Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All (2023): Season 1, Episode 3 - Episode #1.3 - full transcript
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[Sheeran] Listen to this.
- [guitar playing]
- [McDaid] It's just for the wording.
[Sheeran] You saw that?
♪ Eyes wider for ♪
[Fred] Mmm.
But you do it after that.
The feeling you get from writing
even the initial spark of a good song
is the best feeling in the world.
Hold on.
♪ I'm in love with the ♪
♪ I'm in love with the red light ♪
♪ I'm in love with the late night
In my soul ♪
The only thing I think that has come close
to it is hugging my daughters.
- Let's go.
- [Sheeran humming]
[music playing on speakers]
I'd say it's happened, like,
six times in my career.
I've written in 30 minutes.
♪ Bad habits lead to late nights ♪
Okay, what...
- What about this?
- [music stops]
[music continues]
♪ Bad habits lead to late nights ♪
[vocalizing]
♪ Bad habits lead to ♪ [vocalizing]
[Sheeran] The lyrics come so fast
that you're not even editing them.
♪ Bad habits lead to
Late nights ending alone ♪
♪ Conversation with Adele
Lighting up on the phone ♪
♪ Conversations with a… ♪
Con... Conversations with the...
♪ Nights ending alone ♪
♪ Conversations with a… ♪
[McDaid] ♪ Stranger light up the phone ♪
Conversation with a strange...
Conversation with a...
Oh, no. Conversation
with a stranger I barely know.
- [Fred] Yeah. That's it.
- ♪ I barely know ♪
[vocalizing]
♪ And you and you ♪
♪ My bad habits lead to ♪
That's good.
♪ I'm feeling the beat ♪
Yeah, this is good.
It's like a euphoria you can't explain.
♪ Bad habits lead to
Late nights feeling alone ♪
♪ Conversations with a stranger ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ Swearin' this will be the last
But it probably won't ♪
Yeah, I have to write songs.
Makes me feel better.
♪ Or do
My bad habits lead to wide eyes ♪
[crowd cheering]
♪ And I know I lose
Control of the things that I say ♪
♪ I was looking for a way out
Now I can't escape ♪
♪ Nothing happens after two ♪
♪ It's true
It's true ♪
♪ My bad habits lead to you ♪
[cameraman] What's up, Ed?
["Lego House" playing]
My fans turned out today.
I've only got one bit, you know.
When I first started out,
I really wanted to make five albums.
Plus would be the addition onto all
the EPs that I did up until that point.
There he is, everybody. Ed Sheeran.
Multiply would make it bigger.
Hi, Wembley.
♪ Mmm ♪
Divide would be a double album
of acoustic and R&B.
♪ Can't stop the rain ♪
Then Equals would be
the sum of all the parts.
[cameraman] Look how happy he is.
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪
And then the fifth record is this.
- [guitar playing]
- [birds twittering]
[Dessner] Was there a melody in your head
- when you were singing it?
- [Sheeran] Yeah.
[vocalizing]
The idea for Subtract was to be
this perfect acoustic album.
[scatting]
So it's… [vocalizing]
[vocalizing]
I've been making Subtract
for the best part of ten years.
Tinkering away and chipping
and being like,
"That song's for Subtract."
I just basically wanted to make
the perfect singer-songwriter album
and just found myself over thinking it.
[music playing]
[Sheeran]
I might change the melody of the...
♪ Finger, start a discussion
To pick a singer ♪
♪ I heard you calling
Now my eyes are open ♪
But the turning point for me was
working with Aaron.
He makes these
beautiful soundscape instrumentals,
and you write over them.
♪ Flick a finger
Start a discussion and pick a singer ♪
It's the first time
I've ever worked like this,
where it's just sort of
whatever comes out first.
And it suddenly frees you up
on a creative level.
[vocalizing]
- Like... Could really be cool.
- [Dessner] Yeah.
Just really **** chilled morning music.
♪ Flick a finger
Start a discussion to pick a singer ♪
♪ This one, you'll love it
I had to bring her ♪
♪ Just let the speakers take you away ♪
♪ Drop the needle in the sea ♪
Then I was hit by heavy stuff.
Kind of one after the other.
They found a tumor in Cherry's arm.
The diagnosis wasn't good, and...
She's pregnant,
and they can't do anything.
And then suddenly
I'm in this three-week court case.
And then, um, Jamal dies.
The moment you find out
that the worst thing in the world
has happened to someone
that you truly love with all your heart,
you feel like you're drowning
and can't get out from under it.
[chattering]
Just from that situation,
all of these songs came out.
♪ But the waves won't break my boat ♪
[seagull squawks]
♪ Came in for the embers ♪
♪ Stayed out for the breeze ♪
♪ I need to feel elements to remind me ♪
♪ There's beauty when it's bleak ♪
[Sheeran] I remember being sat
in this specialist's waiting room
thinking that the worst was gonna happen.
♪ The more that I love
The less that I feel ♪
I'm worried about Cherry.
I'm worried about
the unborn daughter that is in her.
You know, you start writing a song.
And you vent a little bit
and start writing a little bit more,
and you vent a little bit
and start writing a little bit more.
♪ Maybe I won't ♪
And that's why songs get written.
♪ But the waves won't break my boat ♪
♪ The waves won't break my boat ♪
[music ends]
["Eyes Closed" playing]
I had this song that I'd written
on tour in 2018 called "Eyes Closed"
that sort of started off
as a breakup song.
I didn't really think
where it would fit in.
♪ 'Cause I don't wanna see ya kissing him
I've not the right to feel low ♪
I remember being in bed one night
and singing the lyric,
"I'm dancing with my eyes closed
'cause everywhere I look I still see you."
And it just fit in with
where I was with the Jamal situation,
where everywhere I went,
especially in West...
He's from West London,
so everywhere I went
were memories of things
that we'd done together,
or, you know, you hear songs
on the radio or out in a club
and it would have something to do with it.
And, uh, I just revisited that one.
