When Ed Sheeran wrote “Shape of You” and released it as a digital download in 2017, he may or may not have known how big a hit it would be. “Shape of You” is one of the double lead singles from Ed’s “Divide” album and is described as a pop song that’s dancehall-infused. This incredible song peaked at the top of the charts in 34 countries, including the United States, where it became 2017’s top-performing song. In the U.K., Australia, and Canada, “Shape of You” also peaked at number one, and stayed in the number one spot on Canada’s Hot 100 chart for 16 consecutive weeks. It stayed in the number one spot in the U.K. for 14 non-consecutive weeks.
It was on December 10th, 2018 that “Shape of You” became the first song on Spotify to ever hit two billion streams. In Sheeran’s native U.K., “Shape of You” was the best-selling song of the decade and in 2017, it was the best-selling song. Worldwide, this beautiful ballad is the best-selling song in digital sales. It has sold 26.6 million units. However, “Shape of You” isn’t just a commercial hit that made Ed Sheeran super-wealthy. It also performed well in awards, earning Ed a Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance. Billboard ranked this phenomenally successful song as the ninth most successful song of all time in 2018.
As it turns out, Ed Sheeran didn’t write “Shape of You” for himself. when he wrote it, he wrote it thinking it would be a good song for songstress Rihanna to record as a duet with Rudimental. However, the executive in charge of Ed’s record label convinced him that it could be a huge hit for Ed, and advised him to keep the song for himself. After much thought, Ed agreed, and in a quote to Billboard, Ed stated that the song is “actually a really random one,” further adding that he collaborated with Johnny McDaid and Steve Mac to write songs for other artists. After finishing “Shape of You,” Ed realized that it might not work well for Rihanna, and the rest is history.
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The world is very grateful that Ed Sheeran recorded this song. We can’t imagine it being sung more beautifully and soulfully by anyone else. Watch him sing it live below.
