Jump to content

Sing (Ed Sheeran song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Tom.Reding (talk | contribs) at 14:56, 29 January 2021 (+{{Authority control}} (2 IDs from Wikidata), WP:GenFixes on). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"Sing"
Single by Ed Sheeran
from the album ×
B-side"Friends"
Released7 April 2014 (2014-04-07)
Recorded2013
Genre
Length3:55
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Pharrell Williams
Ed Sheeran singles chronology
"I See Fire"
(2013) 		"Sing"
(2014) 		"Don't"
(2014)
Audio sample
"Sing"

"Sing" is a song written and recorded by English singer-songwriter, Ed Sheeran. The song was produced by Pharrell Williams, who also provided backing 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.[10] 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'."[3] The chorus riff and falsetto are from "Miss You" by The Rolling Stones.

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."[11]

Chart performance

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. The song has sold 670,000 copies in actual sales in the United Kingdom, which together with 66 million in streams give a combine total units of 1,339,000.[12]

"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.[13] The song has since topped the charts in that country, giving Sheeran his second consecutive number-one single there.[14] 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.[15]

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.[16] "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,[17] and has sold 1,323,000 copies as of January 2015.[18]

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.[19] 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.[20][21]

The puppet is currently in Sheeran's safekeeping, but he has "no idea how to work it yet".[22] The puppet was closely modelled on him, down to his clothes and tattoos. Sheeran and Pharrell received the award for Best Male Video at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards for the video.[23]

The video is directed by Emil Nava.[24][25]

In 2018, he did an homage to the video of the single "Happier".

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.[26] Sheeran also performed "Sing" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on 16 May 2014,[27] on the Britain's Got Talent semi-final on 27 May 2014,[28] on The Graham Norton Show on 6 June 2014,[29] and on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on 28 August 2014.[30]

The track was featured in the trailer for the animated film of the same name, Sing. The song is a playable track in Guitar Hero Live.

Formats and track listings

Digital download[31]
No.TitleLength
1."Sing"3:55
CD single[32]
No.TitleLength
1."Sing"3:55
2."Sing" (Live @ 1LIVE Radiokonzert)6:49
Digital download – extended play[33]
No.TitleLength
1."Sing" (Live @ 1LIVE Radiokonzert)6:49
2."Sing" (Trippy Turtle Remix)4:06
3."Friends"3:10

Charts

Certifications and sales

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[106] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[107] 3× Platinum 240,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[108] Gold 150,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[109] 2× Platinum 60,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[110] Platinum 15,000*
Sweden (GLF)[111] Platinum 40,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[112] Gold 15,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[113] 2× Platinum 672,000[12]
United States (RIAA)[114] 2× Platinum 1,323,000[18]
Streaming
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[115] Platinum 2,600,000†
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[116] Gold 4,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Label Format
Australia[117] 7 April 2014
Digital download (single)
Germany[118]
Ireland[119]
New Zealand[120]
Ireland[33] 30 May 2014 Digital download (EP)
United Kingdom[31] 1 June 2014 Digital download (single)

