POP SONG REVIEW: "Shape of You" by Ed Sheeran

I really, really did not want to imagine Ed Sheeran's O-face. Thanks for that, Ed.

[@jaredlow4362]

Adam Levine is an underwear model who occasionally sings now" ... holy shit that is the perfect description of him.

[@HarunoMaxwell6115]

Jared Low I agree with that, but should add "married to a Victoria Secret model."

[@kieranstark7213]

Adam Levine is a model?! Welp, looks like not models in the world look good.

[@IfSapphOnly]

Spent the night in a hospital room I'm allergic to your perfume.

[@empirefarts]

Speekles this comment gave me life

[@whitherwhence]

I want a full version. I'm not talented enough to make one, but I really want one.

[@raymondraymond3207]

This reminds me of Hitch and just makes the song even better.

[@IsaacMayerCreativeWorks]

Yesterday you were in my class Now my linens smell of spices Every day I find some new railway I like shapes

[@lizucavictoria]

I had no aversion to this song at first, but after hearing it, like, a thousand times, I am beyond sick of it.

[@casketbase7750]

Preach. My sister has played nothing but this and Mask Off for the past few weeks.

[@person.w9780]

Eliza-Victoria Batrin This song does nothing but make me uncomfortable.

[@Wicked_Dreamer]

I didn't like it at first, started to like it, but now with the reveal that he lifted the melody on the pre-chorus from TLC's "No Scrubs", I just don't care for it anymore.

[@nikolapetrov4929]

Welcome to pop music, Eliza-Victoria. Damn, this was meant to sound condescending but you have the most badass vampire slayer name ever. I take it back :D

[@kyokyoniizukyo7171]

same...

[@dannymusic]

"I'm in love with your body," is a superficial, detail-less, and generally terrible line

[@agirlwithdreams15]

dannymusic thank you!

[@thatrandomguy9604]

Finally, someone with a sane personality!

[@DAsrada]

dannymusic why not be in love with yourself if you've trained up a buff body?

[@ReptilianTeaDrinker]

DAsrada But he isn't singing about his own body, he was singing about the woman's body. lol

[@annnee6818]

dannymusic yes

[@timthememer2785]

It's fitting you said Ed Sheeran looks like a grown up Chuckie cause this song's first few notes sound a LOT like the Rugrats theme.

[@ethanrichmond3992]

I thought you meant the doll Chucky, and honestly I can see that too

[@meysonmacbeth9367]

So you're just going to ignore "we push and pull like a magnet do"?

[@Jaknife101]

I've actually had to listen to this song alot recently, and that line is a lot worse, because he forces the rhyme by just putting emphasis on the "tah" sound at the end of "magnet" "push and pull like a magne-tahhh" is all i can hear from it now and it irritates me

[@riahlexington]

Despacito

[@ffjreviews9029]

I thought it was “push and pull like a magnet too”

[@RobotPilots]

I didn't even realise that line existed.

[@humanbeing9674]

I thought he was saying magnum, like the ice cream things

[@Crusader1089]

This song has been number one in the UK for almost three months. At one point 9 of the top 10 songs were Ed Sheeran songs.

[@bountyhunterjo]

His entire album was in the top 20, all 16 of them. It's been a horrible few months.

[@hinasakukimi]

we are truly living in the darkest timeline

[@jakegibbard]

And it's been the only number one of the year (if we don't count Rockabye since that #1 reign carried over from last year. Meanwhile Green Light hasn't even cracked the top 20

[@buf4wil]

Seriously? I blame Brexit.

[@thewalrusaurus]

fucking hell. i'm sorry.

[@mastermarkus5307]

"Boring" is definitely the word that permeates this song for me. The beat is boring, the singing is boring (though that seems par for the course for Ed Sheeran, whose voice I never enjoyed), and the lyrics are depressingly boring.

[@Musicradio77Network]

A young girl by the name of Sapphire did a terrific version of “Shape of You” and it sounds a ton better than the original and she wanted to become the next Christina Aguilera. Sapphire’s remake is way better than the original.

[@otaking3582]

This is supposed to be a sex song? I just thought it was about a guy that was extremely superficial

[@annnee6818]

Otaking Mikohani The two aren't mutually exclusive. It's a sex song about a superficial guy.

[@wspann1967]

Just gonna continue the tradition of this comment getting a reply every year

[@Sillygoose3656]

W Spann Here in 2020 to reply to the comment every year as promised

[@nodmyhead6198]

I think it's about a guy that initialy feels lust but also feels something deeper but chooses to focus on the lust. "... though my heart has fallen too, I'm in love with your body."

