Thinking out Loud

About this song

Sheeran co-wrote the song with Welsh folk singer Amy Wadge, and Jake Gosling produced it. Chris Leonard engineered the track and played guitar. The bass and drums are close to those in Marvin Gaye's "Let's Get It On", and Sheeran has sometimes sung a little of that song's lyrics during live performances. The song became a major hit, being the first to spend a full year in the UK Top 40 and the first to reach 500 million streams on Spotify.

What it's about

The song is about a love that lasts a lifetime, imagining the couple still together well into their later years. Sheeran wrote it about his then-girlfriend Athina Andrelos, and he was just 23 at the time.

Fun facts

• Sampled in 7 other songs, like “カウントダウン (Countdown) by RAWINTHEVOID”.
• Covered 39 times, including “Thinking Out Loud by J.Fla”.
• Written by Ed Sheeran and Amy Wadge.
• Produced by Jake Gosling.
• Recorded at Sticky Studios.