References

  1. ^ "Time. Ed Sheeran X review".
  2. ^ "'x,' music review".
  3. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ Farrar, Leah. "WATCH: Ed Sheeran's video for his new song Sing". Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  11. ^ Lipshutz, Jason (7 April 2014). "Ed Sheeran's 'Sing' Arrives: Pharrell-Featuring Single Channels Justin Timberlake (Audio)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  12. ^ a b Copsey, Rob (19 September 2017). "The UK's Official Chart 'millionaires' revealed". Official Charts Company.
  13. ^ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC CHART.
  14. ^ "The Official New Zealand Music Chart". THE OFFICIAL NZ MUSIC CHART.
  15. ^ "italiancharts.com - Ed Sheeran - Sing".
  16. ^ Trust, Gary. "Pharrell Williams Tops Hot 100; Ed Sheeran Blasts In at No. 15". Billboard. Retrieved 20 April 2014.
  17. ^ Paul Grein (16 July 2014). "Chart Watch: 'Rude' Brings Reggae To #1". Yahoo! Music.
  18. ^ a b Grein, Paul (7 January 2015). "Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars Jump to #1 on Hot 100". Retrieved 7 January 2015.
  19. ^ Hernandez, Brian Anthony. "Ed Sheeran Debuts 'Sing' Music Video Exclusively on Facebook".
  20. ^ "Ed Sheeran & A Lookalike Puppet Party Like Rock Stars In "Sing" Video: Watch". 22 May 2014.
  21. ^ "Ed Sheeran's 'Sing' Video: The Great Muppet Bender".
  22. ^ "Watch Ed Sheeran as a puppet in new video". 22 May 2014.
  23. ^ "2014 MTV Video Music Awards.. Rock on the Net. Retrieved 15 December 2014
  24. ^ http://www.emilnava.com/portfolio/ed-sheeran-sing-ft-pharrell-williams/
  25. ^ Calvin Harris Wins Best Male Video on YouTube
  26. ^ "Ed Sheeran Debuts New 'X' Song on 'SNL' - Video". Rolling Stone. 13 April 2014.
  27. ^ "Ed Sheeran Performs 'Sing' - Ellen Show May 16, 2014, - Video". Ellen DeGeneres. 16 May 2014.
  28. ^ "Ed Sheeran melts hearts on Britain's Got Talent". Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  29. ^ "Ed Sheeran - SING". YouTube.
  30. ^ "YouTube". youtube.com.
  31. ^ a b "Sing - Single by Ed Sheeran". iTunes (GB). Archived from the original on 16 August 2014. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  32. ^ "Sing (2-Track) [Single]". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  33. ^ a b "Sing - Single by Ed Sheeran". iTunes (IE). Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  34. ^ "Ed Sheeran – Sing". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  35. ^ "Ed Sheeran – Sing" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  36. ^ "Ed Sheeran – Sing" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  37. ^ "Ed Sheeran – Sing" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  38. ^ "Top 100 Billboard Brasil - weekly". Billboard Brasil. 21 June 2014. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 23 June 2014.
  39. ^ "Ed Sheeran Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  40. ^ "Ed Sheeran Chart History (Canada AC)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  41. ^ "Ed Sheeran Chart History (Canada CHR/Top 40)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  42. ^ "Ed Sheeran Chart History (Canada Hot AC)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  43. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 34. týden 2014 in the date selector. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  44. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 27. týden 2014 in the date selector. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  45. ^ "Ed Sheeran – Sing". Tracklisten. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  46. ^ "Euro Digital Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  47. ^ "Ed Sheeran: Sing" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  48. ^ "Ed Sheeran – Sing" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  49. ^ "Ed Sheeran – Sing" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  50. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  51. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  52. ^ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  53. ^ "Ed Sheeran Chart History". RÚV. Retrieved 24 May 2017.
  54. ^ "Chart Track: Week 20, 2014". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  55. ^ "Media Forest Week 25, 2014". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  56. ^ "Artisti - Classifica settimanale WK 21 (dal 19-05-2014 al 25-05-2014)" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  57. ^ "Ed Sheeran Chart History (Japan Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
  58. ^ "Ed Sheeran Lebanese Chart Top 20 History". The Official Lebanese Top 20. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  59. ^ "Luxembourg Digital Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  60. ^ "Mexico Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  61. ^ "Mexico Ingles Airplay". Billboard. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  62. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 27, 2014" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  63. ^ "Ed Sheeran – Sing" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  64. ^ "Ed Sheeran – Sing". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  65. ^ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  66. ^ "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Dance Top 50. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  67. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  68. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201433 into search. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  69. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select SINGLES DIGITAL - TOP 100 and insert 201428 into search. Retrieved 15 July 2014.
  70. ^ "SloTop50: Slovenian official singles weekly chart" (in Slovenian). SloTop50. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  71. ^ "South African Airplay Chart Top 100 - May 16, 2014". Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Archived from the original on 27 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