[@Svenir]

2021 reply

[@Jokobub]

For whatever reason, Todd just referring to Sheeran as “Ed” is the funniest shit I’ve ever heard

[@DashingSteel]

Have you guys noticed that trend in music? Nobody puts emotions into the voice! I mean our boy Bieber used to be like "BABY BABY BABY OHHHH" and now he's all "wut do you mean" It's as if Katy Perry would go from "BABEY YOU'RE A FIREWORK" to "Baby you're a roman candle"

[@SantaFishes101]

I know right?? It's like listening to robots on the radio now.

[@thealientree3821]

Canalave Maiden [plz look at my playlists thnx] Except robots would probably be better singers if they do have a chance.

[@arpitdas4263]

Yeah. At least those carcinogenic songs had some heart to them

[@mimisaur5000]

@@thealientree3821 have you seen vocaloid?? some of the songs have waaay more emotion than actual humans

[@DashingSteel]

of course it is, but you gotta agree that beebz barely puts any emotion into his voice It's kinda monotonous and sleepy

[@aurathoma1047]

I feel like he should have given this to Shawn Mendes so Shawn could start crafting his sexy bad boy image that we all know hes gonna try and pull eventually.

[@prismaze]

*'Señorita' has enter the chat*

[@sofia_with_an_f]

This comment aged well, ngl

[@catmeowi1030]

This aged really well ;-;

[@CarlsCozyCorner]

It amazes me Shawn Mendez has a career after "stitches". In my opinion that's where his career should've died.

[@happyjellycatsquid]

@@CarlsCozyCorner At least Shawn’s handsome to pull off a sex song like, isn’t his looks most of his appeal until he produces a fairly good song again ?

[@InaZeaAnaZazi]

The "last night you were in my room and now my bedsheets smell like you" lines always makes me think "You're still living with your parents, huh Ed?"

[@Guzuma]

This song has a Pavlovian effect on me, every time I hear it my stomach starts burning bc at the time this song was really popular in 2017 I was taking antibiotics that made my stomach burn

[@thevanillafeziant]

It was played on repeat at my first job. The memories of sweating, exhaustion, and pain are all associated with the song in my brain. Whenever I hear it I remember cleaning off the tables while trying not to pass out.

[@somescrub885]

I may not associate 2017 wirh this song, but I sure as hell associate this song with 2017.

[@vidcas1711]

This song and other pop songs from that era remind me of crappy summer jobs I worked in the mid to late 2010s. I’d only listen to radio, and by extension current pop music, while commuting by car to jobs during college breaks.

[@hannahmoran2149]

I'm a huge Ed Sheeran fan, but I have NO IDEA why this song is as big as it is. "Galway Girl", "Castle on the Hill", "Perfect", and basically EVERY OTHER SONG ON HIS NEW ALBUM WOULD BE A BETTER HIT THAN THIS.

[@purplechocolate171]

Agreed.

[@purplechocolate171]

Agreed.

[@stewyhosseini]

Hannah Moran at least they sound a bit less bored

[@randomdudewholikesmusic1640]

Nancy Mulligan is tye best track

[@hannahmoran2149]

RandomDude WhoLikesMusic That and "Galway Girl" are my two favorites off the album. If they released either of those songs as singles, they might not be massive hits, but they'd be DIFFERENT. They're joyful, full of life, rich in sound and lyrical content. If you watch any of Todd's other videos, that's his biggest problem with pop music today: it sounds like blank, empty white noise. "Galway Girl" and "Nancy Mulligan" (and, for that matter, "Barcelona" and "Bibi Ya Be Ye") are NOT what is being heard on the radio, and that's what makes them so great! I guess we just have to hold out for the pop music pendulum to swing back in favor of lush, Wall of Sound production.

[@JayceeOnYouTube]

In my opinion I like Castle on the Hill more.

[@TheDukeofCheese12]

Jose65 Really disappointed that wasn't the breakout hit. Fantastic song

[@corvus1374]

I like Galway Girl better.

[@goodjobeli]

I prefer Galway Girl. That deserves number one more.

[@guitaristzag8787]

I prefer eraser

[@mikerivera373]

Jose65 personal favorite is Galway Girl

[@magicant6482]

I'm just gonna say this, Ed is gonna end up like Taylor Swift; Started off writing cute/sad acoustic songs and slowly became another overblown pop sensation.

