To find Ed Sheeran's music really forced?

[moutonfou]

Before anyone else says it... #firstworldproblems

But his songs just seem to be tactically written to have mass appeal. Galway Girl rammed full of tired stereotypes... Castle on the Hill which he presents as some kind of 'salt of the earth' autobiographical kind of thing but then admits he's never actually broken his leg (so why say it?)

And the new one, Perfect, seems to have been written as part of a 'wedding song by numbers' kit - falling in love young, prevailing "against the odds", hoping to have children, etc etc.

Yes, obviously music has to be commercial, but people like Adele and Sam Smith (heck even Taylor Swift!) manage to be commercial yet authentically reflect their own experiences.

AIBU? (probably)

I thought Galway Girl was a piss take when I heard it it’s so bad

I'm not a massive Ed Sheeran fan; like a couple of his songs (hate Shape of You which seems to be on everywhere).

But I do love his song Perfect, because DH and I can relate to it. We did fall in love young; we're childhood sweethearts. We did overcome a lot to get to where we are today. So yes, that song has a place in my heart for that reason.

But Taylor Swift is a snake and quite possibly one of the worst artists out there pretending to be 'normal'. She's horrific. A charlatan.

You seem irrationally angry over someone you don't even know. What makes her a "snake", "horrific", a "charlatan"? Why do you think you know whether she's pretending or not?

Meh he is OK. Some of his songs are quite sweet, but yeah, a bit cliche. I am actually sick and tired of Sam Smith tbh, and his voice grates on me a bit now. Also, he has gone too far with the weight loss now, and looks gaunt. Adele is OK but like Smith and Sheeran, a bit over-rated. And I fucking LOATHE Ellie Goulding. She is so annoying and her voice grates on my last nerve. Her lips look grotesque too, with the laughable amount of collagen she has had in them.

Horrid comments from a pp about Taylor Swift. She is really good imo. Talented and pretty, good songs, decent singing voice, and a nice girl.

Op, I was saying this to my DH just the other day! I find his lyrics insincere and too conmercial. Especially castle on the hill, I can’t listen to it ‘sweet perfume of a mountain’, no.
I don’t understand the popularity, although he does seem like a genuinely nice bloke. I’m glad it’s not just me, everyone seems to love his music!

I detest his soppy, boring music. Can't understand his popularity at all.

“dancing in the dark with you between my arms”
Anyone else hear this and think in your arms would totally fit and sound a shit ton better? .... just me then.

Oh, I quite like him. But I don't claim to be a music expert type.

But if you sing along to 'perfect' - you 'IN' my arms doesn't fit the tune. @kickingcuh

Though it is obviously grammatically better.

Still, you would think he'd have made more effort to rewrite the line! It sounds silly.

Bollocks to all you Ed haters. I only started listening to him last year after Shape of you was released and can now sing badly all the songs on that album. DH leaves the room as soon as my Spotify is turned on and DD starts moaning "Not him again."

We saw him on the Celeb Gogglebox was surfing channels I swear and I watched him. DH gave me a face when I told him that was Ed Sheeran. "You fancy that ?" and was promptly told to shush as Ed was on.

I think Ed, like quite a few other super popular, commercial singers has got sloppy with his song writing now. Half the stuff he writes is basically shit now, but his followers are so entranced by their cute ginger boy guitarist, that they are blinded to the fact that his songs are very average now. He knows his 'boy-next-door' appeal will mask the fact that his songs aren't that great any longer, and he has made fuckloads of dosh, so he doesn't care.

@Alphabites

We are not Ed-haters, we are just bored with him, we think he is over-rated, his songs have gone downhill, and he has turned into a parody of himself.

Ed Sheeran is nothing more than a busker who got lucky, he has all the appeal of a bag of vomit and his songs are mediocre at best. YANBU.

Sam Smith... Every time I hear his whiney, snivelling voice I want to to reachl for a razor blade and cut his fucking throat or my fucking wrists!!!

This^^

I just want to put him out of his misery - my kids think my reaction is hilarious whenever his music comes on the radio. I cannot stand him, can’t bear him, aaarrrrgh!!!!!!

And I bet you all wouldn’t fancy him if he did something normal like worked in KFC

He’s also very irresponsible advocating driving at 90mph through country lanes, and what kind of boy racer listens to Elton John?!

Ed Sheeran was on Celebrity Gogglebox recently and when they played a sound clip of Iggy Pop's Lust for Life he said 'oh that's The Clash'.

I.could.not.fucking.believe.it.

He knows fuck all about music.

And yes I agree with you OP, all his songs are released with an angle to appeal to big sentimental demographics. The one about the dead mum is guaranteed to be played at funerals for decades to come.

It's all so very cynical and corporate...

I'm not really a fan of new music or commercial stuff but I actually quite like most of Ed's stuff.

However, I do agree it's all very false and targeted to the masses. Still though if I could write songs and make millions wouldn't give a shiny shit how much truth was in there!

Can't stand Adele's music though, seriously love MOVE ON and stop stalking your bloody ex. Creepy Mair. In reality though she seems pretty level headed and down to earth so I won't hold it against her :o

Taylor Swift too, she really gives me the pip.

Tattius I always assumed he meant the rap cross Tiny Dancer that was out a few years back, N-Dubz maybe?! I can't remember but there was a version I'm sure :o

I think Sam Smith thinks he is some cross between George Michael, Marvin Gaye, and Michael Jackson. He isn't fit to wipe the arses of these 3 beautiful, gifted music legends.

He is an ok singer who got lucky, and has had 2 or 3 decent songs. When he got the oscar for his fucking boring James Bond song, he was so full of himself, and I cringed when he started banging on about how he was (supposedly) the first openly gay winner of a music oscar or some fucking shit like that... ............. yawnage..

Thinking out loud is his worst. I can’t believe people had that as their first dance. It sounds like a 90s boyband (but duller, with no harmony). It so tacky and trite.
Not a fan. I find it odd for a song like that to touch people. His music doesn’t represent love for me at all.

The two things about Galway Girl that really irritate me are

1)There's already a hugely, hugely popular song called Galway Girl. Stopping trying to piggy back on that song's popularity.

2)The line that says something like 'I met her in a bar on Grafton Street'. Any eejit could tell you that there aren't any bars on Grafton Street. None.

“dancing in the dark with you between my arms” sounds like a recipe for banging into a lot of furniture TBH.

I agree though that he’s not as bad as Sam Smith. Whiney little did he is.

“and what kind of boy racer listens to Elton John?”

Me too! Every time I hear it I think “tiny fucking dancer? As. If.” What sort of Bell ends have tiny dancer on full blast while driving recklessly? It’s no techno trance, is it?