How Ed Sheeran’s ‘=’ Adds Up
='s album cover depicting an equals sign on a red background with a border of butterflies. Source: Atlantic Records 2021
I was walking along the sidewalk in North End when I hit the ‘play’ button on Ed Sheeran’s newest album, “=”. His first solo album since 2017, Sheeran recently released his newest collection, aptly titled following the sequential math titles of his previous albums ‘+’, ‘x” and ‘÷’ on Friday, Oct. 29.
In deciding whether to shuffle the album or listen to it in order, I ultimately decided that, having been familiar with Sheeran’s work, he would most likely tell a story through the tracks played chronologically. So, when listening in order, I noticed that the first lyric of the first song, “Tides”, explains that Sheeran has “grown up, I am a father now“. From this first line of the first song, it became clear that Sheeran aimed to reestablish his brand as older and more mature following his marriage to life-long friend Cherry Seaborn, birth of his daughter Lyra Antarctica Seaborn Sheeran and his four year hiatus. “Tides” relates the shift that has occurred in Sheeran’s life and perspective to the changing of the tides – a pop hit with a deeper meaning and familiar mention of oceans within Sheeran’s discography, following “Tenerife Sea” on his ‘x’ album. ” Since fans learn from the beginning of the album that Sheeran is experiencing a change, they follow him throughout the album as well to hear how he has grown. Instead of his songs centering around attending bars and drinking pints of beer, they now hold lessons he wants to pass to his daughter and the love he has for his wife.
On first listen, ‘=’ seemed like a combination of past albums, with upbeat singles as a nod to ‘÷’ and slower, sadder ballads reminiscent of ‘x’. However, after listening again, it is clear that Sheeran has composed this album to engage fans from throughout his eras -- those who enjoyed the vulnerability of the singer-song-writer Sheeran has been since 2012, as well as his newer fans who have joined him on his foray into pop culture. While the acoustic guitar still accompanies the majority of ‘=’’s tracks, the R&B harmonies on songs including “Collide” and “2Step” further show that Sheeran has grown to accommodate the tastes of all fans.
Besides “Tides”, another one of my favorite tracks on the album is “First Times,” a ballad recounting some of the new experiences Sheeran has had recently. The chorus of the song states, “The first kiss, the first night, the first song that made you cry/The first drink, red wine, on a step in Brooklyn/I still feel the first fight, and we both made it out alive/And I can't wait to make a million more first times.” The way Sheeran recounts the small moments with his wife that have formed his relationship reminds fans of other songs on past albums, including “Thinking Out Loud” on ‘x’ and “Perfect” on ‘÷’, that contain lyrics about love and matrimony. Similar to “Perfect”, I anticipate the genuinity and rawness, coupled with the slow melody of “First Times” to allow it to become a popular first dance song at the receptions of newlyweds (but hey, I call dibs on it years in advance!)
“Collide”, another song about Sheeran’s past romances, takes a unique perspective on love. Through this song, Sheeran describes past experiences he has shared with his wife that have cultivated their relationship through quirky, unconventional moments. Specifically, the song lists three instances of shared love that are suggestive of Sheeran’s bonding moments with Seaborn. “Fumbled in cubicles in Tokyo,” one lyric states, with another saying, “And been to funerals in rented clothes/We drank your father’s whiskey when your grandma died.” Not typically considered rom-com scenes, Sheeran’s soft voice and mellow tempow romanticize these unspoken aspects of his relationship that have strengthened it, which in turn makes the listener long to fall in love.
Having been a fan of Sheeran since I went to see him play at Jenkinson’s Boardwalk in Point Pleasant, New Jersey in 2012, I deem ‘=’ one of my favorite albums of his. I saw the collection as a return to the sound Sheeran used to have, with nods to who he has become. I appreciated the growth in his lyrics and how over the past decade, he has become an entirely different person while still retaining the musical talent that makes him distinct from other artists. Through ‘=’, Sheeran has proved that he was able to complete his mathematical equation of albums to represent a time period in his adulthood, with older formulas applied to his newer perspective on life.