[@dublinjake]

And then release "Style" and be Todd's favourite thing ever?

[@josh44026]

Dublin Jake who says she wrote or composed it.

[@dariuswatson6298]

She did write it and I personally think Taylor Swift has pulled off her transition to pop very well. I love 1989. I don't like Shake it Off but other than that song, I think its a brilliant album! I agree with you on Ed Sheeran though. He can pull off pop jams when he has a talented producer by his side like Pharell of Rick Rubin but this song shows that he shouldn't try pop jams when he's the producer himself.

[@shinigamijack4208]

I just read that as "Ed is gonna end up WITH Taylor Swift"... Weird

[@yvette4948]

Shinigami Jack They really should though. They're meant for each other. Much like how Charlie Puth and Meghan Trainor are meant for each other...

[@AnimatedIsaac]

I was rooting for Castle on the Hill. Was far, far better than Shape of You but it never managed to overtake it.

[@stranget92]

Yeah. Even if it kind of sounds like 2ndrate Temper Trap, it's definitely better than this.

[@swapnilbasu4985]

"i dont know what people will think of when they look back at 2017 but I REALLY don't think it's gonna be this" well that aged well todd

[@dg-yq9gl]

I can't even get through this song, it's so musically uninteresting.

[@findyourcenterbbc8483]

Natewantstobattle did a cover of this and it is really good

[@si6525]

One of my biggest issues with this song is that there is a clear opportunity to develop a storyline. But no, it stays completely flat. I mean, he literally says "everyday I'm discovering something brand new" and immediately follows it up with "I'm in love with your body". Why didn't he start showing the development of how he's learning to love this girl the next three times he sang the chorus???? No, it's exactly the same assertion of how he loves her body despite all the "bonding" they do in the song. So mediocre, he didn't even try.

[@beaudure01]

The difference between the 80s and 2010s is that we were all watching MTV in the 80s. Everyone knew Madonna and Duran Duran. Even the parents. I couldn’t sing a Drake song or Ed Sheeran song to save my life.

[@beaudure01]

@Annie Sham Fair enough. I can kind of sing Bad Romance.

[@miap]

Has anyone else noticed that part of the chorus sounds like TLC's 'No Scrubs' I was hoping he would mention it in this review.

[@ReptilianTeaDrinker]

Same. I noticed that too, so I was surprised he didn't spot that.

[@alika207]

I can see that in the pre-chorus!

[@snake4322]

Ed is definitely a scrub

[@miastevans7392]

It was sampled they got credit

[@annacarollina7703]

@@miastevans7392 it wasnt "oficially" sampled, ppl were noticing it and the writers were like hmmm on social media and suddenly ed added them (coincidentally right after he had to add the credits for a uncredited marvin gaye sample he was sued for)

[@ArmageddonisUnleashe]

"He looks like a grown-up Chuckie from Rugrats!" I laughed, because Todd nailed it.

[@WereDictionary]

Shapes are the 2D equivalents of 3D bodies. (A circle is a shape, a sphere is a body, right?) So Ed Sheeran singing about loving your shape instead of your body turns this song from optically and romantically shallow to literally shallow. Go figure, the shallowness of the song has more dimensions than the song itself.

[@mindcookies3533]

that is masterpiece analysis

[@juneguts]

April Fools! Ed Sheeran isn't a real person!

[@Sketchguy1248]

You just got pranked!!!

[@hiimemily]

This and "Castle on the Hill" were released as singles simultaneously, and somehow this was the song that became one of the biggest hits of all time. Fuck's sake.

[@ryworze3190]

HE DOES LOOK LIKE CHUCKY

[@Lrripper]

He cute tho.

[@th3rasave]

"I don't want a sex jam from you, Ed..."-Todd in the shadows, 2017

[@Musicradio77Network]

You better listen to Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On”, Barry White’s “Never, Never Gonna Give You Up”, Sylvia’s “Pillow Talk”, George Michael’s “I Want Your Sex”, or any other sex jam from the 70’s and 80’s.

[@gabeguarin1096]

"We push and pull like a magnet" is genuinely awful.

[@pietropiva1376]

It's up there with that awful "Let's Marvin Gaye and get it on"

[@Redler13]

Between this and Thinking Out Loud, Sheeran seems to have Rhianna on his mind a lot.

[@Amishmediagroup]

Like Ellie Goulding had Ed Sheeran on her mind a lot.

[@shiftygaming4216]

best quote of the year "ed sherran looks like a grown up chucky from the rugrats

[@leowong8777]

Hey, since We reviewed the shit. Let's review The Weeknd "I Feel It Coming" ft Daft Punk.

