Sing (Ed Sheeran song)

"Sing"
Single by Ed Sheeran
from the album ×
B-side "Friends"
Released 7 April 2014 (2014-04-07)
Format
Recorded 2013
Genre
Length 3:55
Label
Writer(s)
Producer(s) Pharrell Williams
Ed Sheeran singles chronology
"I See Fire"
(2013)		 "Sing"
(2014)		 "Don't"
(2014)
Music sample
"Sing"

"Sing" is a song by English singer-songwriter, Ed Sheeran. It was written by Sheeran and Pharrell Williams, who also produced it and provided uncredited background vocals. The song was released on 7 April 2014, serving as the lead single from Sheeran's second studio album, × (2014).[3][4][5] The song became Sheeran's first UK number-one single and also topped the charts in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland. It also peaked at No. 13 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Background

"Sing" was written by Sheeran and Pharrell Williams, and produced by the latter. Williams also provides uncredited background vocals during the chorus. The song has a length of 3 minutes and 55 seconds. The song, which has pop and R&B influences and was inspired by Justin Timberlake, is a departure from the folk rock sound Sheeran became known for on his previous album, +.[6][7] Sheeran was inspired to model the song after the pop and R&B stylings of Timberlake, stating "It was pretty close to a direct inspiration. I love Justified and FutureSex/LoveSounds, so I took inspiration from those."[8] The lyrics are about "a night out in Vegas."[9]

"Sing" was released in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and Germany in May 2014 with a corresponding EP. Aside from these nations, "Sing" was released internationally on 7 April 2014, during a YouTube live chat with Sheeran. "Friends", a track from the EP, entered the UK Singles Chart at No. 121.

Critical reception

The song received critical acclaim upon release; music critics complimented Sheeran's change of sound, and likening the song to the works of Justin Timberlake. Time gave the song a very positive review, saying that it is "more of a departure. It fits the times nicely: there's some of fellow Brit, Sam Smith, in Sheeran's rubbery falsetto, plus some of Robin Thicke's ubiquitous 'Blurred Lines' in the percussion. But Sheeran's really got his heavy-breathing, hyper-flirtatious sights on another, older target: Justin Timberlake's solo debut, 'Like I Love You'," adding that "Countless artists have died on that hill, from former boy banders trying to reinvent themselves in Timberlake's image, to teen idols in protracted growth spurts, to Timberlake himself on parts of The 20/20 Experience. But Sheeran brings legit musicianship, not just branding, to the tune, and his vocal tics and the 'Billie Jean' percussion suggest he might be looking back even further, to Michael Jackson's imperial phase."[3]

In a positive review, The Guardian said that "while Pharrell's influence is writ large, there's enough of Sheeran there to prevent it coming across as horrible pastiche."[5] The Hollywood Reporter also gave the song a positive review, stating that "Sheeran's fragile voice, as heard on past hits like 'The A Team' and 'Lego House,' has now morphed into a confident croon, unafraid of diving into a deep bag of melismas, boisterous chants and rapid-fire rhymes in order to convince his female subject of his desires."[10]

Chart performance

"Sing" debuted at No. 1 on the Australian ARIA Charts in May 2014, making it Sheeran's first ever number-one in the country, and his sixth top ten single in Australia. On the week of 14 April 2014, the song entered the New Zealand Singles Chart at No. 8, becoming his fourth top 10 single and second top 10 debut in New Zealand.[11] The song has since topped the charts in that country, giving Sheeran his second consecutive number-one single there.[12] The song debuted at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart and Irish Singles Chart, giving him his first ever number-one singles in both the United Kingdom and Ireland. In Italy, "Sing" has peaked at No. 2 and spent five total weeks at this position, giving him the higher peak position reached in the country, so far.[13]

In Canada, the track has since peaked at No. 4, giving Sheeran his first ever top 10 hits in the country. "Sing" debuted at No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Sheeran his highest charting single in the United States, at the time. The single managed to sell 123,000 copies, giving him his second best sales week digitally; the song also managed to net 563,000 streams and earn 28 million in audience impressions, all before its debut week on the Billboard Hot 100.[14] "Sing" has since peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song reached its million sales mark in the US in July 2014,[15] and has sold 1,323,000 copies as of January 2015.[16]

