Photograph (Ed Sheeran song)
Sheeran wrote the song with Snow Patrol member Johnny McDaid, who had a piano loop from which the composition developed.The video is a montage of real home footage of Sheeran's infancy, childhood and adolescence, providing insight on his private early life, such as his inclination to playing music instruments and fondness of Lego.Ed Sheeran wrote "Photograph" in May 2012 with Johnny McDaid,[2][3] instrumentalist and background vocalist of the Irish band Snow Patrol.[11] It contains detailed imagery such as the protagonist remembering his girlfriend kissing him "under the lamppost, back on 6th street",[11][12] and keeping a picture of him "in the pocket of [her] ripped jeans".[16] The song was released as an "instant grat" digital download to the iTunes Store on 20 June 2014;[17][18] it served as the final of seven promotional singles from his second studio album, × (2014).[12] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph deemed the track "soulful balladry" and felt it showcased that Sheeran "can slip smoothly through the gears" on the album.[1] Paul Cantor of Vibe picked "Photograph" as one of the standouts from the album, and noted that the song's "brooding arrangement is an emotional roller coaster".[13] In his review for MusicOMH, John Murphy also felt that "Photograph" was "calculated and a bit cynical, almost as if it's been written specifically as a soundtrack to a particularly emotional scene in a US television series".Kevin Harly of The Independent wrote: "If you didn’t know Snow Patrol's Johnny McDaid produced the ballad 'Photograph', its stolid plod through clichés about how lovin' 'can hurt' and 'heal' should tell you".[33] Meanwhile, Dave Hanratty of Drowned in Sound remarked: "... the cloying 'Photograph' ... is co-written and produced by a member of Snow Patrol should surprise nobody, given that it follows their heartstring-tugging script so resolutely.[35] "Photograph" and the rest of the album's tracks entered the UK Singles Chart due to high streaming rates.[37] On 17 March 2017, the British Phonographic Industry certified the single quadruple platinum for combined sales of 2.4 million units.[40] With "Photograph", Sheeran also became the ninth male solo artist since 2010 to spawn four top 20 hits from a single album, excluding deluxe editions.[52][53] The Guardian columnist Tim Dowling suggested that the report was an indication of "very popular, slightly mellow songs that keep cropping up on sleep playlists" but not a list of a "carefully curated journey to unconsciousness".[54] On 9 June 2016, it was reported that Sheeran was being sued by songwriters Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard, writers of Matt Cardle's 2011 single "Amazing", for $20 million for copyright infringement.[56] In March 2022, while in court for a separate lawsuit over his song "Shape of You", Sheeran said that he settled the "Photograph" complaint on the advice of his lawyers, as the case was "more trouble than it was worth".After he won the "Shape of You" case, he said he regretted settling the claim for "Photograph", not because of the money involved, but because it changed his relationship with the song.[59] He initially intended the clips for inclusion in a documentary that was being produced around that time; but looking through the collection, he thought it might work for a music video.A critic says the acoustic rendition shows, "his falsetto shining",[75] while another writes it is an "incredible" cover song,[76] on a track meant to convey the temporal nature with which worldly mortal relationships have compared to one with God's son Jesus Christ.In 2021, The Portraits[78] (an alt-folk duo, Jeremy and Lorraine Millington, previously known for a 2020 cover of "Together in Electric Dreams" with their daughter, which they said was similar to the 2021 John Lewis advert song) released a cover of "Photograph"[79] with their 15-year-old daughter, Ciara Mill, on lead vocals again and a Somerset choir called the Skylarks backing them, alongside The Somerset County orchestra.
SingleEd SheeranB-sideFolk-popradio editAsylumAtlanticSongwriter(s)Johnny McDaidMartin HarringtonProducer(s)Jeff BhaskerEmile HaynieLay It All on MeYouTubeSnow Patrollong-distance relationshipmontage2016 Brit Awardsx Tourtoured with the bandKansas CityDenverJake Goslingdebut albumRick Rubinliner notesVH1 StorytellersprogrammedE majorchord progressionpopular musicNina Nesbittdigital downloadiTunes StoreTwitterhot adult contemporarycontemporary hit radiositcomCougar TownThinking Out Loudblue-eyed soulUK Singles ChartrotationBillboardThe Boston GlobeNeil McCormickThe Daily TelegraphKitty EmpireThe ObserverballadMusicOMHAnnie ZaleskiThe A.V. ClubThe IndependentDrowned in SoundThe HeraldstreamingBritish Phonographic IndustryBillboard Hot 100Mainstream Top 40Recording Industry Association of AmericaSpotifyThe GuardianTim DowlingList of songs that have been the subject of plagiarism disputesMatt CardleAmazingShape of Youmusic videoEditorBodhránframe drumbuskingGalwayRolling StoneLego HouseThomas the Tank EngineNirvanaKurt CobainGood Morning AmericaThe Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonUndateableMuch Music Video AwardsBBC Radio 1Live LoungeJordan Felizstudio albumBelovedCentricity MusicJessica MauboyTogether in Electric Dreams2021 John Lewis advert songTrace AdkinsIñigo PascualMonarchCD singleFelix JaehnJack GarrattMark "Spike" StentDavide RossiÖ3 Austria Top 40Ultratop 50Canadian Hot 100CHR/Top 40Hot ACRádio – Top 100Singles Digitál Top 100TracklistenGlobal 200Single Top 40Stream Top 40Billboard Mexican AirplayMonitor LatinoDutch Top 40Single Top 100Recorded Music NZVG-listaDance Top 50Polish Airplay Top 100ScotlandRádio Top 100SloTop50PROMUSICAESverigetopplistanSchweizer Hitparade