[@seppoleonvervloet132]

POINTLESS GUY good idea

[@sadubros]

POINTLESS GUY That song is meh to me. It sounds like elevator music

[@Nersius]

Does Daft Punk still release good music, or have they gone the way of Basshunter?

[@bsacagawea]

Didn't he include that in his best songs list last year tho?

[@Thegeekwiththephysik]

Not exactly, Star Boy was on his best songs list last year.

[@hilotakenaka]

Here's a big difference between "Sing" and newer Ed Sheeran songs: "Sing" had more than two instruments

[@MrEmpoleon2010]

Toffolus Most White Stripe songs have only two instruments as well. But is anyone calling them bad?

[@hilotakenaka]

MrEmpoleon2010 The difference is that they do something quite interesting to their songs IMO. And I never said they were BAD, I just personally don’t like them as much as Sing

[@wynntaylor1]

its 2022 and even though a ton of new music has come out in the last 5 years, we as the public are still forced to listen to Shape of you and Despacito on a regular basis like they came out yesterday.

[@Dreigonix]

So, every song that has a 3-3-2 rhythm belongs to Rihanna? Well, I look forward to hearing her vocal cover of the intro stage theme from Mega Man X2, then.

[@ronondex26]

The similarity to Sia, yes! Every time I hear this song on the radio, I think it's going to be a Sia song for the first couple seconds. Then I get sad. That being said, this song is pretty eh for me...or at least is would be if they only played it once a month. This song does not have replay value at all.

[@paisleepunk]

The last two sentences of paragraph 1 have aged...interestingly.

[@joelmole3157]

Ed Sheeran remains the most overrated singer alive. He pumps out mediocre hits yet people think he's the second coming of music. Also I'm curious to hear your thoughts on Chained to the Rhythm by Katy Perry, possibly the most baffling singer chosen for a subject matter such as ignorance and brainwashing

[@louschwick7301]

if i recall his twitter correctly, he thought it "catchy", and "kinda self-defeating"

[@quackmeister1238]

Personally I'm rather grateful he's this decade's John Mayer and not...well John Mayer.

[@VictoriaSobocki]

Michael Prymula Why do you think that?

[@modtick]

Katy is back to what I started to criticize her for. being a massive hypocrite.

[@hiimemily]

I guess we all had super high hopes for him after "Sing" and "Don't", but everything else he's done has been a 5 out of 10 at best. Now we're just telling him "don't sing".

[@casualkitty1381]

I know how to save pop music! It needs a 90s era Ska injection.

[@justineschultz2126]

Andre Innis Hell yeah!

[@xercespriest]

Hell no. We will get stupid 90s movies with Ska Pop soundtracks because of it. I don't want to live through the trash era of my youth again.

[@cleverusername2578]

Ngl I never thought this song was about sex. If you imagine it as a teenager (which I was at the time) with a crush on their friend it all still fits. All the things you want to do with her, hanging out in your room together as friends, you could not even be dating this girl and it would still fit to me. That’s what this song was.

[@englishhedgehog7]

That enthusiasm from Todd playing the song was incredible

[@skimmington]

I've finally reached the point where I don't take offense when he hates something and I like it

[@JackedThor-so]

Same. There are so many songs he's reviewed that I genuinely like that on one hand i'm like "I love this, leave it alone!" And on he other hand I'm like "yeah, I guess that's a good point. I still love it though, let me have my garbage!"

[@jeremypedersen6894]

@@JackedThor-so "DONT TOUCH MY *GARBAGE* " sorrowTV

[@jwcarroll6378]

And there you have it. Pharrell's talent is making (almost) everyone sound better than they actually are.

[@shannonmcdavid7344]

There is nothing that I understand about Ed Sheeran

[@a1yssum]

he's just an orange enigma...

[@chief_mourner]

Literally no one wants to think of Ed Sheeran having sex. He's like a starfish. Never ever.

[@jessica23claire]

When I first heard this I thought it was a cover of Cheap Thrills by Sia... EDIT: ah apparently I'm not the only one who noticed.

[@jvvn361]

The 3+3+2 beat is a dancehall staple, which for some reason is seeping through lately. Sorry (Justin Bieber), Cheap Thrills (Sia), of course Shape of You (Ed Sheeran), and a shit ton of Drake and Rihanna songs. But in general, Major Lazer, Partnextdoor, and Tory Lanez also incorporate the dancehall style.