Music video

The music video for "Sing" was released exclusively to Sheeran's Facebook page on 22 May 2014, and added to Vevo and YouTube on 23 May, exactly a month before the album was released.[17] It follows a puppet caricature of Sheeran on a night out, during which he gets drunk, steals a mic from actor, Peter Kwong from Big Trouble, in Little China and sings karaoke, goes to a strip club and picks up Sheeran and Pharrell from a studio in his truck. Throughout the video Sheeran is seen playing his guitar in front of an optical illusion-esque backdrop. [18][19]

The puppet is currently in Sheeran's safekeeping,[20] but he has "no idea how to work it yet".[21] The puppet was closely modelled on him, down to his clothes and tattoos.[20] Sheeran and Pharrell received the award for Best Male Video at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards for the video.[22]

Live performances and cover versions

Sheeran performed the song live for the first time on Saturday Night Live on 12 April 2014, along with his unreleased, next single, "Don't", which he debuted off the album.[23] Sheeran also performed "Sing" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on 16 May 2014,[24] on the Britain's Got Talent semi-final on 27 May 2014,[25] on The Graham Norton Show on 6 June 2014,[26] and on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on 28 August 2014.[27]

Track listing

Digital download – single[28]
No. Title Length
1. "Sing"   3:55
CD single[29]
No. Title Length
1. "Sing"   3:55
2. "Sing" (Live @ 1LIVE Radiokonzert) 6:49
Digital download – extended play[30]
No. Title Length
1. "Sing" (Live @ 1LIVE Radiokonzert) 6:49
2. "Sing" (Trippy Turtle Remix) 4:06
3. "Friends"   3:10

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2014–15) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[31] 1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[32] 11
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[33] 26
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[34] 19
Brazil (Billboard Brasil Hot 100)[35] 42
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[36] 4
Canada AC (Billboard)[37] 1
Canada CHR/Top 40 (Billboard)[38] 4
Canada Hot AC (Billboard)[39] 1
Czech Republic (Rádio Top 100)[40] 28
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[41] 9
Denmark (Tracklisten)[42] 15
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[43] 17
France (SNEP)[44] 5
Germany (Official German Charts)[45] 7
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[46] 3
Hungary (Single Top 40)[47] 9
Ireland (IRMA)[48] 1
Israel (Media Forest)[49] 1
Italy (FIMI)[50] 2
scope="row"Luxembourg Digital Songs (Billboard)[51] 8
Mexico (Monitor Latino) 38
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[52] 15
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[53] 12
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[54] 1
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[55] 18
Poland (Dance Top 50)[56] 44
Scotland (Official Charts Company)[57] 1
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[58] 21
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[59] 6
South Africa (EMA)[60] 53
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[61] 24
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[62] 22
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[63] 7
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[64] 1
US Billboard Hot 100[65] 13
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[66] 14
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[67] 4
US Dance/Mix Show Airplay (Billboard)[68] 23
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[69] 6
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[70] 25

Year-end charts

Chart (2014) Position
Australia (ARIA)[71] 33
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[72] 31
Germany (Official German Charts)[73] 44
Ireland (IRMA)[74] 16
Italy (FIMI)[75] 33
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[76] 27
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[77] 11
US Billboard Hot 100[78] 56

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[79] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[80] 2× Platinum 160,000^
Germany (BVMI)[81] Gold 200,000^
Italy (FIMI)[82] 2× Platinum 60,000double-dagger
New Zealand (RMNZ)[83] Platinum 15,000*
Sweden (GLF)[84] Platinum 40,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[85] Gold 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[86] 2× Platinum 1,200,000double-dagger
United States (RIAA)[87] 2× Platinum 1,323,000[16]
Streaming
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[88] Platinum 2,600,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[89] Gold 4,000,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Label Format
Australia[90] 7 April 2014 Digital download (single)
Germany[91]
Ireland[92]
New Zealand[93]
Ireland[30] 30 May 2014 Digital download (EP)
United Kingdom[28] 1 June 2014 Digital download (single)