  72. ^ "Ed Sheeran – Sing" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved 18 June 2014.
  73. ^ "Ed Sheeran – Sing". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  74. ^ "Ed Sheeran – Sing". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  75. ^ "Ed Sheeran: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  76. ^ "Ed Sheeran Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  77. ^ "Ed Sheeran Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  78. ^ "Ed Sheeran Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  79. ^ "Ed Sheeran Chart History (Dance Mix/Show Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 December 2014.
  80. ^ "Ed Sheeran Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  81. ^ "Ed Sheeran Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved 5 June 2014.
  82. ^ "End of Year Charts – ARIA Top 100 Singles 2014". ARIA Charts. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 5 February 2015.
  83. ^ "Jahreshitparade 2014" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  84. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2014" (in Dutch). Ultratop & Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  85. ^ "Rapports annuels 2014" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  86. ^ "2014 Year End Charts — Top Canadian Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  87. ^ "Classement Singles - année 2014" (in French). infodisc.fr. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  88. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 10 August 2015.
  89. ^ "MAHASZ Rádiós TOP 100 - 2014" (in Hungarian). Association of Hungarian Record Companies. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  90. ^ "MAHASZ Single (track) TOP 100 - eladási darabszám alapján - 2014" (in Hungarian). Association of Hungarian Record Companies. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  91. ^ "MAHASZ Stream TOP 100 - 2014" (in Hungarian). Association of Hungarian Record Companies. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  92. ^ ">> IRMA << Irish Charts - Best of 2014 >>". IRMA. Retrieved 10 May 2015.
  93. ^ "FIMI - Classifiche Annuali 2014 "TOP OF THE MUSIC" FIMI-GfK: un anno di musica italiana" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Archived from the original on 13 January 2015. Retrieved 19 January 2015.
  94. ^ "Jaarlijsten 2014" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  95. ^ "Jaaroverzichten - Single 2014". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  96. ^ "Top Selling Singles of 2014". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  97. ^ "Årslista Singlar – År 2014" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Swedish Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  98. ^ "Swiss Year-end Charts 2014". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  99. ^ "End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 - 2014". Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  100. ^ "Hot 100 Songs – Year End 2014". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 30 December 2014.
  101. ^ "Adult Contemporary Songs Year End 2014". Billboard. Prometheus Media Group. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  102. ^ "Adult Pop Songs Year End 2014". Billboard. Prometheus Media Group. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  103. ^ "Pop Songs Year End 2014". Billboard. Prometheus Media Group. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
  104. ^ "Top AFP - Audiogest - Top 3000 Singles + EPs Digitais" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  105. ^ Copsey, Rob (11 December 2019). "The UK's Official Top 100 biggest songs of the decade". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  106. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2015 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  107. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Ed Sheeran – Sing". Music Canada. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  108. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Ed Sheeran; 'Sing')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 30 April 2015.
  109. ^ "Italian single certifications – Ed Sheeran – Sing" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 4 July 2014. Select "2014" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Sing" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
  110. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – Ed Sheeran – Sing". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 4 July 2014.[dead link‍]
  111. ^ "Ed Sheeran - Sing" (in Swedish). Grammofon Leverantörernas Förening. Archived from the original on 8 January 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2014.
  112. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Sing')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 October 2014.
  113. ^ "British single certifications – Ed Sheeran – Sing". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  114. ^ "American single certifications – Ed Sheeran – Sing". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 4 July 2014.
  115. ^ "Danish single certifications – Ed Sheeran – Sing". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 4 November 2020.
  116. ^ "Top 100 Streaming - Semana 38: Del 15.09.2014 Al 21.09.2014" (PDF) (in Spanish). PROMUSICAE. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  117. ^ "Sing - Single by Ed Sheeran". iTunes (AU). Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  118. ^ "Sing - Single von Ed Sheeran". iTunes (DE). Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  119. ^ "Sing - Single by Ed Sheeran". iTunes (IE). Retrieved 31 May 2014.
  120. ^ "Sing - Single by Ed Sheeran". iTunes (NZ). Retrieved 31 May 2014.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sing_(Ed_Sheeran_song)&oldid=1003550984"