[@Paholala]

Omg, I get so much hate for not liking most Ed Sheeran songs and this song in particular. Thank you. The best part was realizing Ed Sheeran has been "Adam Levinized" xD

[@RushStudios101]

When I vacationed in Italy a few years ago, the condo I stayed at in Rome was above a club. One night, they played a club mix of Shape of You. For an hour straight. At 2AM. I don't think I've ever come closer to having a genuine mental breakdown.

[@l.tc.5032]

I'm considering going to Italy for vacation next year. Maybe I should reconsider.

[@musichere3287]

2:36 "I don't know what people are going to think of when they look back at 2017, but I really don't think it's gonna be this" Well...I wish that was true 4 years later but it's certainly not. Shape Of You is somehow still getting nearly 1M streams per day on Spotify (by far the most out of 2017 songs) and it's currenly the 69th most popular song in the world according to Billboard Global 200. Argument can be made that it's the biggest hit in history. Most streamed song on Spotify ever, most successful song ever on Apple Music, 2nd most viewed music video of all time.

[@BickBarkGaming]

The fact that this song has been number 1 for weeks while Castle on the Hill (an actually good Ed Sheeran song) has been falling down the charts since it was released is sad

[@Mine0Taur]

"(...) so he just kinda sounds amazed that it even happened." Oh. OH GOD, IS THAT WHY I LIKE THIS SONG?

[@romanmacharoni]

One point to bring up about the review: When I hear "handmade" in the song, I kinda think of like pottery. As in the shape of something combined with that word in the song makes me think of a piece of pottery being molded. I dunno if that's what he's goin for, But it's what comes to mind for me *shrugs* Good review, though!

[@hausdrache4054]

Y'know, this may sound weird, but if you're bored with the state of pop music in the 2010's, you should consider doing a series on Eurovision. It may be a bit late for this year, but you could do videos of the lineups, etc. Eurovision is cheesy as all hell, and thus retains some sense of that mindless "fun" that pop is lacking in the US. You may do videos primarily for US audiences, but Eurovision is gaining a US audience quite quickly. It'd give you all kind of material. I love pop music too, so January-May is always a lot of fun for me.

[@Mintzik]

In my workplace (in Scotland, homeland of Sheeran's hair) I keep listening to workmates saying 'yeah, I guess I'm a bit sick of his music.. would still marry him though." And I have to tell them that if they're sick of a musician's output when they don't even know them, imagine having to live with it 24/7. The marriage fantasies dropped a bit after that.

[@RealityBreaker6]

Gonna review Saturnz Barz?

[@mikecraig2062]

RealityBreaker6 he only reviews pop hits, maybe if it becomes a hit

[@DrGandW]

RealityBreaker6 Nah if it isn't an April Fools today I'm not feeling it

[@magik4353]

I prefer mars bars

[@lobsturfish4107]

RealityBreaker6 PLEASE!!!!!

[@JacobGriffin]

RealityBreaker6 Saturnz Barz is trash. All the other singles they released were great(especially Ascension) but like I said Saturnz Barz = Trash.

[@kidrebel1121]

Ed produced this beat. I thought is was a drake b side

[@samiali749]

Thuggy Thursdays give drake credit. If he was going to do whitewashed dancehall, he wouldn't make it this weak at all. It isn't even a goofing around on Logic Pro drake song

[@djangomarkov7948]

Sami Ali "If he was going to do whitewashed dance hall" Im sorry do you know who the fuck Drake is? He has done whitewashed dancehall, in fact it's apparently his new favorite style

[@GiroKuluBOWSER]

When I first heard this, I thought it was a Shawn Mendes song. That says a lot about how good it was.

[@jakehaun7264]

Am I the only one who scrolled through this in case it was an April Fools day video?

[@thedudewhomadethisvideo]

If Sia sung this song, would it have been better?

[@JackOfen]

As it turns out, saying "I'm in love with your body" to a girl will 5/10 times end with a slap to your face and 4/10 with her rolling her eyes and saying: "*sigh * Men", well except if you are a rich singer apparently.

[@dinoelsaurio]

Todd, you are missing a vital piece of pop trends: Reaggeton I don't think you haven't noticed, but reaggeton has been attracting a lot of US producers and artists that are mainly pop. Reaggeton is HUGE in Latin America, so big that now Justin Beiber sang in Despacito (people went nuts). A lot of pop stuff is trying to get close to tropical/bass/ dance hall (like this dreadful Ed Sheeran song), and its getting closer to what pop Reaggeton sounds like (stuff, like J Balvin, Maluma) to the point that every song in Mexican radio is either this or some collab with J Balvin, Ricky Martin, Camila Cabello, Pharrell and Shakira all at the same time and it's driving me crazy!

