Ed Sheeran's 'Shape of You': Making 2017’s Biggest Track | Diary of a Song
Summary
TLDRThe transcript details the creative process behind Ed Sheeran's hit 'Shape of You,' highlighting the spontaneous and organic nature of songwriting. It reveals how a simple guitar riff evolved into the song's backbone, with Sheeran's impatience leading to immediate layering of sounds. The narrative also touches on the importance of keeping the song's structure simple to allow for live performance replication and the strategic addition of elements like the mellotron for color. The songwriter's initial reluctance to objectify in lyrics and the song's transformation from a potential duet to a solo hit underscore the dynamic and iterative nature of music creation.
Takeaways
- 🎶 The song 'Shape of You' was not initially intended to be a hit single but evolved organically during the songwriting process.
- 🎹 Ed Sheeran started playing a guitar riff as soon as they met, which became the foundation of the song.
- 🚀 The creation of 'Shape of You' was quick, with the basic structure established within the first 15 minutes of meeting.
- 🎧 Sheeran's impatience led to him creating guitar parts while waiting for the drum sound to be set up.
- 🎤 The song's rhythm was intentionally kept simple to allow for Ed's vocal performance to stand out.
- 🤔 Sheeran prefers to keep his music acoustic and straightforward for live performances, which influenced the song's arrangement.
- 🎵 The idea to include an interpolation of 'No Scrubs' came up during the writing session to give it an R&B feel.
- 📝 The lyrics were carefully crafted to avoid objectification, with the phrase 'in love with the shape of you' being a deliberate choice.
- 🔄 The song's structure is minimalistic, with variations in light and shade to keep the listener engaged.
- 🎼 Additional elements like the mellotron, bass drum, and rim shots were added to give the song more depth and movement.
- 🏆 Despite initial thoughts of giving the song away, it became one of Ed Sheeran's biggest hits, proving the importance of following instincts in music creation.
Q & A
What was the initial intention of the songwriting session with Ed Sheeran?
-The initial intention was to write a song, not specifically for Ed Sheeran, but just to create a song during the session.
How did Ed Sheeran start the songwriting process on the first day?
-Ed Sheeran started by walking over to a keyboard and playing, which was considered a good start by the narrator.
What was the first sound that was found and used in the song?
-The first sound used was a log drum, which the narrator found and felt like a world sound.
Why did Ed Sheeran start playing the guitar during the session?
-Ed Sheeran started playing the guitar because he was impatient and couldn't wait for the narrator to set up the drum sound.
How did the songwriting process evolve in the first 15 minutes of meeting Ed Sheeran?
-In the first 15 minutes, Ed Sheeran started layering sounds over the top of the initial guitar playing, and they quickly got into the flow of creating the song.
What was the approach to the rhythm of the song?
-The approach was to go with the flow of the rhythm, which went against the norm, and Ed Sheeran almost became the percussion of the song.
Why was the song kept more strict in terms of structure?
-The song was kept more strict because Ed Sheeran is primarily an acoustic artist and needs to be able to replicate the song live without additional musicians.
What was the strategy to keep Johnny, Ed Sheeran's main collaborator, engaged during the songwriting process?
-To keep Johnny engaged, Ed Sheeran would have a suitcase full of Lego for him to build while Ed worked on the track.
What was the inspiration behind the interpolation of 'No Scrubs' in the song?
-The inspiration was to give the song an R&B type feel, and the idea of interpolating 'No Scrubs' was considered cool by Ed Sheeran.
How did the line 'my bedsheet smell like you' come about?
-The line came about during the writing process, with Ed Sheeran suggesting it should be 'my bedsheets' instead of 'my t-shirt' as initially discussed.
What was the original title of the song before it became 'Shape of You'?
-The original version did not have the title 'Shape of You'; it only mentioned it in the beginning with 'in my bed sheet smell like you.'
How was the song structured in terms of loops and instrumentation?
-The song was structured with one loop throughout, which was monotonous, and additional elements like vocals, guitars, mellotron, bass drum, and rim shots were added to create light and shade.
What was the final moment of the song like, and how did it contribute to the overall feel?
-The final moment of the song was about tension and release, with subtle changes happening underneath that gave a feeling of movement and prevented the listener from getting bored.
What other songs were written on the same day as 'Shape of You'?