References

  1. 1 2 "Time. Ed Sheeran X review".
  2. ↑ "'x,' music review".
  3. 1 2 St. Asaph, Katherine (7 April 2014). "Ed Sheeran Teams Up With Pharrell for New Single "Sing": Listen". Time. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  4. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason (7 April 2014). "Ed Sheeran's 'Sing' Arrives: Pharrell-Produced Single Channels Justin Timberlake". Billboard. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  5. 1 2 Cragg, Michael (8 April 2014). "Ed Sheeran – Sing: New music". The Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 10 April 2014.
  6. ↑ Trust, Gary (11 April 2014). "Ed Sheeran's 'Sing' Headed Toward Top 40 Debut On Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  7. ↑ "Ed Sheeran's Billboard Cover: 5 Things We Learned About Music's Great Red Hope". Billboard. 4 April 2014. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  8. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason (9 April 2014). "Ed Sheeran Shares 'x' Track List". Billboard. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  9. ↑ "Ed Sheeran - 'Sing' Playback & YouTuber Q&A". YouTube. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  10. ↑ Lipshutz, Jason (7 April 2014). "Ed Sheeran's 'Sing' Arrives: Pharrell-Featuring Single Channels Justin Timberlake (Audio)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  11. ↑ NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart
  12. ↑ NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart
  13. ↑ "italiancharts.com - Ed Sheeran - Sing".
  14. ↑ Trust, Gary. "Pharrell Williams Tops Hot 100; Ed Sheeran Blasts In at No. 15". Billboard. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  15. ↑ Paul Grein (16 July 2014). "Chart Watch: 'Rude' Brings Reggae To #1". Yahoo! Music.
  16. 1 2 Grein, Paul (7 January 2015). "Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars Jump to #1 on Hot 100". Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  17. ↑ Ed Sheeran Debuts 'Sing' Music Video Exclusively on Facebook
  18. ↑ Ed Sheeran & A Lookalike Puppet Party Like Rock Stars In "Sing" Video: Watch | Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on Idolator.com
  19. ↑ Ed Sheeran's 'Sing' Music Video: Watch Muppet Ed Live Out a Wild Night | Billboard
  20. 1 2 "This Week's Fresh Music Top 20". 8 June 2014. 4Music. Missing or empty |series= (help)
  21. ↑ Ed Sheeran unveils 'Sing' video featuring Pharrell Williams - watch - Music News - Digital Spy
  22. ↑ "2014 MTV Video Music Awards.. Rock on the Net. Retrieved 15 December 2014
  23. ↑ "Ed Sheeran Debuts New 'X' Song on 'SNL' - Video". Rolling Stone. 13 April 2014.
  24. ↑ "Ed Sheeran Performs 'Sing' - Ellen Show May 16, 2014, - Video". Ellen Degeneres. 16 May 2014.
  25. ↑ "Ed Sheeran melts hearts on Britain's Got Talent". Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  26. ↑ "Ed Sheeran - SING". YouTube.
  27. ↑ "YouTube". youtube.com.
  28. 1 2 "Sing - Single by Ed Sheeran". iTunes (GB). Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  29. ↑ "Sing (2-Track) [Single]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  30. 1 2 "Sing - Single by Ed Sheeran". iTunes (IE). Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  31. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Ed Sheeran – Sing". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  32. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Ed Sheeran – Sing" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  33. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Ed Sheeran – Sing" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  34. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Ed Sheeran – Sing" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  35. ↑ "Top 100 Billboard Brasil - weekly". Billboard Brasil. 21 June 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  36. ↑ "Ed Sheeran – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Ed Sheeran. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  37. ↑ "Ed Sheeran – Chart history" Billboard Canada AC for Ed Sheeran. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  38. ↑ "Ed Sheeran – Chart history" Billboard Canada CHR/Top 40 for Ed Sheeran. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  39. ↑ "Ed Sheeran – Chart history" Billboard Canada Hot AC for Ed Sheeran. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  40. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201426 into search.
  41. ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201427 into search. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  42. ↑ "Danishcharts.com – Ed Sheeran – Sing". Tracklisten. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  43. ↑ "Ed Sheeran: Sing" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  44. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Ed Sheeran – Sing" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  45. ↑ "Musicline.de – Ed Sheeran Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  46. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  47. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége.