[@MD0K]

As a latino who was in his peak 20s when this song came out, this is a certified bop as a club track next to some reggaetón. chef's kiss

[@someidiotmetalhead]

"your love was hand-made for me" is a lyric that only the horniest of 80s hair-metal acts can make work lmao

[@witnessme4352]

In all fairness to Ed, aside from maybe Brian Molko, I'm pretty sure that no male artist could pull these lyrics off.

[@emmamckinney7248]

The girl in the video is probably one of the most beautiful models I've ever seen 😊

[@kimifw58]

"We talk for hours and hours about the sweet and the sour and how your family is doing okay." Whoa! Control yourself, Ed. We can't let this song get too steamy.

[@vfanon]

Can you do a One Hit Wonderland on Pumped up Kicks, possibly? Believe it fits the criteria.

[@annaa1277]

Call It What You Want, Houdini, Helena Beat, Coming Of Age. Not one hit wonders at all.

[@mpmqbi]

...none of those were hits. A common definition of a hit (from a US prespective, which Todd covers) is "Reaches the top 40 on Billboard 100 singles chart". Pumped up Kicks is their only song that has done that. While there are several songs that are considered hits despite not fitting that definition, none of the songs you listed qualify.

[@annaa1277]

Some of these songs were in US rock and alternative charts. There are dozens of number ones that no one remembers and many songs that didn't succeed in charts but became popular anyway. Especially in alternative music. MGMT's Kids is a hit even though it hit only #91. Muse's best position in Billboard is #37, Lana Del Rey and Amy Winehouse have only one #10 hit, even Nirvana had only one #10 single and their other singles didn't even crack top 30 (the biggest 90s band haha). They are no one hit wonders at all.

[@mpmqbi]

Yeah, a band can avoid the one hit wonder label if their other stuff remains appreciated too. But it is just too early to tell whether that will be the case for Foster the People.

[@haleyanderson2258]

Wasn't the song sit next to me also a hit?

[@daisybryar2737]

11:00 "I've been broker than you'll ever be in your life Ed and I'd never do that on a first date" Ed was homeless before he got famous but your point still stands tbh

[@lavii3355]

Ughhhhhh my mum calls him the “king of love songs” and whenever I come through with common sense saying “it’s boring, he repeats lyrics, it’s literally just about sex” she always says “um no?? he puts so much feeling and emotion in each line” *like wtf??*

[@sirgemini5743]

rihanna has a shit load of hit songs that were written for her but either she or her team rejected them, you can actually create a top ten list about it.

[@trucetruce335]

“I don’t think people are gonna look back at 2017 and think of this.” Bad news this is a staple 2017 song...

[@maryt.3273]

Yeah, Van Morrison is far more...the emotional and spiritual side of love when it comes to music. I can see dancing to Van Morrison, sure, y'know, slow-dancing, to something like "Someone Like You" or "Queen of the Slipstream", or maybe that weird ballroom-ballet thing I do to "Gypsy Queen" (not a formally trained dancer, in case you can't tell). I can see lying in bed late at night listening to "Sense of Wonder" or "In the Garden". I can see staying up till dawn having long philosophical and/or deeply personal and/or possibly "Let's talk through this thing that is destroying our relationship because I don't want to lose you" talks over "And the Healing Has Begun" or the entirety of Inarticulate Speech of the Heart, and I can see driving down the road on your way to or from a date listening to "When the Leaves Come Falling Down" or "Autumn Song", and I can even see having a good time and partying to "Wild Night" or "Domino" or "Come Running" or "On the Bright Side of the Road". I don't really think Van's music fits the mood Ed Sheeran's going for, though. Not least because *not all his songs are love songs*, but mostly because...his music kinda...goes beyond that part of life. It transcends it.

[@supernova4460]

There are so many songs about sex that make it out to be be much more important than it really is. It's nice to see a song about an average-looking guy having sex and and just treating it like a normal thing, and it def wouldn't have been as interesting or relatable if a supermodel was singing it. Imo.