-On the same day, they also wrote a song with Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, and another song after that, making it a productive day with multiple song creations.
What was the initial reaction to the song within Ed Sheeran's record label?
-The initial reaction was one of surprise and questioning why Ed would want to give the song away, as it was considered potentially significant.
What was Ed Sheeran's attitude towards following trends in pop music?
-Ed Sheeran had always tried not to follow trends, but with 'Shape of You', he admitted he was wrong and it became one of the biggest songs of his career.
Outlines
🎶 Songwriting Process with Ed Sheeran
The first paragraph describes the songwriting session with Ed Sheeran, where the writer explains that the song wasn't initially intended to be a hit, but it evolved quickly. Ed Sheeran's impatient nature led to him playing the guitar pattern that became the foundation of the song. The writer appreciated this as it set a good starting point. They used a loop of this guitar pattern and began layering other elements. The writer also mentions his preference for keeping the rhythm strict due to his acoustic artist background and the need to be able to replicate the song live without additional musicians. The session was productive, with the writer and Ed Sheeran working well together, using creative methods like playing with Lego to maintain focus. The writer also discusses the evolution of the song's lyrics, including the decision to interpolate 'No Scrubs' and the change from 't-shirt' to 'bedsheets' for the scent reference, which was a last-minute idea from Ed Sheeran. The paragraph ends with the writer reflecting on the song's simplicity and how it was just one loop throughout.
🎧 Crafting 'Shape of You' and Its Evolution
The second paragraph delves into the production details of 'Shape of You,' highlighting the minimalist approach that kept the song from becoming monotonous. The writer discusses the importance of introducing new elements at the right time to maintain interest, such as the mellotron for color, a bass drum for weight, and a rim shot for movement. The song's structure was carefully crafted to build and drop tension, creating a feeling of constant motion. The writer also shares an anecdote about writing multiple songs in one day, including a potential duet with Faith Hill and Tim McGraw, and the initial consideration of giving 'Shape of You' to another artist. However, after playing it to his record label head, it was decided to keep the song. The writer reflects on the songwriting process, emphasizing the joy of writing over following trends, and acknowledges that sometimes breaking this rule can lead to significant success, as was the case with 'Shape of You.'
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Mind sick
💡Session
💡Layering
💡Percussion
💡Acoustic
💡Interpolation
💡R&B
💡Mellotron
💡Lego
💡Duet
💡Tension and Release
Highlights
The songwriting process was not initially intended to be mind sick but evolved organically.
The first interaction with Ed Sheeran involved him immediately playing a keyboard.
Ed Sheeran's impatience led to him creating guitar loops while waiting for drum sounds to be set up.
The song 'Shape of You' was created in just 15 minutes of meeting Ed Sheeran.
Ed Sheeran's guitar playing was the foundation of the song's rhythm.
The decision to keep the song's structure more strict was influenced by Ed's acoustic artist background.
The song's percussion was largely created by Ed Sheeran's guitar playing.
The songwriting session included using Lego to keep Ed Sheeran engaged.
The song was initially inspired by an R&B feel and included an interpolation of 'No Scrubs'.
The original lyrics were about 't-shirt smells like you' but were changed to 'bedsheets'.
The final version of 'Shape of You' does not explicitly say 'I'm in love' until the chorus.
The song's structure is minimalistic, with the aim to surprise listeners with new elements.
A mellotron was added to the song to give it a little color.
The song's beat is designed to feel like it's always moving to avoid listener boredom.
The song builds tension and releases it throughout to keep the listener engaged.
The songwriting session that day also produced a song with Faith Hill and Tim McGraw.
The song was initially considered for a duet but was later decided against by Ed Sheeran.
Ed Sheeran's label head questioned giving the song away, suggesting it could be a hit.
The songwriting process is described as not rocket science but more complicated.
The song 'Shape of You' became one of the biggest songs of Ed Sheeran's career.
