen, always stay in our memory. We love the song because it shows the essence of Ed Sheeran. Just with his voice and a guitar is able to transport us to other places.

After ‘Bad Habits’ comes ‘Overpass Graffiti‘, another of our favorites from the album. It tells us about a breakup. Although it may not sound like it, this is a sad song, wrapped with a beat that brings back to the 80’s 🕺

Ed decided to call it like that because just like a graffiti you see every day as you drive by in your car, it’s very hard to forget certain people. In fact, the song is said to be inspired again by Ed Sheeran’s first love.

Find out more new music stories 🧡

If I may I’ll save ‘The Joker and the Queen‘ for last, because it deserves it. you’ll see. So, we take a small leap and move on to the seventh cut, Leave your life‘, which happens to be Sheeran’s own favorite. The reason for his predilection for this track is that it is dedicated to his daughter, hinting at his fear that something would happen to him that would prevent him from enjoying his life with her:

It’s basically a letter, I had a friend that passed away and his daughter said that he always said ‘I love you’ at the end of every conversation so the last thing he said to her was ‘I love you’. […] That made me think, my daughter was six months at the time, and if I died she would never know, she would just have people saying ‘he really did love you’.

  • In Collide, Ed lists things he’s done with his wife Cherry Seaborn 📝, to whom he’s been married since 2019 and who has inspired more than one ‘=’ track.
  • 2Stepwas composed during a time of zero self-confidence and ‘Stop The Rain‘ stands out for talking about adult life and the incessant amount of problems that arise and that, in the end, you have to come to terms with.
  • Love in Slow Motion‘ takes us right back into Ed Sheeran’s relationship with his wife, as it talks about the moments they spend with each other.

We’d always be out for drinks and catch up and dinners and brunches and we just never had any time for ourselves

  • Visiting Hours‘ explores death as a part of life in a totally touching way, taking as a source of inspiration the passing of his friend Michael Gusinski, with whom he would like to be able to talk even if it were only for 5 more minutes.
  • Sandman‘, a very tender lullaby, specially composed by Ed Sheeran for his little Lyra 👶

And we reach the end of the album with ‘Be Right Now‘, a climax that sums up all the emotions contained in this body of work, based on a melodic piano rhythm and touches of dance music.

Ed Sheeran The Joker and The Queen

We have left for best for the end. It’s song number 6 of ‘=’, ‘The Joker and The Queen’, which unsurprisingly talks about Ed Sheeran (The Joker) and his wife (The Queen).

It is a particularly romantic track, the soundtrack of their relationship, the melody of a newlyweds dance ❤️️, the expression of love in all its splendor.

For me this precious passage explains it all:

I was upside down
From the outside in
You came to the table
And you went all in
With a single word
And a gentle touch
You turned a moment 
Into forever

‘=’ is a gorgeous album, if not the best, certainly one of the best of 2021. In it we see a renewed Ed Sheeran, much more mature, aware of his personal growth and finally accepting his professional success.

  • Ed has added another treasure to his collection alongside his previous albums: ‘+’, ‘x’ and ‘÷’. What will be Ed Sheeran’s next album? We’re betting on ‘-‘.
Find more music related to: Ed Sheeran | Music 2021 | Pop | UK Music