♪ Closing the club
They're cleaning the floor ♪
♪ And everyone else is going ♪
- [Souts] How you feeling?
- I'm feeling all right.
This is literally the last song
that I'm doing for Subtract.
And then Aaron's gonna produce it up,
and then that's it.
It gets handed in.
So the original vocal of the song,
can we cut back and forth on stuff?
[technician] Absolutely.
♪ I know it's a bad idea
But how can I help myself ♪
♪ You're in the club that's near
And you'll be with people I know well ♪
♪ I know it's a bad idea
But how can I help myself ♪
♪ Been inside for most this year ♪
♪ And I thought a few drinks
They might help ♪
♪ It's been a while, my dear ♪
♪ Dealing with the cards life dealt ♪
♪ I'm still holding back these tears
While my friends are somewhere else ♪
♪ I picture myself a little bit different
When I hit 27 ♪
♪ I step in the bar ♪
♪ It hit me so hard
Oh, how can it be this heavy? ♪
♪ Every song reminds me you're gone
And I feel the lump form in my throat ♪
♪ 'Cause I'm here alone ♪
♪ Dancing with my eyes closed ♪
Yeah.
♪ 'Cause everywhere I look
I still see you ♪
♪ Time is moving so slow ♪
♪ And I don't know
What else that I can do ♪
♪ So I keep dancing with my ♪
♪ I guess I could just pretend
The colors are more than blue ♪
♪ But I lost more than my friend
I can't help but missing you ♪
♪ Oh, I keep dancing
With my eyes ♪
♪ Eyes closed ♪
♪ Eyes ♪
♪ Oh, I'll keep dancing with my ♪
♪ Eyes ♪
♪ Eyes closed ♪
♪ Eyes ♪
♪ So I'll keep dancing with my ♪
♪ Eyes ♪
It's scary putting out
your sort of deepest,
darkest thoughts to the world.
♪ Oh, I keep dancing with my ♪
But I think I'm super ready
to just put Subtract out
and move on from it, uh, emotionally.
Hey. Look at that, Nic.
Yeah, I'm gonna listen to,
uh... to this with my dad.
- Aw.
- On Saturday.
- Nice one.
- Thank you.
- Nice one.
- As always.
- Yes.
- [engineer] My pleasure.
Mate, congratulations.
[Sheeran] Thank you. It's lovely.
- Thank you so much.
- Well done.
Right. Okay. I'm sorry I didn't bring
the American wine this time.
This weekend, I'm flying to Los Angeles
to do the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
with Eminem.
And I'm singing "Stan" with him.
[vocalizes] Right.
[John Sheeran] Are you nervous?
Um, yeah, I mean, this is a big,
significant moment in my career.
I'm friends with him,
and we've worked together.
But for him to want to stand onstage
with me
at one of the biggest moments
of his career
and want to sing
one of the biggest songs of his career,
I feel honored basically.
I mean, anyone would want to see
their son perform with Eminem.
But it's much more significant than that
because he's, you know,
Eminem was his childhood hero.
So this is like a full circle thing.
Yeah.
- [babbling]
- Smile at daddy.
[Sheeran] When I was younger
I had a birthmark, huge birthmark.
[John] The mark looked as though
someone had stubbed cigarettes out on him.
It got lasered off for five years
of every two months or something.
[John] Every two or three months
we'd have to go off to hospital
to get it lasered.
'Cause they said that, you know,
there was a possibility
that his eyesight might be affected.
They put anesthetic cream on first.
But one time, they forgot.
My earliest memory is that pain.
That pain like there's someone stabbing,
you know, with heat.
At that time, he started stuttering.
I would literally be in school,
put my hand up to answer a question,
and not be able to get words out.
Then I got The Slim Shady LP.
♪ Hi, my name is
What? ♪
Learning all the Eminem raps
'cause they were all really fast, choppy.
And I'd learn
the entire thing back-to-back.
And that pretty much sort of sorted it.
I think when your mind's on something else
and you're not trying to…
get the words out.
So I think singing and rapping along
to stuff can really help basically.
And now I get to go on stage and sing
one of the greatest songs
of all time with him.
Check it out.
Full Rock and Roll Hall of Fame swag.
- Swag?
- What do you think?
- Yeah. Rock and roll swag.
- Rock and roll swag.
What do you think, Souts?
Rock and rollish?
♪ Hi, my name is
Huh? ♪
♪ My name is
What? ♪
- ♪ My name is ♪
- ♪ Slim Shady ♪
[Sheeran] It is weird 'cause I still feel
like the 12-year-old fan.
[Eminem] Make some noise
for Ed Sheeran, y'all!
[Sheeran] ♪ My tea's gone cold
I'm wondering why ♪
[Eminem vocalizes]
♪ I got out of bed at all ♪
♪ The morning rain
Clouds up my window ♪
♪ And I can't see at all ♪
I've been a pop star for a very long time.
People will be, "It's normal
for him to go and sing with Eminem."
But this is literally the dream of mine
as a kid to do this, and it's not normal.
♪ It's not so bad ♪
[emcee] Hey, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,
y'all still with us, make some noise!
[crowd cheering]
["Overpass Graffiti" playing]
♪ This is a dark parade ♪
♪ Another rough patch to rain on
To rain on ♪
[Sheeran] Do you wanna come up?
What's this here?
"Sea born waits for England news"
in the the local press.
Um, this is one of...
One of the early gigs that I was doing.
Third place. Under 13s
mini hockey tournament for Chez.
First ever guitar. Back in the day.
And it's absolutely, like,
cracked and battered to shit.
Like, it's all cracked down the sides
and just filthy.
But that's what I did
all the first ones with.
And if anyone watches
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, got the…
Yeah. Do you know what?
You're the first people ever
in the pub with cameras.
I've always been very, uh, private.
Like, there's two things in my life
that always get press.
It's this house and it's court cases.
Suffolk singer Ed Sheeran has been
at the high court today
in a copyright dispute
over one of his songs.
[reporter 1]
…2015 track when writing "Shape of You."
