It's reasonable to expect that 2017 could be the year of the comeback. Sam Smith's one year hiatus should come to an end this year and Ed Sheeran kept his end of the bargain too. He returned to social media and music exactly one year after announcing his 12 month break. And Ed returned with not one, but two brand new songs.
Both are heading out to make UK chart history as they are expected to be entering the charts at number one and two. I’m betting on “Shape Of You” to take the number one spot. It is slightly catchier, but just very commercial. The intro actually reminded me like the start of a Sia song, but if I had to compare it to Ed’s own repertoire, I think it has the feel of “Sing” somehow.
When the first lines of “Castle On The Hill” started, it reminding me a little of folk influences, but that impression didn’t really last that long. At least not when it came to the music. Lyrically, the song holds that feel throughout, due to its type of storytelling commonly used in folk music.
I think that Ed Sheeran really felt like reconnecting with his old friends and old life, from his pre frame days. I just hear this seep through in the lyrics of “Castle On The Hill”. Hints of things he missed, like friends moving on to another marriage and just the sheer reminiscing to the past. So, judging by these songs, I’d say he has spent his sabbatical wisely and it sounds like it has done him a lot of good.
Ed really didn’t waste a minute getting back into his work and already has been performing with his new material. If you browse YouTube you can find some really nice acoustic versions. It reminded me of a story I once heard about him trying to earn some cash busking while he was homeless. That is a far stretch from his life right now.
Both songs have already broken records on Spotify. Just in one weekend, since their release, the tracks have been played over 6.9 million times. The only artist to have had that many plays in such a short period before were One Direction. But on all streaming platforms combined he racked up 25.8 million streams in just 48 hours. With this, he surely picks up his regular flow, because he does have a track record for reaching a lot of people in a short time. It’s really like he never left.
