# Ed Sheeran **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [May 21, 2026, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277 "2026-05-21T12:34:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277/1 "2026-05-21T12:34:25Z")
I ran into a new-to-me musician last week, that i really liked. Can anyone tell me anything about Ed Sheeran? (And if you want to like fun at me for being totally out of it, musician, go right ahead. I know that already, though.) ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277/2 "2026-05-21T12:48:02Z")
I like a lot of Sheeran’s music. I don’t regularly have music on, and I don’t dive into it like a lot of music buffs on the board. But I think he is an excellent songwriter, and seems like a nice guy. He has a great episode of Carpool Karaoke you should check out. Also, the movie **Yesterday** has a great series of scenes with him. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277/3 "2026-05-21T12:50:45Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Also, the movie **Yesterday** has a great series of scenes with him. I came to say this. Sincere self-deprecation goes a long way. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277/4 "2026-05-21T12:53:19Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I ran into a new-to-me musician last week, that i really liked. Can anyone tell me anything about Ed Sheeran? Gawd, he’s utterly saturated the British music scene for years, it feels like. Staggeringly popular but grates on me terribly. He’s so famous here he managed to blag a spot in Game of Thrones because he’s a massive fan boy of the show. He sure isn’t an actor! ---
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277/5 "2026-05-21T12:55:15Z")
He seems like a sincerely nice person when you meet him. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277/6 "2026-05-21T13:01:30Z")
I can’t say I listen to his music, but from what I know of him he strikes me as a very talented musician. I’ve seen clips of him on talk shows where he demonstrates that all pop songs can be played with the same 4 chords: C Major, F Major, G Major and E Minor, and he can demonstrate it [by playing](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RF23klfapS4) any song [on demand](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xG1vOxwgqJw?feature=share) with those chords. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277/7 "2026-05-21T13:07:10Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > Gawd, he’s utterly saturated the British music scene for years, it feels like. I was driving through the German countryside with Danes, and it must have been the driver’s play list, because all the music was from him. I was half listening, and realized the words were in English, and commented on it. Yes, they told me, he’s incredibly popular in the UK. Maybe I’ve heard him before and just never noticed. But i enjoyed all the songs i heard. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277/8 "2026-05-21T13:26:53Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Maybe I’ve heard him before and just never noticed. He’s apparently the sixth most streamed artist of all time on Spotify, so you’ve done well to miss him ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277/9 "2026-05-21T13:34:39Z")
I don’t use Spotify. I mostly just listen to the radio. ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277/10 "2026-05-21T13:38:34Z")
He was incredibly popular in the US too. All over radio, TV, commercials, etc. I’ve heard Shape of You a thousand times against my will. I personally can’t stand his music, but given the popularity I didn’t have the mainstream opinion. ---
**Author:** ![ekedolphin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ekedolphin/32/10003_2.png) [@ekedolphin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekedolphin)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277/11 "2026-05-21T13:52:43Z")
I like Ed Sheeran very much, but I’ve only heard songs from two or three of his albums. My favorite song of his is “Perfect”. I also like “Shape of You”, “Thinking Out Loud”, “Nancy Mulligan”, and “Galway Girl”. He did at least two versions of “Perfect” that were duets, including one with Beyoncé. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277/12 "2026-05-21T14:01:32Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I don’t use Spotify. I mostly just listen to the radio. Just a datapoint on his popularity ---