Transcripts
to be honest I know what we're doing now
is like looking into it but none of us
thought that I didn't make the song to
be mind sick it already said everything
you wanted to say for that moment on his
record we went in there just to write a
song if we went into the session write a
song for Ed Sheeran I don't think we'd
ever love for somebody like me come on
now follow my lead come come now for
Molly it was the first day I'd ever been
him asleep the first literally the first
thing he did was he walked over to a
keyboard and played and then I was kind
of like well we ass that's a good start
log drum that we use there's the first
sound that I found I just felt like a
world sound ed started doing that thing
on the guitar that he does and I liked
it I honestly believe it's because Edie
is so impatient that he can't wait for
me to get a drum sound up so he goes out
and he says look I just do on the guitar
so he was doing that in the studio and
Steve said can we get that on the loop
straightaway he goes give me a give me a
clean track and he just starts layering
over the top this is 15 minutes into
meeting him you know and we were away
we're off
[Music]
easiest thing with this this key would
be to go with it the lot of the rhythm
it goes completely against that he's
almost the percussion with it so Bob
isn't the best place to find the lovers
of the bar
and that keeps the Pacer I'm always a
fan of keeping it more strict because
I'm I'm I'm an acoustic artist first and
foremost and when I play live I can't
replicate all these things I haven't got
any other musicians so you don't need
anything else because that's the
percussion that's ed ed is the
instrument story begin we're going now
[Music]
play Johnny's like my main guy that I
work with me and him together on our own
are probably written to 300 songs his
attention span could be fairly low one
of the things I did to try and keep him
in the room while I would be working on
a track I but have like a suitcase full
of Lego I pull into the hotel room and
say there you go you build that and it
was great because he would sit and build
the Lego and kind of get lost in that
world for a second and come up with this
this moment that was everything
[Music]
because as we were writing it I kind of
knew I wanted it to be like a really
sort of R&B type feel
and I was like wouldn't it be cool if
like we put like an interpolation and no
scrubs in it so the bit that won't go
you know I'm sure love originally was
ill you know I won't show other there
were some moments that I find on on the
the shape of you tapes which which were
really interesting so that's that's a
perfect example of how you add it starts
off as a just a noise and then you hear
that moment where he discovers it should
be come on he's inviting this person and
he has in his mind this is how I want
the song to sound this is what I want to
talk about originally I think we were
talking about it maybe being on my
t-shirt smells like you and he's like no
no it's got to be my bedsheets it's bad
sheep smell of you and I remember
thinking oh god no not bad sheets on the
original version it doesn't actually say
I'm in love with the shape of you it
only says that at the beginning bit in
my bed sheet smell like you
so it's like a weird thing in that us
pretty
[Music]
I'm in love with your body on on its own
felt objectifying to me yeah he's got
he's got a really warm heart do you like
do you not like I'm in love I do it's
just I just always know where I come
from there's this phrase they say look
at the shape you and that means you know
look at the way you've showed up yeah
this song is just one loop the whole way
through it's a very monotonous thing so
when you've got that for the whole song
the only thing you can do a light light
and shade bits so once you've heard the
first 10 seconds there's no more
learning to be done when it comes to the
hook then everything else is a surprise
it's so minimal that every time
something new does come in its lay it up
small vocals some of these guitars one
of the things that we added was the
mellotron it just added a little color
to it for me
just a little bass drum just to give it
some weight we've got a little 16 clap
going then we added a little rim and
there's kind of the only thing that's so
slightly off the beat you know so it's
feels like it's moving it's moving on
all the time you're not getting bored
every time you start getting bored of it
something new comes in or something
drops out it kind of builds and builds
and bills and then drops and bills and
bills bills and their drops and then at
the end it has a moment which are quite
like you don't really notice it
happening but it's happening underneath
and you just get this feeling of tension
release tension release we moved on to
another soul we've actually got a cut
with them Faith Hill in Tim McGraw that
we wrote the same day and then we did
another one after that we were a bunch
that day
oh the lien payment as well and that was
when at the end of the third song he
said go back and can you play me the
first tune again we thought it might be
a duet and the duet would be that the
girl sings one person that the guy sings
another verse when I was like this
sounds like rudimental should do it with
Rihanna he said I don't think this is
for me
I was off to the studio where my record
label head was I played it and then he
was just kind of looking at me like why
are you wanting you to give this away
I don't really know what what what it
means to choose a hip I just like
writing songs it's not rocket science
you know it's much much more complicated
kind of the best hour and a half of my
life to follow a trend is is a common
thing in pop and it's something that
I've always tried to not do but I was
wrong this time man it's one of the
biggest songs of my career
we discovered some
with the shape of you
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