2021-10-29
= (Equals)
Ed Sheeran
By Maeve C.
Turning 30, becoming a father and losing a friend all feed into =, which Ed Sheeran began with Johnny McDaid in Los Angeles in June 2017 and finished in July 2021. “Tides” opens with a rush of noise that stops abruptly, standing for the moment his career gave way to fatherhood.
“Bad Habits” and “Shivers” both reached number one in the UK. “Visiting Hours” was written after the death of his friend Michael Gudinski and performed at his memorial, while “Sandman” is a lullaby for his daughter, written before she was born. The album topped the charts in the UK and the US.
Sources
Rights-holder metadata (An Asylum Records UK release; ℗ 2021 Warner Music UK): October 29, 2021. Notes on themes, 'Tides', 'Visiting Hours' and 'Sandman'.Corroborates release 29 October 2021 (Asylum/Atlantic); begun with Johnny McDaid in Los Angeles in June 2017 and finished July 2021; 'Bad Habits' and 'Shivers' UK No. 1; album No. 1 in UK and US.