Breaking News
Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

Chico State's independent student newspaper

The Orion

    Ed Sheeran has undivided attention with “Divide.”

    On March 3, British singer Ed Sheeran released his latest album, “Divide.” Months later, two of his songs, “Shape of You” and “Castle on the Hill,” are still playing on pop radio stations.

    While “Gallway Girl” was another common favorite from Sheeran’s album, none of the other songs from the album made it to the top of the charts.

    While some may claim the rest of the album was not as good as Sheeran’s previous albums, there are great songs that have been overlooked.

    Supermarket Flowers: The greatness of this song is in the lyrics. While the melody itself is quiet and simplistic, the words hold so much power. The softness of “Supermarket Flowers” emphasizes the best qualities in Sheeran’s delicate voice. After listening to the song a couple of times, it appears that Sheeran is singing from his own perspective of the death of a loved one. However, in reality, Sheeran is singing from his mother’s point of view. It takes talent to write a song about someone else’s experience.

    5 out of 5 stars.

    Dive: It is almost impossible not to sway to this song. Concentrating on the rhythm can pull the listener in, and they might not even realize what’s being said in the lyrics. However, when the lyrics rise to the surface, his use of the word “dive” brings out the fact that he is all-in in this relationship.

    4/5

    What Do I Know: This song begins with calm guitar strumming, making it easy to listen to for fans. It creates a pleasant, playful feel that masks the sarcastic tone of the lyrics. The simplistic tone of the song parallels with the suggestion Sheeran makes: changing the world could be so simple if we all just jammed together.

    4.5/5

    Happier: Sheeran covers one of the most basic song genres: break-up songs. However, “Happier” brings a new light to separation. Rather than being in denial about his ex and suggesting that she is miserable without him, he sees that she is truly happy. The lyrics talk about how Sheeran sees his ex is happier without him, which is not something that is easy for most people to see. He also fully admits that he knows that he hurt her, and he is still in love with her. Towards the end, this song gets more repetitive, but it continues to build with more instruments and background singing added in.

    3/5

    Check out the rest of his album for other great songs like “Barcelona,” “Perfect” and “Eraser.”

    Caitlyn Young can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_arts on Twitter.

    View Comments (2)
    More to Discover

    Comments (2)

    All The Orion Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    • M

      Maya // Aug 30, 2017 at 4:41 pm

      Great insight! Author clearly has a deep appreciation for music.
      article: 5/5

      Reply
    • D

      Dylis // Aug 25, 2017 at 7:16 pm

      Great read. If I knew what the password was for my Spotify account I would listen to the album!

      Reply