Ed Sheeran managed to rise above all the EDM-influenced noise last year. The 22-year-old Brit singer's debut moody, acoustic ballad, "The A Team," seems like an unlikely pop hit given Top 40's obsession with club music and up-tempo jams. But somehow, its heavy topics under a beautiful folky melodic canopy and off-kilter acoustics won pop fans over after its big release in 2012, and in the process, nabbed itself a 2013 Grammy Awards nomination for "Song of the Year!"
Musically, this beautiful melodic track "The A Team," is particularly dark lyrical content, yet overwhelmingly tuneful slice of jazz-folk, and was deeply inspired by a true story after Sheehan meeting a young girl called "Angel," whilst volunteering at a Crisis homeless shelter when he was 18 at the time and kind of quite naive. Built on palm-muted guitars and a simmering string arrangement, Sheehan chronicles girl's descent into an endless web of drug addiction and prostitution.
In a interview with Billboard, Sheehan explained the song's title. "A drug like crack cocaine is called a 'class A' drug. That's in the same category as heroin. Instead of making it clear and just saying what the problem was, I'd say, 'She's in the 'class A' team.' It was kind of my way of covering up (a person's addiction), I guess, making it a bit more subtle." Yes, Sheehan has an unflinching eye for subtle details and colorful imagery, and his music is full of soulful vocal runs and patient atmosphere. Although the subject matter of "The A Team" isn't exactly radio-friendly, the hook sure is.
Cost only £20, Sheehan shot clip with young photographer Ruskin Kyle and stars actresses Selina MacDonald as "Angel," and it narrates the story of "Angel" addicted to drugs, living on the streets of London. She tried to sell magazines for money, but only managed to sell one to the artist of the song, Ed Sheeran. "Angel" struggled so much that she resorted to selling her body to earn money. She may not have loved it, but it provided an income in general for the young woman. Later on, the pain became too much for her to bear and she just wanted to end it all. She traded in her "dirty" money for drugs, referencing the lyric and in the end, she succumbs to her drug abuse.
Musically, this beautiful melodic track "The A Team," is particularly dark lyrical content, yet overwhelmingly tuneful slice of jazz-folk, and was deeply inspired by a true story after Sheehan meeting a young girl called "Angel," whilst volunteering at a Crisis homeless shelter when he was 18 at the time and kind of quite naive. Built on palm-muted guitars and a simmering string arrangement, Sheehan chronicles girl's descent into an endless web of drug addiction and prostitution.
In a interview with Billboard, Sheehan explained the song's title. "A drug like crack cocaine is called a 'class A' drug. That's in the same category as heroin. Instead of making it clear and just saying what the problem was, I'd say, 'She's in the 'class A' team.' It was kind of my way of covering up (a person's addiction), I guess, making it a bit more subtle." Yes, Sheehan has an unflinching eye for subtle details and colorful imagery, and his music is full of soulful vocal runs and patient atmosphere. Although the subject matter of "The A Team" isn't exactly radio-friendly, the hook sure is.
Cost only £20, Sheehan shot clip with young photographer Ruskin Kyle and stars actresses Selina MacDonald as "Angel," and it narrates the story of "Angel" addicted to drugs, living on the streets of London. She tried to sell magazines for money, but only managed to sell one to the artist of the song, Ed Sheeran. "Angel" struggled so much that she resorted to selling her body to earn money. She may not have loved it, but it provided an income in general for the young woman. Later on, the pain became too much for her to bear and she just wanted to end it all. She traded in her "dirty" money for drugs, referencing the lyric and in the end, she succumbs to her drug abuse.
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