[reporter 2] Ed Sheeran returned to court
for more questions
over the most streamed song
in the history of Spotify.
[Sheeran]
The lawyer that was going at me is like,
"I can't believe you wrote a song
in half an hour."
And I'm like, "Well, you can pick up
a case file the day before a trial,
skim it and then nail the trial.
So why can't you believe that I can't do...
Like, you work hard at your job."
[camera shutters clicking]
The thing is,
when you're challenged like that,
the emotional impact is huge
because you're being questioned
about something that's so antithetical
to everything you're about.
[Sheeran] I'm sat in this courtroom with…
[reporters clamoring]
…people shouting at me from all angles
and calling me different types of things.
And in my head I'm like,
"I just hope Cherry's all right."
I could lose this court case,
and life goes on.
But life doesn't really go on
if the person you love most
in the world isn't in it, you know?
[reporter 1] Ed Sheeran
and his co-songwriters have been awarded
more than £900,000 in legal costs
for winning
their high-court copyright trial.
[Sheeran] I work every single day
to hone my craft,
to be able to write a song
like "Shape of You" in an hour and a half.
I find it really insulting
when people are like,
"Well, no. You can't."
Pop star Ed Sheeran is facing
yet another lawsuit.
- Uh, his second one this year.
- Mmm.
Like, it's... it's ongoing.
It's ongoing.
[birds twittering]
Anytime that I've had times in my life
where things are going badly,
I tend to work more
'cause it's a distraction.
I'll have Ly in the morning till,
like, 2:00.
What else is on the agenda?
Oh. Thursday is the Fire boy gig.
I'm gonna go on and play "Peru" with him.
Johnny is talking about
doing another little studio thing
when we get back from the boat.
- In start of December?
- Yeah.
- Aw, man.
- I know.
I... Well, we've only got a week.
[both] November 18th.
[Cherry] This year, there hasn't been
a single day that he's not been working
or performing or writing or doing promo.
We've barely had a conversation this year
about his mental health.
I can see it,
and it's massive alarm bells for me.
["Bloodstream" playing]
[Sheeran] There's a hell of a lot going on
at the moment.
[director] Roll camera.
[Sheeran] We're shooting 14 music videos
back-to-back for Subtract.
[director] All right.
Let's have another go.
What a video. That's gonna be great.
I'm filming all the videos in Suffolk.
Wake up every morning.
I'm giving Lyra breakfast.
Lyra woke up again at 5:00 thinking
that a crocodile was under her bed.
I might just tell her one lives there
and that they're mates.
And then get home, bath, bed, story.
Good morning.
I want to see if I can work out this song.
The workload isn't abnormal.
I've always worked this much.
It's just a bit different
'cause usually I would get home
from a shoot and pass out.
[director] Okay. Roll video.
[Cherry] The difficult thing about grief,
everyone rallies around you at the start,
and you're kind of expected
to be grieving and to be sad
and to not be coping.
- [crewman] Yeah.
- [chattering]
Fifteen minutes. Cool.
[Cherry] And then six months down the line
that kind of all falls off.
I'm about to put on a wet suit,
and I'm gonna swim in the North Sea.
This was my idea.
I have to keep reminding myself that.
[Cherry] Everything's been so busy,
and there's kind of an attitude,
especially in Britain, of carrying on.
The waves won't break my boat.
[music continues]
Sam, what's the concept of this video?
- [Sam] I forgot.
- So have I.
[laughing] Completely forgot that.
[Cherry] I'm in a much better place
from a processing perspective.
Roll camera, please.
[Cherry] I don't think Ed is there yet.
[Sheeran] Last few shots of the day.
So we go under, up,
under, up, under, up, under, up.
- Here we go.
- [director] Roll camera!
[Cherry] There is no way he's had time
to just sit and process
and be at peace with things.
Be in the sea, go back, shower,
then go back in the sea, then shower…
- [crewman] Yeah.
- …and then is that the last shot?
No, we're doing "Eyes Closed." Yeah.
[Cherry] He's been too busy.
- [Sheeran] That is day ten?
- [crewman] Ten.
Eleven. Tomorrow is "Boat."
Then we've got two more days.
[Cherry] He needs to stop.
Okay, cut.
♪ All the voices in my mind ♪
[director] Roll camera.
[music ends]
[Cherry] He needs to process.
He hasn't processed at all.
[crowd chattering]
- [Sheeran] You guys coming to the gig?
- [fans] Yes.
- You're in for a surprise.
- Again.
I'm really excited.
- [fan] Can I ask you to sign?
- Big surprise.
- Thank you very much.
- You have a good day. See you later.
[Souts] So exciting.
I think it's exciting.
I'd like to think it's exciting.
Do you like my new outfit?
It's my Subtract outfit.
- Wearing something new.
- [Souts] Yeah.
Every single album,
I try to dress a little bit differently.
This is me stirring it up a little bit.
The last album
was Stone Island and cargo shorts,
and now I look like a substitute teacher.
♪ This is no strings
You are who I love ♪
I'm actually really,
really excited about playing it.
I rehearsed it with Ashton yesterday,
and we just ran it on piano and guitar.
And I just got really buzzed about it,
so I'm really, really excited to do it.
You listen to all my albums,
there's always songs
that are super personal.
But now they're out there,
they're just songs that people like
and that I'm here at the show to play.
You know, if I relive things the whole
time onstage, it's quite a full-on thing.
You're going onstage every night
and getting super emotional about things.
I like going on stage and having fun
and showing people a good time
and having a good show.
[crowd cheering]
[friends laughing]
Ed will be playing new material tonight.
I've heard a bit of it, and it's amazing.
- Annoyingly talented, as I said.
- [crowd laughing]
With no further ado, here is Ed Sheeran.
[applause]
[cheering]
How's everyone doing?
So, um, I basically...
I started being a singer-songwriter
from listening to Damien Rice.
He's the one
that made me want to write songs.
And one of my favorite records of his
was Live at Union Chapel.
This has always been
a dream of mine to play.
I am playing new songs
tonight for the first time.