[@agirlwithdreams15]

supernova its not, its just another "im falling for you but mostly bc your hot and the sex was good" (admittedly faint) sexual objectifiction, its not different from any average sex song

[@louschwick7301]

judging by the way the chorus sounds, shape of you isn't a "got laid" song, it's a "got LAID" song - in that kind of thing, i'm not looking for relatability, i'm looking for fantasy and ed sheeran isn't most people's fantasy - he's not bad looking, but still

[@avenueroy]

Yeah I totally agree. And I like how there is sort of a story developing. It starts off as a random bar hookup but they start to hang out and actually fall for each other.

[@supernova4460]

I also found these two lines interesting: "Girl, you know I want your love Your love was handmade for somebody like me." vs. "Say, boy, let's not talk too much Grab on my waist and put that body on me." Ed wants something more, girl just wants him to shut up and keep things casual. There's clearly a bit of conflict there.

[@supernova4460]

Joe Weir Couldn't help but laugh when I read that. I really don't know. I think if there's any trait that makes a pop song "worthy" of existing, though, it's its ability to entertain. And, well... I think the song did just that for a lot of people. (To the point of being overplayed, in fact.)

[@porgy29]

Am I the only one who feels like this song sounds like a bad and not funny Flight of the Concords song?

[@peanutbuttercracker1]

This song is a guilty pleasure of mine. I don't love it, and I have quite a few critiques of it, but I like it well enough, even with it being overplayed. I think this song is at its best A) when you look at the pre-chorus and chorus in isolation and don't really pay much attention the verses or bridge, and B) when you stop thinking of it as a "sexy song" and more like a wholesome song. This song was popular when I was at the peak of a 5-year-long relationship, my only truly serious relationship, so it kinda resonates with me. I figure I would take a pretty neutral stance on this song if it didn't have a bit of a personal connection. Another thing is that I hated every other pop song I can remember being out around that time. Like what else am I gonna listen to? Heathens? Stitches? Chained to the Rhythm? Treat You Better? Slow Hands? Like it's fine if you like any of those songs but I personally would choose Shape of You any day. One last thing, it's funny how this was uploaded on April Fools and Todd says "I don't think the 2010's will be remembered for Shape of You" when it ended up becoming Spotify's most streamed song of the whole decade.

[@lordowl3533]

The buffet and sweet and sour reference seems kind of racist when you realize it's an Asian lady in the music video. Just the way he said it kind of

[@MegaOceanguy]

I thought this was gonna be another April Fools video. Was pleasantly surprised. But yeah, Ed Sheeran always has and will continue to be hit or miss I think. Some of his songs are genuinely beautiful but others.... yeah there ain't nothing beautiful about Ed Sheeran's O-face.

[@carpevinum8645]

I thought the lyrics "handy", not "handmade". Combined with the boring interactions described and focus on the body, I thought it was describing a relationship where the sex was good but everything else was crap.

[@EpicBeard815]

No way I'm the only one hearing "Treat You Better" in this beat

[@buf4wil]

"BEDDAH DAN HE CANN!"

[@shinigamijack4208]

BET A DAMN EGAN!

[@MolotovBurner100]

Amazin69 "BET A DANNY CAN!"

[@jenniferbaumgarden9293]

When I think of the dominant music of the mid 90's, it wasn't just Nirvana and grunge. By the mid 90's, grunge had gone mainstream anyway. And yes, I personally WOULD think of Ace of Base before Nirvana, because that album was EVERYWHERE. It didn't matter whose car we were cruising in, that cassette tape was playing on the tape deck. We ALL loved that music, from my country friends, to my metal friends to my gay friends. Nirvana was great, but their best album was Nevermind and that was a couple years old by then.

[@tegantalks9612]

Todd: I don’t know what people are going to think of when they look back on 2017, but I don’t think it will be this. 2024: Shape of You and Despacito were the biggest songs of the year and Shape of You is now Billboards 10th biggest song of all time only one spot behind the god damn Macarena!

[@nickblas]

By Van Morrison, he probably meant Moondance, the best partner dance song ever.

[@JohnLouisBishop84]

Todd says he can't imagine getting freaky to Van Morrison, but I don't think he's seen "An American Werewolf in London." That might be a fluke, but "Moondance" sure worked there.

[@Insider2000]

I wish I could say I hate this song, but I kind of feel... okay with it. Not a 'download and put on my playlist', but a 'if there's nothing else on the radio, sure why not'. I will say that I like the video a lot. She comes in and saves his ass in the end? Cute.

