Ed Sheeran is a versatile artist who seems to be able to write and sing any style of music. “Galway Girl” is a song Ed wrote and recorded in a collaboration between himself and the Irish folk band called Beoga. The song is heavily influenced by traditional Irish music. “Galway Girl” was released on Saint Patrick’s Day 2017 and was the third single on Sheeran’s “Divide” album. Ed Sheeran’s father is of Irish descent, so this song probably has some special meaning for Ed. “Galway Girl” hit the charts in 31 countries throughout the world and topped the charts in Scotland, Ireland, Slovenia, Iceland, and Slovakia.
In the U.K., Australia, Denmark, Belgium, and Poland, the song reached the number two spot on the charts. This beautiful song also reached the charts in countries that aren’t traditionally countries with large Ed Sheeran fanbases, such as Hungary and Italy. In 13 countries, “Galway Girl” was certified Platinum or multi-Platinum. Sheeran says that he came up with the song with some other people as they were recording in Suffolk. They were just sitting in a garden, he said, and they decided to have Beoga come and record some other music. At that time, Ed thought that Beoga would be there for two or three days, but since he felt it would be a shame to waste their time together, they decided to write another song.
In a Beoga song called “Minute 5,” there’s a riff that Ed really likes. He asked them if they could try something with that riff, and it sounded brilliant, so they decided to keep it. Ed said that the opening line of the song, “She played the fiddle in an Irish band,” was inspired by Beoga’s Niamh Dunne, but the rest of the song is made up and not about any specific person. Another man, Steve Earle, wrote a song with the same title some years back, but that’s not to be confused with this song, and Ed explains that this song isn’t a cover. He tried to find other titles for the song, but nothing seemed to work. By his way of thinking, the whole point of folk songs is to take inspiration from the past and use it to make something new, so “people will just have to deal with it.”
YouTube
Watch this incredible performance of Ed Sheeran taking to the streets and singing “Galway Girl” for his adoring fans. This is a performance that none of them will ever forget.