The first eight songs of this set,
they're not gonna be cheery,
they're quite depressing.
[laughing]
I had an interesting start to the year,
and a lot of songs came from it.
So this is a song called "Boat."
♪ Came in for the embers ♪
♪ I stayed out for the breeze ♪
♪ I need to feel elements to remind me ♪
♪ There's beauty when it's bleak ♪
♪ We snuck out long before lights down ♪
♪ Why do I breathe? ♪
♪ All I know ♪
♪ The more that I love
The less that I feel ♪
♪ The times that I jumped
Never were real ♪
♪ They say that all scars will heal
But I know ♪
♪ Maybe I won't ♪
♪ But the waves won't break my boat ♪
[crowd applauds, cheers]
I'm proper nervous playing these songs.
Like, I've...
Not only have I never played
these songs live, I've...
There's only about seven or eight people
that have heard these songs.
They're super, super personal.
Um.
[crowd murmuring]
So I had a friend, uh, pass away
at the beginning of the year,
which was shit.
And, um...
- [sniffles]
- [audience member] Aw.
[applauding, cheering]
It's the worst... worst time to cry.
[audience laughs]
- [audience member] Let it out!
- No, like, 'cause you can't sing…
[chuckles] …when you cry.
[audience member]
But you can still sing really bad.
[sniffles]
- [audience member] Whoo!
- [applauding, cheering]
[playing "Eyes Closed"]
♪ I know it's a bad idea
But how can I help myself? ♪
♪ Been inside for most this year ♪
♪ And I thought a few drinks
They might help ♪
♪ It's been a while, my dear
Dealing with the cards life dealt ♪
♪ I'm still holding back these tears
While my friends are somewhere else ♪
♪ I pictured myself a little bit different
When it hit February ♪
♪ I step in the bar, it hit me so hard
How can it be this heavy? ♪
♪ Every song reminds me you're gone
And I feel the lump form in my throat ♪
♪ 'Cause I'm here alone
Just dancing with my eyes closed ♪
♪ 'Cause everywhere I look
I still see you ♪
♪ Time is moving so slow ♪
♪ And I don't know what else
That I can do ♪
♪ So I'll keep dancing with my eyes
Eyes closed ♪
♪ Eyes ♪
♪ Oh, I keep dancing with my… ♪
[applauding]
I felt like when Jamal died,
I wanted the entire world to stop
like they did for the queen.
Um, and it just felt like the next day,
life just resumed.
Does that... Does that make…
[sniffles]
[applause]
[fan] Love you, Ed!
This is why the no phones things is good.
I don't become a meme on TikTok.
[crowd laughing]
[high-pitched ringing starts, fades]
♪ I've been depressed since you left
Tried to fill the hole with wine ♪
♪ Stopped the drugs when she came
Cleaned my act up overnight ♪
[echoes, distorted]
♪ If you reach with no reply
I'll see you when I see you, man ♪
[echoes]
[waves crashing]
♪ You can't talk me through the fall
If we don't know if I can land ♪
♪ I tried to grow
But the past tears me down to size ♪
♪ Tell the world how to process
But don't take the same advice ♪
♪ Not remember what I said ♪
I kind of feel embarrassed and weird
that I cried onstage.
♪ …my grief
When every memory turns to tears ♪
These songs. I'm gonna have to play them
for the rest of my life.
[crowd cheering]
[water bubbling]
[Sheeran] Is everyone having a good time?
♪ It's been a long year ♪
I'm gonna have to play them
for the rest of my life.
♪ And we're not even halfway there ♪
♪ Is this the ending of our youth
When pain starts taking over? ♪
♪ I just don't know
If I can ever just let it go ♪
♪ Everything's falling apart ♪
♪ When love is real
There's never closure ♪
♪ I guess it's all part of life
But I can't help but feel old ♪
♪ We spend our youth
With arms and hearts wide open ♪
♪ And then the dark gets in
And that's the end of youth ♪
[applauding, cheering]
♪ Amazing grace ♪
♪ How sweet the sound ♪
♪ That saved a wretch ♪
♪ Like me ♪
♪ I once was lost ♪
♪ But now am found ♪
♪ Was blind but now I see ♪
[applauding, cheering]
[sniffs]
[sighs]
[Souts] D-Did you expect that?
No, no, no. I thought I was just gonna
go up onstage and just sing the songs.
I literally thought, get up onstage, sing…
You know, "Eyes Closed" is a pop song.
I thought I'd just come up onstage
and just belt out "Eyes Closed."
But it's more like…
You know, it's because no one knows
the songs yet that they are personal
and they are real and they are…
[sniffs, grunts]
I sung "Amazing Grace" 'cause
that's what they sung at Jamal's funeral,
and it felt like
a nice way to end it, basically.
But now I've got to pretend to everyone
that everything's all good,
and we're all gonna enjoy a glass of wine.
Let's just have an open door and have fun.
Come in.
- You all right?
- Yeah. How you doing, man?
[chattering]
[Sheeran] You enjoy it? How you doing?
- [fan 2] Good, how are you?
- [Sheeran] Good.
- [fan 2] Good to meet you.
- [Sheeran] You too.
- You enjoy it?
- [fan 3] Loved it.
[fan 4] Really good, man.
Nice to hear the stories
behind all your songs, as well.
[Sheeran] Thank you so much.
Thank you. Glad you liked that.
[fan 4] Been speaking
with my girlfriend now.
If we get married one day,
we need you there.
- That okay?
- [Sheeran] Totally, yeah. Totally.
Make sure you book it, like,
two years in advance.
[fan 4] Yeah? [Laughs]
[Sheeran] Where's Chez?
["Eyes Closed" playing]
♪ They're shutting the bar
They're cleaning the floor ♪
♪ And everyone is already home ♪
♪ But I'm on my own ♪
♪ Still dancing with my eyes closed ♪
♪ 'Cause everywhere I look
I still see you ♪
♪ Time is moving so slow ♪
♪ And I don't know what else
That I can do ♪
♪ So I'll keep dancing with my ♪
---
[Sheeran] Listen to this.
