One-man band Ed Sheeran, who hasn’t released solo music since his 2014 sophomore album x, just unleashed “Shape Of You” and “Castle On The Hill.” He debuted two lyric videos for the songs and verified the lyrics here on Genius.
The two songs are the first taste of his upcoming third album, titled ÷, following in the mathematical footsteps of his + and x albums.
Sonically, “Shape Of You” starts out with a bouncy vibe, reminiscent of Sia’s Billboard chart-topper “Cheap Thrills,” that continues throughout via Ed’s familiar loop pedal. Lyrically, Ed sings about meeting someone at a bar and eventually falling in love with her and her body over time.
The club isn’t the best place to find a lover
So the bar is where I go
Me and my friends at the table doing shots
Drinking faster and then we talk slow
Come over and start up a conversation with just me
And trust me I’ll give it a chance now
Take my hand, stop
Put Van The Man on the jukebox
And then we start to dance
Leading up to the new single’s debut, Snapchat released a filter that teased 30 seconds of the song. Ed himself had teased his new music in several cryptic socials posts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
The Benny Blanco-produced “Castle On The Hill,” described on iTunes as a “life-affirming pop rocket,” pays homage to his upbringing in the English countryside town of Framlingham, Suffolk
Fifteen years old and smoking hand-rolled cigarettes
Running from the law through the backfields and getting drunk with my friends
Had my first kiss on a Friday night, I don’t reckon that I did it right
But I was younger then, take me back to when
We found weekend jobs, when we got paid
We’d buy cheap spirits and drink them straight
Me and my friends have not thrown up in so long, oh how we’ve grown
But I can’t wait to go home
Read all of Ed Sheeran’s verified lyrics for “Shape Of You” and “Castle On The Hill” on Genius now.
