In 2014, Ed Sheeran recorded the song “Photograph” on his second album called “X” (meaning multiply). He wrote the song along with Johnny McDaid of the band Snow Patrol, who provided the piano loop from which they created the composition. After shopping around for producers trying out different versions of the song, Sheeran finally hired Jeff Bhasker to develop the final version. The song’s main instruments consist of a piano, programmed drums, and an acoustic guitar. And the song talks about a long-distance relationship based on Sheeran’s personal experience when he and his then-girlfriend were separated while he was out on tour.
The song has very detailed imagery, such as when the singer remembers his lover kissing him “under the lamppost, back on 6th street,” and how she kept a picture of him “in the pocket of your [her] ripped jeans.” At the time, Sheeran was dating Nina Nesbitt, who’s also a singer/songwriter for over a year. During their relationship, the two had spent five months away from each other, three while he was on tour with Snow Patrol and two when he was on his solo tour. Sheeran said he wrote the song at the Intercontinental Hotel while he was touring the U.S. In this video, he gives a live performance of “photography” while playing an acoustic guitar.
Image via YouTube
Since the since it’s release, the single has sold over 96 million streams and 386 actual sells for a combined total of 1,347,000 units. It also certified triple platinum by the British Phonographic Industry in 2017 with sales in the U.K of 1.8 million and reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, which made it the third top 10 song from that album.
Image via YouTube
Watch Ed Sheeran’s intimate performance in the video below.