- [guitar playing]
- [McDaid] It's just for the wording.
[Sheeran] You saw that?
♪ Eyes wider for ♪
[Fred] Mmm.
But you do it after that.
The feeling you get from writing
even the initial spark of a good song
is the best feeling in the world.
Hold on.
♪ I'm in love with the ♪
♪ I'm in love with the red light ♪
♪ I'm in love with the late night
In my soul ♪
The only thing I think that has come close
to it is hugging my daughters.
- Let's go.
- [Sheeran humming]
[music playing on speakers]
I'd say it's happened, like,
six times in my career.
I've written in 30 minutes.
♪ Bad habits lead to late nights ♪
Okay, what...
- What about this?
- [music stops]
[music continues]
♪ Bad habits lead to late nights ♪
[vocalizing]
♪ Bad habits lead to ♪ [vocalizing]
[Sheeran] The lyrics come so fast
that you're not even editing them.
♪ Bad habits lead to
Late nights ending alone ♪
♪ Conversation with Adele
Lighting up on the phone ♪
♪ Conversations with a… ♪
Con... Conversations with the...
♪ Nights ending alone ♪
♪ Conversations with a… ♪
[McDaid] ♪ Stranger light up the phone ♪
Conversation with a strange...
Conversation with a...
Oh, no. Conversation
with a stranger I barely know.
- [Fred] Yeah. That's it.
- ♪ I barely know ♪
[vocalizing]
♪ And you and you ♪
♪ My bad habits lead to ♪
That's good.
♪ I'm feeling the beat ♪
Yeah, this is good.
It's like a euphoria you can't explain.
♪ Bad habits lead to
Late nights feeling alone ♪
♪ Conversations with a stranger ♪
♪ Yeah ♪
♪ Swearin' this will be the last
But it probably won't ♪
Yeah, I have to write songs.
Makes me feel better.
♪ Or do
My bad habits lead to wide eyes ♪
[crowd cheering]
♪ And I know I lose
Control of the things that I say ♪
♪ I was looking for a way out
Now I can't escape ♪
♪ Nothing happens after two ♪
♪ It's true
It's true ♪
♪ My bad habits lead to you ♪
[cameraman] What's up, Ed?
["Lego House" playing]
My fans turned out today.
I've only got one bit, you know.
When I first started out,
I really wanted to make five albums.
Plus would be the addition onto all
the EPs that I did up until that point.
There he is, everybody. Ed Sheeran.
Multiply would make it bigger.
Hi, Wembley.
♪ Mmm ♪
Divide would be a double album
of acoustic and R&B.
♪ Can't stop the rain ♪
Then Equals would be
the sum of all the parts.
[cameraman] Look how happy he is.
♪ Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah ♪
And then the fifth record is this.
- [guitar playing]
- [birds twittering]
[Dessner] Was there a melody in your head
- when you were singing it?
- [Sheeran] Yeah.
[vocalizing]
The idea for Subtract was to be
this perfect acoustic album.
[scatting]
So it's… [vocalizing]
[vocalizing]
I've been making Subtract
for the best part of ten years.
Tinkering away and chipping
and being like,
"That song's for Subtract."
I just basically wanted to make
the perfect singer-songwriter album
and just found myself over thinking it.
[music playing]
[Sheeran]
I might change the melody of the...
♪ Finger, start a discussion
To pick a singer ♪
♪ I heard you calling
Now my eyes are open ♪
But the turning point for me was
working with Aaron.
He makes these
beautiful soundscape instrumentals,
and you write over them.
♪ Flick a finger
Start a discussion and pick a singer ♪
It's the first time
I've ever worked like this,
where it's just sort of
whatever comes out first.
And it suddenly frees you up
on a creative level.
[vocalizing]
- Like... Could really be cool.
- [Dessner] Yeah.
Just really **** chilled morning music.
♪ Flick a finger
Start a discussion to pick a singer ♪
♪ This one, you'll love it
I had to bring her ♪
♪ Just let the speakers take you away ♪
♪ Drop the needle in the sea ♪
Then I was hit by heavy stuff.
Kind of one after the other.
They found a tumor in Cherry's arm.
The diagnosis wasn't good, and...
She's pregnant,
and they can't do anything.
And then suddenly
I'm in this three-week court case.
And then, um, Jamal dies.
The moment you find out
that the worst thing in the world
has happened to someone
that you truly love with all your heart,
you feel like you're drowning
and can't get out from under it.
[chattering]
Just from that situation,
all of these songs came out.
♪ But the waves won't break my boat ♪
[seagull squawks]
♪ Came in for the embers ♪
♪ Stayed out for the breeze ♪
♪ I need to feel elements to remind me ♪
♪ There's beauty when it's bleak ♪
[Sheeran] I remember being sat
in this specialist's waiting room
thinking that the worst was gonna happen.
♪ The more that I love
The less that I feel ♪
I'm worried about Cherry.
I'm worried about
the unborn daughter that is in her.
You know, you start writing a song.
And you vent a little bit
and start writing a little bit more,
and you vent a little bit
and start writing a little bit more.
♪ Maybe I won't ♪
And that's why songs get written.
♪ But the waves won't break my boat ♪
♪ The waves won't break my boat ♪
[music ends]
["Eyes Closed" playing]
I had this song that I'd written
on tour in 2018 called "Eyes Closed"
that sort of started off
as a breakup song.
I didn't really think
where it would fit in.
♪ 'Cause I don't wanna see ya kissing him
I've not the right to feel low ♪
I remember being in bed one night
and singing the lyric,
"I'm dancing with my eyes closed
'cause everywhere I look I still see you."
And it just fit in with
where I was with the Jamal situation,
where everywhere I went,
especially in West...
He's from West London,
so everywhere I went
were memories of things
that we'd done together,
or, you know, you hear songs
on the radio or out in a club
and it would have something to do with it.
And, uh, I just revisited that one.
♪ Closing the club
They're cleaning the floor ♪
♪ And everyone else is going ♪
- [Souts] How you feeling?