  48. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 20, 2014". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  49. ↑ "Ed Sheeran – Sing Media Forest". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  50. ↑ "Artisti - Classifica settimanale WK 21 (dal 19-05-2014 al 25-05-2014)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  51. ↑ "Ed Sheeran – Chart history" Billboard Luxembourg Digital Songs for Ed Sheeran. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  52. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Ed Sheeran search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  53. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Ed Sheeran – Sing" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  54. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Ed Sheeran – Sing". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  55. ↑ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  56. ↑ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Dance Top 50. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  57. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2014-06-14". Scottish Singles Top 40.
  58. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201423 into search.
  59. ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201428 into search. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  60. ↑ "South African Airplay Chart Top 100 - May 16, 2014". Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Archived from the original on 25 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  61. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Ed Sheeran – Sing" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  62. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Ed Sheeran – Sing". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  63. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Ed Sheeran – Sing". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  64. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2014-06-14" UK Singles Chart.
  65. ↑ "Ed Sheeran – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Ed Sheeran. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  66. ↑ "Ed Sheeran – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Ed Sheeran. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  67. ↑ "Ed Sheeran – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Ed Sheeran. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  68. ↑ "Ed Sheeran – Chart history" Billboard Dance/Mix Show Airplay for Ed Sheeran. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  69. ↑ "Ed Sheeran – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Ed Sheeran. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  70. ↑ "Ed Sheeran – Chart history" Billboard Rhythmic Songs for Ed Sheeran. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  71. ↑ "End of Year Charts – ARIA Top 100 Singles 2014". ARIA Charts. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  72. ↑ "2014 Year End Charts — Top Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  73. ↑ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  74. ↑ ">> IRMA << Irish Charts - Best of 2014 >>". IRMA. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  75. ↑ "FIMI - Classifiche Annuali 2014 "TOP OF THE MUSIC" FIMI-GfK: un anno di musica italiana" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  76. ↑ "Top Selling Singles of 2014". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  77. ↑ Copsey, Rob (31 December 2014). "The Official Top 100 Biggest Songs of 2014 revealed". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 February 2015.
  78. ↑ "Hot 100 Songs – Year End 2014". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  79. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2015 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  80. ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Ed Sheeran – Sing". Music Canada. Retrieved 12 September 2014.
  81. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Ed Sheeran; 'Sing')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  82. ↑ "Italian single certifications – Ed Sheeran – Sing" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 4 July 2014. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter Ed Sheeran in the field Filtra. Select 2015 in the field Anno. The certification will load automatically
  83. ↑ "New Zealand single certifications – Ed Sheeran – Sing". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  84. ↑ "Ed Sheeran - Sing" (in Swedish). Grammofon Leverantörernas Förening. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  85. ↑ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Ed Sheeran; 'Sing')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  86. ↑ "British single certifications – Ed Sheeran – Sing". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 December 2016. Enter Sing in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  87. ↑ "American single certifications – Ed Sheeran – Sing". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 4 July 2014. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  88. ↑ "Certificeringer - Ed Sheeran - Sing" (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  89. ↑ "Top 100 Streaming - Semana 38: Del 15.09.2014 Al 21.09.2014" (PDF) (in Spanish). PROMUSICAE. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  90. ↑ "Sing - Single by Ed Sheeran". iTunes (AU). Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  91. ↑ "Sing - Single von Ed Sheeran". iTunes (DE). Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  92. ↑ "Sing - Single by Ed Sheeran". iTunes (IE). Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  93. ↑ "Sing - Single by Ed Sheeran". iTunes (NZ). Retrieved 31 May 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/2/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.