Thinking Out Loud

When I'm Fat and Old

Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran

Recommended by Mom

"Another great love song!! Just love this one. Makes me think of seeing this concert live with you and Manny. I remember I wasn't really excited about going to this concert, but I came away such a huge fan - and this one is my favorite! Ed is so talented, and I always remember Crews coming home from that tournament in San Diego listening to him before anyone knew who he was...funny. 😊"

So you're saying you heard about Ed Sheeran before he was cool? What a hipster.

On the same note, I liked this track before it was all over the airwaves. It's amazing how much your opinion of a song can change once it becomes inescapable.

Okay, but at least in this case, I can understand what all the hype is about. I mean, this is a good song. Thinking Out Loud was nominated for three Grammys, winning Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance. It was the first song to be streamed over 500 million times on Spotify, and it Sheeran's highest charting single in North America (x).

The message behind this song is very clear and very dramatic, and I love it. Sentimental. Some might say sappy. I can't even imagine how many times this was used as the first dance song at weddings last year.

(Speaking of dancing, how lovely is that music video?)

One quirk about the lyrics is how Sheeran sings I will be lovin' you 'til we're seventy. I mean, the life expectancy in the U.S. is 78.8 years. What are we supposed to do for that last decade? (x)

I'm sure he didn't mean it that way - it's just a good rhyme - but it still raises my eyebrows. Sheeran says he wrote this song while "in a relationship at a really, really happy point" (x). That much is clear. But in admitting that it was just a high point among low points, perhaps he's admitting that he doesn't believe in a love that's truly evergreen, despite what he says in this and many of his other songs.

That's negative. Sorry.

Whether that's true or not, Sheeran has spoken about the track, calling it a "walking down the aisle song" that reflects on "getting older and fidelity and love in a fairly conventional context" (x).

Musically, critics have called the song a "sleek update" of Marvin Gaye's 1973 soul powerhouse Let's Get It On. Similarities include the way Sheeran's voice is fairly loud compared to the instruments, which is "surprisingly rare" these days, and "the gently loping four-note bass pattern and crisp '70s soul drums" (x).

Plus, there's the "general candle-lit bedroom feel" (x).

Overview:

Genre:
Pop ballad

Favorite Lyrics:
People fall in love in mysterious ways.

Verdict:
Radio play was extra, but the song is good.