- I'm feeling all right.
This is literally the last song
that I'm doing for Subtract.
And then Aaron's gonna produce it up,
and then that's it.
It gets handed in.
So the original vocal of the song,
can we cut back and forth on stuff?
[technician] Absolutely.
♪ I know it's a bad idea
But how can I help myself ♪
♪ You're in the club that's near
And you'll be with people I know well ♪
♪ I know it's a bad idea
But how can I help myself ♪
♪ Been inside for most this year ♪
♪ And I thought a few drinks
They might help ♪
♪ It's been a while, my dear ♪
♪ Dealing with the cards life dealt ♪
♪ I'm still holding back these tears
While my friends are somewhere else ♪
♪ I picture myself a little bit different
When I hit 27 ♪
♪ I step in the bar ♪
♪ It hit me so hard
Oh, how can it be this heavy? ♪
♪ Every song reminds me you're gone
And I feel the lump form in my throat ♪
♪ 'Cause I'm here alone ♪
♪ Dancing with my eyes closed ♪
Yeah.
♪ 'Cause everywhere I look
I still see you ♪
♪ Time is moving so slow ♪
♪ And I don't know
What else that I can do ♪
♪ So I keep dancing with my ♪
♪ I guess I could just pretend
The colors are more than blue ♪
♪ But I lost more than my friend
I can't help but missing you ♪
♪ Oh, I keep dancing
With my eyes ♪
♪ Eyes closed ♪
♪ Eyes ♪
♪ Oh, I'll keep dancing with my ♪
♪ Eyes ♪
♪ Eyes closed ♪
♪ Eyes ♪
♪ So I'll keep dancing with my ♪
♪ Eyes ♪
It's scary putting out
your sort of deepest,
darkest thoughts to the world.
♪ Oh, I keep dancing with my ♪
But I think I'm super ready
to just put Subtract out
and move on from it, uh, emotionally.
Hey. Look at that, Nic.
Yeah, I'm gonna listen to,
uh... to this with my dad.
- Aw.
- On Saturday.
- Nice one.
- Thank you.
- Nice one.
- As always.
- Yes.
- [engineer] My pleasure.
Mate, congratulations.
[Sheeran] Thank you. It's lovely.
- Thank you so much.
- Well done.
Right. Okay. I'm sorry I didn't bring
the American wine this time.
This weekend, I'm flying to Los Angeles
to do the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
with Eminem.
And I'm singing "Stan" with him.
[vocalizes] Right.
[John Sheeran] Are you nervous?
Um, yeah, I mean, this is a big,
significant moment in my career.
I'm friends with him,
and we've worked together.
But for him to want to stand onstage
with me
at one of the biggest moments
of his career
and want to sing
one of the biggest songs of his career,
I feel honored basically.
I mean, anyone would want to see
their son perform with Eminem.
But it's much more significant than that
because he's, you know,
Eminem was his childhood hero.
So this is like a full circle thing.
Yeah.
- [babbling]
- Smile at daddy.
[Sheeran] When I was younger
I had a birthmark, huge birthmark.
[John] The mark looked as though
someone had stubbed cigarettes out on him.
It got lasered off for five years
of every two months or something.
[John] Every two or three months
we'd have to go off to hospital
to get it lasered.
'Cause they said that, you know,
there was a possibility
that his eyesight might be affected.
They put anesthetic cream on first.
But one time, they forgot.
My earliest memory is that pain.
That pain like there's someone stabbing,
you know, with heat.
At that time, he started stuttering.
I would literally be in school,
put my hand up to answer a question,
and not be able to get words out.
Then I got The Slim Shady LP.
♪ Hi, my name is
What? ♪
Learning all the Eminem raps
'cause they were all really fast, choppy.
And I'd learn
the entire thing back-to-back.
And that pretty much sort of sorted it.
I think when your mind's on something else
and you're not trying to…
get the words out.
So I think singing and rapping along
to stuff can really help basically.
And now I get to go on stage and sing
one of the greatest songs
of all time with him.
Check it out.
Full Rock and Roll Hall of Fame swag.
- Swag?
- What do you think?
- Yeah. Rock and roll swag.
- Rock and roll swag.
What do you think, Souts?
Rock and rollish?
♪ Hi, my name is
Huh? ♪
♪ My name is
What? ♪
- ♪ My name is ♪
- ♪ Slim Shady ♪
[Sheeran] It is weird 'cause I still feel
like the 12-year-old fan.
[Eminem] Make some noise
for Ed Sheeran, y'all!
[Sheeran] ♪ My tea's gone cold
I'm wondering why ♪
[Eminem vocalizes]
♪ I got out of bed at all ♪
♪ The morning rain
Clouds up my window ♪
♪ And I can't see at all ♪
I've been a pop star for a very long time.
People will be, "It's normal
for him to go and sing with Eminem."
But this is literally the dream of mine
as a kid to do this, and it's not normal.
♪ It's not so bad ♪
[emcee] Hey, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,
y'all still with us, make some noise!
[crowd cheering]
["Overpass Graffiti" playing]
♪ This is a dark parade ♪
♪ Another rough patch to rain on
To rain on ♪
[Sheeran] Do you wanna come up?
What's this here?
"Sea born waits for England news"
in the the local press.
Um, this is one of...
One of the early gigs that I was doing.
Third place. Under 13s
mini hockey tournament for Chez.
First ever guitar. Back in the day.
And it's absolutely, like,
cracked and battered to shit.
Like, it's all cracked down the sides
and just filthy.
But that's what I did
all the first ones with.
And if anyone watches
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, got the…
Yeah. Do you know what?
You're the first people ever
in the pub with cameras.
I've always been very, uh, private.
Like, there's two things in my life
that always get press.
It's this house and it's court cases.
Suffolk singer Ed Sheeran has been
at the high court today
in a copyright dispute
over one of his songs.
[reporter 1]
…2015 track when writing "Shape of You."
[reporter 2] Ed Sheeran returned to court
for more questions
over the most streamed song
in the history of Spotify.
