Photograph (Ed Sheeran song)

"Photograph"
Song by Ed Sheeran
from the album x
WrittenSnow Patrol,Johnny McDaid
ReleasedMay 11, 2015 (2015-05-11)

"Photograph" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran for his second studio album, x (2014). Sheeran co-wrote the song with Snow Patrol member Johnny McDaid.

"Photograph" served as the fifth and final single from the album. It reached the top five on the main singles charts in more than five countries. In the US, where it peaked at number ten, "Photograph" became the third single from the album to have reached within the top ten. In the UK, it reached number 15 and has since been certified platinum for sales of 600,000 units. The single has also been certified double platinum in Australia and Canada, and platinum in New Zealand.

The single's release on 11 May 2015 followed the premiere of the music video on 9 May 2015.

Background

Ed Sheeran wrote "Photograph" in May 2012 with Johnny McDaid,[1][2] musician and background singer of the Irish band Snow Patrol. Sheeran toured with the band as a support act in some North American dates. McDaid had a three-note[3] piano loop that became the basis of "Photograph".[4] The song was created when Sheeran, while in a hotel room in Kansas City, was humming "loving can hurt, loving can hurt" to the loop that was playing on McDaid's laptop.[2][3][4] Sheeran said: "I started humming, and then [McDaid] put a beat behind it."[5]

Lawsuit

On 9 June 2016, it was reported that Sheeran was being sued by songwriters Martin Harrington and Thomas Leonard, writers of Matt Cardle's 2011 single "Amazing", for $20 million for copyright infringement.[6] The lawsuit says: "Given the striking similarity between the chorus of Amazing and Photograph, (the) defendants knew when writing, publishing, recording, releasing, and distributing Photograph that they were infringing on a pre-existing musical composition."[6] The lawsuit was privately settled in April 2017.[7]

In March 2022, while in court for a separate lawsuit over his song "Shape of You", Sheeran said that he settled the "Photograph" complaint on the advice of his lawyers, as the case was "more trouble than it was worth".[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Ed Sheeran talks through new album". Music-News.com. 29 June 2014. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 23 August 2015.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Ed Sheeran Begins To Multiply". Noise11.com. 20 April 2015. Archived from the original on 29 October 2020. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Connolly, Lynn (24 July 2015). "Ed Sheeran confesses 'Photograph' lyrics "fell out" in minutes, as did his bowels once apparently". Unreality TV. Archived from the original on 16 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 "Exclusive: Ed Sheeran On Writing 'Photograph'... In Just Ten Minutes!". Capital. 23 July 2015. Archived from the original on 4 December 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  5. ↑ Tietjen, Alexa (22 April 2015). "Relive Ed Sheeran's Touching Performance of 'Photograph' While You Wait for the Music Video to Drop". VH1. Archived from the original on 14 August 2020. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Ed Sheeran is being sued for $20m by two songwriters over his track Photograph". Newsbeat. BBC. 9 June 2016. Archived from the original on 8 November 2020. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  7. ↑ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (11 April 2017). "Ed Sheeran may regret Photograph that led to $20m copyright case". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 13 April 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  8. ↑ "Ed Sheeran denies Shape of You copyright claim at High Court trial". BBC News. 7 March 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2022.