[@Musicradio77Network]

If you want a much better song than this, check out her version by Sapphire. She did a fantastic job beating Ed Sheeran’s original out of the ballpark, and she had a great sounding voice like Christina Aguilera did. She did have a beautiful voice to it. Check her out! kzbin.info/www/bejne/iamuZJ6wrax3qbc

[@writerspen010]

This is the one thing I like about being in the middle of the black hole that is prepping for graduate school final papers and projects: no time to listen to and find new music. I don't think I've heard this song ever, so to hear it's been popular for weeks already is surprising--but, then again, Todd's reviews are almost always how I find out what's popular--but this song doesn't sound /that/ bad.

[@procpopisovac]

This song is catchy as hell and the video is funny. I canť listen it too often, but I donť mind it when it plays on the radio. Greetings from 2023, Ed did worse since this review was made.

[@antoniobelaunde6113]

Ed Sheeran, the type o’ guy to say POGGERS after a girl kisses him

[@gabe_s_videos]

This is the first time I've heard this entire song, and I have to say, I kind of like that there's a sex jam that glorifies the mundane. As someone who hasn't gone on many dates in my life, I have to say I prefer going to a cheap buffet and having hours-long conversations about meaningless shit is way more romantic than club-banging.

[@JorgCAlexander]

I was so thankful when this song came out. Its sound really stood out against the rest of the top 40. It's distinct if nothing else.

[@WitchyWhale]

What's your opinion about "Green Light" by Lorde?

[@alexlafond3378]

Ianna Natasha it hit #1 on his year end best list

[@Mauricekaip]

I find it interesting that most of my exposure to popular songs is through Todd. But whenever I ask people about Ed Sheeran most of them say they like their music because it's kind of like a vessel, I can find themselves inside of his songs. I hate his music, but I can understand that and I have definitely have had experiences like this, boring ass date mediocre sex but I've never fallen in love because of that. Great review

[@spo0o0ky]

The thing is, I fail to understand why having these experiences should mean gravitating toward mediocre music. I think if people felt more inclined to explore more creative, uplifting styles, it puts them at better odds of escaping their predicament. But that's just me. I'm especially biased in the case of this song since it ticks all the right boxes of shitty characteristics I hate in pop songs.

[@mikerivera373]

Maurice Pete listen to the rest of his album in order to see what people mean. For example, listen to Galway Girl, and tell me you don't feel like you're in Ireland. Listen to Castle on the Hill, and tell me you aren't reminded of how you grew up. Listen to Supermarket Flowers, and tell me how it doesn't remind you of losing a loved one. Shape of You really sticks out from the album in that it is totally different from the rest of his songs.

[@AMReed8]

Ed Sheeran + Blasian Chick = My Ancestors.

[@CheapAbyss]

It's been more than a year now and people still don't talk enough about how the hell did Ed Sheeran find a boxing black Chinese girl.

[@foxboyuwu]

I'm imagining this being sung by Rihanna and it's making it 10x better

[@famouslastwords0791HR]

How i LOATHE this song . Actually, most of his songs. His lyrics are beyond juvenile and generic and the music is the very definition of boredom. Haven't watched this fully yet, so not sure what your opinion is but figured I'd give mine. LOVE the channel, man.

[@amityislandchum]

Ed Sheeran's early albums were so good. He's a super talented lyricist and guitarist. I went to a few of his shows, which at the time were small venues with about 50 people, and he totally blew the crowd away. I hate being one of those people who's like, "I knew about this artist before it was cool! It was about *the music* back then! Now he's sold out!" But like... Ed really did just decide to go full generic, soulless pop after he got popular. It makes me sad. "Shape of You" is so cheesy and embarrassing, especially compared to "The A Team," "U.N.I.," "Small Bump," etc. It's worth watching his live shows where he shreds Clapton and Hendrix songs, or listening to his older albums, but his new stuff is just... so bland and disappointing.

[@WittyProfileName]

I actually first heard this song yesterday. I don't know how I avoided it for so long but now I can't stop hearing it everywhere.

[@trtx84]

I'm surprised you didn't reference the similarities to "No Scrubs". It was nagging me for months before someone finally helped me make the connection.

[@noahthomson2774]

nah dude, i think u mean the early to mid 2010s as the best era for pop music since the 80s and that brief blip in the late 90s because in the same video (which was uploaded in 2017), you're saying that it's were everything is trending downwards and sounding sickly dying.

[@nedmode9412]

2017 was awful

[@salomew.7765]

"Die alone? Hell yes, sign me up!"

[@casketbase7750]

One of the first reviews of a modern song in awhile, and it's great. All those references the other artists fit perfectly, and every joke hit. I'm hoping Todd will utterly obliterate the shitshow that is Mask Off in a Future review.