[Sheeran]
The lawyer that was going at me is like,
"I can't believe you wrote a song
in half an hour."
And I'm like, "Well, you can pick up
a case file the day before a trial,
skim it and then nail the trial.
So why can't you believe that I can't do...
Like, you work hard at your job."
[camera shutters clicking]
The thing is,
when you're challenged like that,
the emotional impact is huge
because you're being questioned
about something that's so antithetical
to everything you're about.
[Sheeran] I'm sat in this courtroom with…
[reporters clamoring]
…people shouting at me from all angles
and calling me different types of things.
And in my head I'm like,
"I just hope Cherry's all right."
I could lose this court case,
and life goes on.
But life doesn't really go on
if the person you love most
in the world isn't in it, you know?
[reporter 1] Ed Sheeran
and his co-songwriters have been awarded
more than £900,000 in legal costs
for winning
their high-court copyright trial.
[Sheeran] I work every single day
to hone my craft,
to be able to write a song
like "Shape of You" in an hour and a half.
I find it really insulting
when people are like,
"Well, no. You can't."
Pop star Ed Sheeran is facing
yet another lawsuit.
- Uh, his second one this year.
- Mmm.
Like, it's... it's ongoing.
It's ongoing.
[birds twittering]
Anytime that I've had times in my life
where things are going badly,
I tend to work more
'cause it's a distraction.
I'll have Ly in the morning till,
like, 2:00.
What else is on the agenda?
Oh. Thursday is the Fire boy gig.
I'm gonna go on and play "Peru" with him.
Johnny is talking about
doing another little studio thing
when we get back from the boat.
- In start of December?
- Yeah.
- Aw, man.
- I know.
I... Well, we've only got a week.
[both] November 18th.
[Cherry] This year, there hasn't been
a single day that he's not been working
or performing or writing or doing promo.
We've barely had a conversation this year
about his mental health.
I can see it,
and it's massive alarm bells for me.
["Bloodstream" playing]
[Sheeran] There's a hell of a lot going on
at the moment.
[director] Roll camera.
[Sheeran] We're shooting 14 music videos
back-to-back for Subtract.
[director] All right.
Let's have another go.
What a video. That's gonna be great.
I'm filming all the videos in Suffolk.
Wake up every morning.
I'm giving Lyra breakfast.
Lyra woke up again at 5:00 thinking
that a crocodile was under her bed.
I might just tell her one lives there
and that they're mates.
And then get home, bath, bed, story.
Good morning.
I want to see if I can work out this song.
The workload isn't abnormal.
I've always worked this much.
It's just a bit different
'cause usually I would get home
from a shoot and pass out.
[director] Okay. Roll video.
[Cherry] The difficult thing about grief,
everyone rallies around you at the start,
and you're kind of expected
to be grieving and to be sad
and to not be coping.
- [crewman] Yeah.
- [chattering]
Fifteen minutes. Cool.
[Cherry] And then six months down the line
that kind of all falls off.
I'm about to put on a wet suit,
and I'm gonna swim in the North Sea.
This was my idea.
I have to keep reminding myself that.
[Cherry] Everything's been so busy,
and there's kind of an attitude,
especially in Britain, of carrying on.
The waves won't break my boat.
[music continues]
Sam, what's the concept of this video?
- [Sam] I forgot.
- So have I.
[laughing] Completely forgot that.
[Cherry] I'm in a much better place
from a processing perspective.
Roll camera, please.
[Cherry] I don't think Ed is there yet.
[Sheeran] Last few shots of the day.
So we go under, up,
under, up, under, up, under, up.
- Here we go.
- [director] Roll camera!
[Cherry] There is no way he's had time
to just sit and process
and be at peace with things.
Be in the sea, go back, shower,
then go back in the sea, then shower…
- [crewman] Yeah.
- …and then is that the last shot?
No, we're doing "Eyes Closed." Yeah.
[Cherry] He's been too busy.
- [Sheeran] That is day ten?
- [crewman] Ten.
Eleven. Tomorrow is "Boat."
Then we've got two more days.
[Cherry] He needs to stop.
Okay, cut.
♪ All the voices in my mind ♪
[director] Roll camera.
[music ends]
[Cherry] He needs to process.
He hasn't processed at all.
[crowd chattering]
- [Sheeran] You guys coming to the gig?
- [fans] Yes.
- You're in for a surprise.
- Again.
I'm really excited.
- [fan] Can I ask you to sign?
- Big surprise.
- Thank you very much.
- You have a good day. See you later.
[Souts] So exciting.
I think it's exciting.
I'd like to think it's exciting.
Do you like my new outfit?
It's my Subtract outfit.
- Wearing something new.
- [Souts] Yeah.
Every single album,
I try to dress a little bit differently.
This is me stirring it up a little bit.
The last album
was Stone Island and cargo shorts,
and now I look like a substitute teacher.
♪ This is no strings
You are who I love ♪
I'm actually really,
really excited about playing it.
I rehearsed it with Ashton yesterday,
and we just ran it on piano and guitar.
And I just got really buzzed about it,
so I'm really, really excited to do it.
You listen to all my albums,
there's always songs
that are super personal.
But now they're out there,
they're just songs that people like
and that I'm here at the show to play.
You know, if I relive things the whole
time onstage, it's quite a full-on thing.
You're going onstage every night
and getting super emotional about things.
I like going on stage and having fun
and showing people a good time
and having a good show.
[crowd cheering]
[friends laughing]
Ed will be playing new material tonight.
I've heard a bit of it, and it's amazing.
- Annoyingly talented, as I said.
- [crowd laughing]
With no further ado, here is Ed Sheeran.
[applause]
[cheering]
How's everyone doing?
So, um, I basically...
I started being a singer-songwriter
from listening to Damien Rice.
He's the one
that made me want to write songs.
And one of my favorite records of his
was Live at Union Chapel.
This has always been
a dream of mine to play.
I am playing new songs
tonight for the first time.
