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 ed!

Am a huge taylor fan - new album really growing on me although my favourite is the 1989 album which is just fantastic.
I’m 33 - I don’t care! I’d love to see her live, with a few wines.
Ed Sheeran - just ugh. Every song is predictable where you could sing the next bit of the tune at first listen.
The first Adele album (19) is brilliant, I think her latest effort is a bit ‘Sheeran’.
He appears on the new taylor album and it makes me want to skip the track... but the chorus is catchy

He's a good business man I'll give him that. He appeals to people who like Katy perry/Taylor swift so is considered in comparison as a credible artist, or to people who don't generally really like music.
I met him once and he was in an absolute state, really put me off 😂

I know music is about making money but I don’t want to listen to music made by ‘businessmen’. Motown was a kind of hit making factory but they had some great singers and brilliant songs that have stood the test of time.

Not all pop songs which are written to a mass produced formula are bad. Max Martin "hit maker " wrote tonnes of catchy pop songs; I think most of Britney Spears's hits were done by him. But Ed Sheran just seems to make songs that don't have the same appeal as "Baby One More Time"

Yes, there is absolutely nothing wrong with pop music! Remember Popstars the Rivals, with Girls Aloud and ummmm, the boys group? The songs that both bands were given were going to come straight out of a mass production song factory, and given the target audience for the programme, the boys seemed like a shoo in to win. However, their song was absolute bland boyband shite whereas 'Sound of the Underground' was an absolute fucking BANGER and so it was GA that shot to fame in the end. And they followed up with a tonne of brilliant pop songs as well.

James Arthur makes me want to to poke my eyes out with a rusty teaspoon!! How miserable can one guy be (not a challenge), it'll soon be Christmas and you can bet that Ed, Sam and James will all have equally puke inducing, mind numbingly crap Christmas songs out!!!!

I watched an interview with him just as his new album was coming out and he was very clear that he was writing the songs to generate mass appeal, even talking about “this albums ‘thinking out loud’ “ etc.
I didn’t think he was particularly salt of the earth before but he is blasé about making money from his songs.
Some are damn catchy though and I feel myself singing along in spite of myself aargh

Yes even I’d agree that Sound of the Underground was a banging tune, nothing against a good pop song, just not trite, soulless pap!

*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

and Elton allowed this? I daren’t Youtube it.*

For some reason this really fucking tickled me!!!!!! I keep thinking about it and laughing.

I loved Ed Sheeran's early stuff, I thought The A Team was very well written and I was really delighted there was some fresh guitar-based music coming out of the UK.
But then he released Thinking Out Loud and I just thought "fuck, here's a new version of Amazed by Lonestar, a song that is going to be sung at every fucking wedding for the next god knows how long!"

Shape of You I quite liked, it at least had a beat instead of bleating along about how someone is fucking perfect or from Galway. But yes, his early stuff was great, his recent stuff makes me think he's the songwriter equivalent of James Patterson with his Alex Cross novels. Churning them out for the masses without any thought to the integrity of the process.

Not that I'd think he'd give a shit what I thought but still.

Apparently music goes in 13 year cycles so hopefully we are on for a resurgence of something fresh soon. I'm bored of all this insipid crap too.

Hopefully when he runs out of mathematical symbols he’ll fuck off and stop making shit albums.
Hopefully he won’t find a scientific calculator and still be making stuff for years to come.
Waiting for him to still be going and release this in 2056 ....

Fucking dying at the poster saying she thought Galway girl was by the Corrs

Earlier stuff was great. Bloodstream is an incredible song. But the latest album has some real clangers. Galway Girl is like listening to Mrs Brown's Boys when you're expecting Father Ted. He's a lovely bloke by all accounts, and he has real talent, but he's becoming the Michael McIntyre or Peter Kaye of pop, and not the Tim Minchin or Billy Connolly that I'd love. Still, he's kind, generous, and a good person . Each to their own.

squoosh my best friend and I did have a bit of a fall out over Barry Manilow v The Clash. Worse still, she then went on to become a Chris De Burgh fan. She’s over it now.

I don’t actually mind Ed. I only know a handful of his songs though.

Love Ed ant totally agree that Taylor is the biggest player there is.

Tiny Dancer is an iconic song. What are you all on about?

Tiny Dancer is a 'nice' MOR anthem from the 1970s but it's not exactly what millennial joyriders would be listening to is it?

Oh Best you are a true friend to stick with her through the dark Manilow and De Burgh days!

Why not? Surely millennial joyriders are allowed to like a range of music. Let’s just put them all in a box.

Tiny Dancer is iconic because most people would recognise it if they heard it. It doesn't matter whether the younger generations like it.

Iconic =/= presently popular.

And I don't like Elton John at all.

Oh God, now people are getting in a huff over the apparently 'iconic' (who knew?) Tiny feckin' Dancer. Maybe some cool as fuck kidz drive around country lanes booming out Tiny Dancer. Maybe. As their other pals boom out Mistletoe and Wine. In July, like total renegades.

Who knows what goes on in Suffolk quite frankly.

Oh god the way Sam Smith warbles 'pray' in the song of the same name drives me mad. Drawing the word out and the vocal gymnastics, how could anyone think it sounds good? His voice really grates on me.

I grew up in Suffolk and "Castle on the Hill" does make me feel.homesick. as a teen (many many years ago) me and my mates used to bomb round the country lanes. My ancient mini didn't get to over 70 though!

I don't like everything he does (I'm not a fan of "Shape of You" or "Galway Girl") but I like most of his songs.

Can't stand most of Adele - I switch over if "Hdllo" comes on the radio - and as for Sam Smith......

Love a bit of Taylor though.

I don't see what all the fuss is about either. As PP mentioned, the music feels souless.

* Oh God, now people are getting in a huff over the apparently 'iconic' (who knew?) Tiny feckin' Dancer.*

No huff. Just not keen on music snobbery.