Photograph

Story of Song

Originally inspired by Ed Sheeran’s long-distance relationship with Nina Nesbitt, a Scottish singer-songwriter he dated for more than a year and spent five months away from her on tour. But with Sheeran releasing the video showing old footage of him just hours before Mother’s Day, it makes the song’s meaning move from strictly about relationships with a partner to circle around to family relationships. Sheeran said: “He (McDaid) had a loop of this piano piece just going on and on. I was sat on the floor making a Lego X-Wing Fighter to give to his sister for a charity auction and this piano loop keeps playing, and I start singing a line and the song kind of unraveled from there. We sat for about four hours, me making Lego, and him on the laptop, just building stuff and then I picked up a guitar and we properly structured it.”

When Sheeran was home for Christmas with his family, his dad had found all the old footage and had it turned into DVDs for the family’s Christmas present, Ed said it was amazing and decided to use it for the video. Sheeran said:”We were making a big documentary and so I asked if I could use some of that, and then looking at it I thought this could work for a music video as it was going chronologically so it’s cool.”

Release date

Released on May 11, 2015

Songwriter/s

Ed Sheeran – Johnny McDaid

Label

Asylum – Atlantic

Chart Rankings

US – 10

UK – 15

GERMANY  – 4

Photograph was in the top 10 charts in 13 countries including the US, In the UK it debuted at number 44 and climbed to number 15. But that didn’t stop it from being certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry for sales over 600.000 units by September 2015. The Recording Industry Association of America certified the single gold for sales of over 500,000 units.

Artist’s age on release date

Ed Sheeran was 24 years young when he released “Photograph”.

Cover Versions

Boyce Avenue feat. Bea Miller – Lauren Bonnel – Tyler Ward & Anna Clendening.