The first eight songs of this set,
they're not gonna be cheery,
they're quite depressing.
[laughing]
I had an interesting start to the year,
and a lot of songs came from it.
So this is a song called "Boat."
♪ Came in for the embers ♪
♪ I stayed out for the breeze ♪
♪ I need to feel elements to remind me ♪
♪ There's beauty when it's bleak ♪
♪ We snuck out long before lights down ♪
♪ Why do I breathe? ♪
♪ All I know ♪
♪ The more that I love
The less that I feel ♪
♪ The times that I jumped
Never were real ♪
♪ They say that all scars will heal
But I know ♪
♪ Maybe I won't ♪
♪ But the waves won't break my boat ♪
[crowd applauds, cheers]
I'm proper nervous playing these songs.
Like, I've...
Not only have I never played
these songs live, I've...
There's only about seven or eight people
that have heard these songs.
They're super, super personal.
Um.
[crowd murmuring]
So I had a friend, uh, pass away
at the beginning of the year,
which was shit.
And, um...
- [sniffles]
- [audience member] Aw.
[applauding, cheering]
It's the worst... worst time to cry.
[audience laughs]
- [audience member] Let it out!
- No, like, 'cause you can't sing…
[chuckles] …when you cry.
[audience member]
But you can still sing really bad.
[sniffles]
- [audience member] Whoo!
- [applauding, cheering]
[playing "Eyes Closed"]
♪ I know it's a bad idea
But how can I help myself? ♪
♪ Been inside for most this year ♪
♪ And I thought a few drinks
They might help ♪
♪ It's been a while, my dear
Dealing with the cards life dealt ♪
♪ I'm still holding back these tears
While my friends are somewhere else ♪
♪ I pictured myself a little bit different
When it hit February ♪
♪ I step in the bar, it hit me so hard
How can it be this heavy? ♪
♪ Every song reminds me you're gone
And I feel the lump form in my throat ♪
♪ 'Cause I'm here alone
Just dancing with my eyes closed ♪
♪ 'Cause everywhere I look
I still see you ♪
♪ Time is moving so slow ♪
♪ And I don't know what else
That I can do ♪
♪ So I'll keep dancing with my eyes
Eyes closed ♪
♪ Eyes ♪
♪ Oh, I keep dancing with my… ♪
[applauding]
I felt like when Jamal died,
I wanted the entire world to stop
like they did for the queen.
Um, and it just felt like the next day,
life just resumed.
Does that... Does that make…
[sniffles]
[applause]
[fan] Love you, Ed!
This is why the no phones things is good.
I don't become a meme on TikTok.
[crowd laughing]
[high-pitched ringing starts, fades]
♪ I've been depressed since you left
Tried to fill the hole with wine ♪
♪ Stopped the drugs when she came
Cleaned my act up overnight ♪
[echoes, distorted]
♪ If you reach with no reply
I'll see you when I see you, man ♪
[echoes]
[waves crashing]
♪ You can't talk me through the fall
If we don't know if I can land ♪
♪ I tried to grow
But the past tears me down to size ♪
♪ Tell the world how to process
But don't take the same advice ♪
♪ Not remember what I said ♪
I kind of feel embarrassed and weird
that I cried onstage.
♪ …my grief
When every memory turns to tears ♪
These songs. I'm gonna have to play them
for the rest of my life.
[crowd cheering]
[water bubbling]
[Sheeran] Is everyone having a good time?
♪ It's been a long year ♪
I'm gonna have to play them
for the rest of my life.
♪ And we're not even halfway there ♪
♪ Is this the ending of our youth
When pain starts taking over? ♪
♪ I just don't know
If I can ever just let it go ♪
♪ Everything's falling apart ♪
♪ When love is real
There's never closure ♪
♪ I guess it's all part of life
But I can't help but feel old ♪
♪ We spend our youth
With arms and hearts wide open ♪
♪ And then the dark gets in
And that's the end of youth ♪
[applauding, cheering]
♪ Amazing grace ♪
♪ How sweet the sound ♪
♪ That saved a wretch ♪
♪ Like me ♪
♪ I once was lost ♪
♪ But now am found ♪
♪ Was blind but now I see ♪
[applauding, cheering]
[sniffs]
[sighs]
[Souts] D-Did you expect that?
No, no, no. I thought I was just gonna
go up onstage and just sing the songs.
I literally thought, get up onstage, sing…
You know, "Eyes Closed" is a pop song.
I thought I'd just come up onstage
and just belt out "Eyes Closed."
But it's more like…
You know, it's because no one knows
the songs yet that they are personal
and they are real and they are…
[sniffs, grunts]
I sung "Amazing Grace" 'cause
that's what they sung at Jamal's funeral,
and it felt like
a nice way to end it, basically.
But now I've got to pretend to everyone
that everything's all good,
and we're all gonna enjoy a glass of wine.
Let's just have an open door and have fun.
Come in.
- You all right?
- Yeah. How you doing, man?
[chattering]
[Sheeran] You enjoy it? How you doing?
- [fan 2] Good, how are you?
- [Sheeran] Good.
- [fan 2] Good to meet you.
- [Sheeran] You too.
- You enjoy it?
- [fan 3] Loved it.
[fan 4] Really good, man.
Nice to hear the stories
behind all your songs, as well.
[Sheeran] Thank you so much.
Thank you. Glad you liked that.
[fan 4] Been speaking
with my girlfriend now.
If we get married one day,
we need you there.
- That okay?
- [Sheeran] Totally, yeah. Totally.
Make sure you book it, like,
two years in advance.
[fan 4] Yeah? [Laughs]
[Sheeran] Where's Chez?
["Eyes Closed" playing]
♪ They're shutting the bar
They're cleaning the floor ♪
♪ And everyone is already home ♪
♪ But I'm on my own ♪
♪ Still dancing with my eyes closed ♪
♪ 'Cause everywhere I look
I still see you ♪
♪ Time is moving so slow ♪
♪ And I don't know what else
That I can do ♪
♪ So I'll keep dancing with my ♪