Shape of You

About this song

Ed Sheeran released "Shape of You" together with "Castle On The Hill" as the first releases from his third album, ÷ (Divide). The song is built on a tropical house-inspired melody and a dancehall beat, and it was originally written with the intention of being recorded by Rihanna, though Sheeran later kept it for himself. It set a Billboard record by spending 33 straight weeks in the Hot 100 Top 10, and it became the most streamed song of all time on Spotify in September 2017. It also won a Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2018 Grammys.

What it's about

The song tells of meeting someone at a bar and falling in love with her. It focuses more on physical attraction than on emotion, which sets it apart from much of Sheeran's earlier work.

Fun facts

• Samples “Diwali Riddim by Steven "Lenky" Marsden”.
• Sampled in 45 other songs, like “Shapeflower by Jazzw4ve”.
• Covered 70 times, including “Shape of You (Cover) by Jun Hyo Seong (전효성)”.
• Written by Ed Sheeran, Steve Mac, Johnny McDaid, Tameka “Tiny” Harris, Kandi and Kevin “She’kspere” Briggs.
• Produced by Steve Mac.