**Author:** ![XOldiesJock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/ec9cab/32.png) [@XOldiesJock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XOldiesJock)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277/13 "2026-05-21T14:52:47Z")
He’s done well for a guy who looks like a cross between Opie Taylor and a Hobbit. I’m often not very impressed by contemporary performers, but I think I’ve liked most everything I’ve heard from him. And he seems like a genuinely nice guy. He’s quite a versatile songwriter, with songs of very different types. Music has always had a strong emotional effect on me. It’s probably why I became a radio disc jockey. The first time I noticed him was back when I was still doing a weekend radio gig. His song “The A Team” was popular at the time. I hadn’t paid close attention to it until one day when I had to do a break out of that song. I had my headphones on and really listened to the song for the first time. It really got me. By the end of the song I was so choked up I could barely speak. Watch the video and you’ll see what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277/14 "2026-05-21T15:04:05Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > (And if you want to like fun at me for being totally out of it, musician, go right ahead. I know that already, though.) Are you kidding? I’m just getting into this great new band, _Gorillaz_. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277/15 "2026-05-21T15:08:27Z")
Ed is a modest guy despite his incredible success. Here he makes a fan’s day: [Ed Sheeran | SURPRISES FAN IN MALL | THINKING OUT LOUD](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVlvdCjqJwo) ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277/16 "2026-05-21T16:09:40Z")
I think he’s pretty good. Some very good songs, like “Galway Girl”. I saw him at a sold out show at Levi’s Stadium a few years ago, so he is certainly popular. There was a famous plagiarism lawsuit brought against him by the estate of Marvin Gaye, which Sheeran won. There was a good article on this case in The New Yorker: > **[The Case for and Against Ed Sheeran](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2023/06/05/ed-sheeran-copyright-infringement-lawsuit-marvin-gaye)** > > The pop singer’s trial for copyright infringement of Marvin Gaye and Ed Townsend’s “Let’s Get It On” highlights how hard it is to draw the property lines of pop. ---
**Author:** ![Atamasama](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/atamasama/32/12961_2.png) [@Atamasama](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atamasama)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277/17 "2026-05-21T16:34:14Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > He’s so famous here he managed to blag a spot in Game of Thrones because he’s a massive fan boy of the show. He sure isn’t an actor! Sadly, he was a Lannister. Or at least worked for them. [![](https://external-preview.redd.it/in-game-of-thrones-season-7-ed-sheeran-appears-for-a-short-v0-l99l_qS-Ns7MX601Yb-XjT5Lgfb-SAVZcXGQSZjxYyo.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=ef51cc3744a12d6787c2cdb95d9acfcefe6eb703) ](https://external-preview.redd.it/in-game-of-thrones-season-7-ed-sheeran-appears-for-a-short-v0-l99l_qS-Ns7MX601Yb-XjT5Lgfb-SAVZcXGQSZjxYyo.jpg?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=ef51cc3744a12d6787c2cdb95d9acfcefe6eb703) ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277/18 "2026-05-21T16:37:12Z")
> [@Munch](#): > > Also, the movie **Yesterday** has a great series of scenes with him. Isn’t that the movie about some songs by this old English rock-and-roll band from the 1960s or so called the “_Beatles_”? I should check them out. Their songs seem catchy. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Disinfectus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/disinfectus/32/11085_2.png) [@Disinfectus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Disinfectus)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277/19 "2026-05-21T16:53:52Z")
> [@solost](#): > > I’ve seen clips of him on talk shows where he demonstrates that all pop songs can be played with the same 4 chords: C Major, F Major, G Major and E Minor, and he can demonstrate it [by playing](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/RF23klfapS4) any song [on demand](https://www.youtube.com/shorts/xG1vOxwgqJw?feature=share) with those chords. I’ve nothing against Ed’s music, but that’s a pretty silly claim. I would love to hear him play the following, using only those 4 chords. After the Love is Gone - Earth, Wind and Fire Yesterday - The Beatles Kissed by a Rose - Seal Maybe he is only referring to pop music from the last couple of decades, in which case, he might be able to do that, but pop music from 70s-90s would have plenty of exceptions. (/nitpick) ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2026, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277/20 "2026-05-21T17:15:14Z")
> [@Disinfectus](#): > > I’ve nothing against Ed’s music, but that’s a pretty silly claim. Maybe, but the one clip of him on the talk show with the host calling out a few different songs and Sheeran playing them in those 4 chords, and pulling it off, was impressive and fun. As much for his sheer encyclopedic knowledge of being able to play the songs on demand, as playing them in the 4 chords. I’d watch an hour of people trying to stump him on songs and seeing what he came up with. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ed-sheeran/1030277.md?page=2)