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 love Galway girl too - the best bit is the "aye diddle aye diddle diddle aye" bit and the "rapping" ...it just makes me smile.

I can't listen to castle on the hill without crying and I had no idea why. My childhood was neither perfect or terrible. I always chuckle at "one sells clothes by the coast " can't work out of that's a good or bad thing. Guess it depends on the clothes

Galway Girl was a heinous crime against music

I agree LEM. He isn't shit, he just makes music that most mumsnetters dislike. People seem to confuse personal taste with talent here.

I love Ed’s songs and so do my teenage DS’s, so there, LOL 😝

I love Ed Sheeran. The man's a genius. Can't stand Sam Smith's whining!

Horses for courses I guess

Ed Sheeran writes music for the lowest common denominator.

It has served him very well.

Here’s my tuppence worth. He is an excellent and extraordinarily talented musician. There are flashes of brilliance - Bloodstream live at the Brits for e.g. He was heavily influenced by Damien Rice and you can hear in some of his music where he writing like Damien Rice and doing it better. I am a Damien Rice fan and he is an up his own arse ‘I’m a tortured musical genius’ type who plays the odd gig in Japan and Iceland because no-one in Ireland or the UK is worthy of his love performance. I think Ed recognised this, and knows what sells in music and took the other road where he absolutely IS trying to corner every single market possible, wedding songs, kitch songs, sentimental youth songs, edgy songs, teams up with Taylor (very calculated relationship there on both sides I reckon, mutually beneficial), and sells a shit ton of music and gigs. He probably sees his limited shelf life, has no problem in selling out, and to be fair, for a man who isn’t a classic heartthrob in the Justin Bieber sense, has done incredibly well. So while his approach makes me dislike a lot of his music, I respect him a lot as a business man because he must be absolutely LOADED!

I really like Castle on the hill. Galway girl is a bit cringy, but no one can deny that it's catchy and a cheerful tune.
Perfect is just the most cringe worthy song ever written!

Lots of artists write/perform songs which have no direct relationship to their own personal experience. Just like novelists wrote novels which are not autobiographical.
E.g. Elton John’s song Daniel is about a soldier going to Vietnam. Just because he didn’t have a brother who went to Vietnam (I don’t think) doesn’t make it any less of an amazing song.
(I’m with you in Galway Girl though and I think Ed’s earlier stuff in his EPs and first album is much better).

The snobbery on here
I assume the posters who say that he is talentless are far more talented than he is.

I am apathetic towards him at best but I think YABU. All this talk of him writing for the lowest common denominator yet comparing him unfavourably with any other chart act out there (Taylor Swift fgs) is definitely a case of confusing personal taste with talent. There isn't an artist anywhere near the charts that doesn't write for the lowest common denominator! They're all equally shite.

Chances are if you're posting on MN this music wasn't made for you, it's made for kids who like simplistic, repetitive pop that they can like on first listen.

I would have struggled to name any of his songs. Now I have "shape of you" on my iPod because it's catchy. No idea on any others! He just seems very bland and mediocre to me.

Great post Slarti

I'm an out and proud music snob! 😘

Ed grew up in Framlingham in Suffolk, which does have a castle on a hill. My little brother went to Tom Mills high school with him. He said he can remember being 'not very kind to the sad ginger twat'. Apparently he spent most of his time in the music room 'getting in touch with his emotions'. Whatever u think about his music, I'd say he is a pretty genuine guy. Often hangs out in the local pub with his old mates in Suffolk and is always has plenty of time for locals who want to chat with him. Known locally as a thoroughly nice bloke. Would you expect all songwriters to feature only personal experiences in their songs? I reckon a bit of artistic licence is fair.

He's utter mediocrity in human form, not a particularly good singer or guitar player and his song writing is so stuck in the middle of the road that it’s a danger to oncoming traffic. Also, who said he writes his own stuff? If you look at the credits on the albums there are usually one or two songs that are solely his but he generally has an army of co-writers doing the heavy lifting.

Seems a nice lad though.

I’m mostly listening to Grace Jones this week by the way.

I like Ed - have listened to him since the beginning and have all his albums on my iPod. I think he's done the same as most people would in his shoes - taken advantage of is his huge popular after "X" and released a new album that would make him even more money. So what if some of the things he sings about aren't 100% accurate? Every single singer out there uses artistic license to make things more sellable.

I can't stand Taylor though. She plays on this wholesome USA country girl image but goes through celebrities like nobody's business - all for the publicity and album fodder. I also don't think she can sing particularly well.

The only half decent song he’s ever released is Shape of You and even then I can only listen to the version with Stormzy on it.

The charts were ruined the minute autotuned music became a thing

Saw him liveat a featival just before A Team broke. He doenst need autotune. Also seen him the next two years at same festival aand in concert proper a few times.

Not everything can be straight from the heart biographical can it? What happens when he has a boring year? You really want songs like
^Five times I walked in to my kitchen
Saw my toast sitting there getting colder
Then I'd pick up the knife
And you'd scream for you life
You just need attention from me
I just need a cup of tea
I just want my toast to be hot
And once again, its not^

I don't like his rapping and his gigs are getting overpriced for me but I have all his albums. He knows how to write a song that explains how lots of people feel

and even then I can only listen to the version with Stormzy on it

Oh to be 17 again.

I think Stormzy makes shit "music". Oh wait, no it just isn't my taste at all.

I went to see him. I must be the only one there who found it boring and tired. Only interesting part was when he genuinely thought he could rap. The songs didn't feel unique, very much to the same formula. He's said that all pop songs can be played on, something like, the same 3 cords. All his songs included.

I find him very similar to James Blunt but for some reason Eds cool and James isn't. But at least James doesn't try to hide the naffness of his songs and has humour.

😂😂 SurferJet! Add on a good 30 years!!

Liz Kershaw was on Fighting Talk fairly recently and had his music as her Any Other Business.

She described it as sort of mind numbing the younger generations. She couldn’t understand how this generation of zero hour contracts and unpaid internships and unattainable house prices and living with your parents until you’re 30 were listening to drivel like this instead of picking up a guitar and getting bloody ANGRY.

I totally agree with her, and the OP.
I like pop as much as the next person, but Ed Sheeran is just boring dross.