![]() The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. ![]() Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at for further information. Ed Sheeran's new album, "Subtract," is out now.Ĭopyright © 2023 NPR. KELLY: That was music writer Maura Johnston. But here, he just lets the songwriting kind of shine, and it really makes for an affecting last track. JOHNSTON: Four or five years ago, this may have been given, you know, a much more deluxe, blown-out treatment. SHEERAN: (Singing) When I'm home, I'll hold you like I'm supposed to. You can kind of see, when you hear this song, mist-covered fields rolling over the hills and this kind of grayish morning and then Ed Sheeran in a parka with a scarf viewing the landscape that's rolling before him and wishing that his love was with him, realizing the depth of his feeling. It brings together the traditions that Ed Sheeran's music is rooted in and his pop present. JOHNSTON: It's a string-accented Celtic folk song. Darling, we could fall in love 'neath the hills of Aberfeldy. ![]() And this particular song he had kind of earmarked as the finale of the project from pretty much its beginning. JOHNSTON: This is "The Hills Of Aberfeldy." This is the final track on "Subtract." Ed Sheeran's been working on this mathematical symbol project for over a decade now. Oh, I long for you to be the one that I'm holding. SHEERAN: (Singing) Oh, the leaves are covered in snow. (SOUNDBITE OF SONG, "THE HILLS OF ABERFELDY") JOHNSTON: I think it's an indication of the closer-to-the-bone approach that this record has and that Sheeran is taking to his songwriting. Nothing's the same, except the truth is now you're gone. Oh, how can it be this heavy? Everything changes. I pictured this month a little bit different. SHEERAN: (Singing) I lost more than my friend. The lyrics of the song really vividly describe depression and the wringer that a person goes through when they experience grief. And he also just descended into depression. His then-pregnant wife discovered a tumor in her body that could not be operated on until the baby that she was carrying was delivered. His friend, the music mogul Jamal Edwards, passed away. JOHNSTON: He had a really rough time in the beginning of 2022. 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. SHEERAN: (Singing) Every song reminds me you're gone. MAURA JOHNSTON: This is "Eyes Closed," the first single from "Subtract." Maura Johnston is a music writer and contributor to Rolling Stone magazine and walked us through a few standout tracks.ĮD SHEERAN: (Singing) Been inside for most this year, and I thought a few drinks - they might help. Democracy Realized through Music and Its Collaboration with Literature Kiyoko Magome A esthetic experiences, such as listening to music and reading literature, can be effective ways to realize democracy. It's called "Subtract," and it is the final installment in his mathematical symbol series that began in 2014. On the heels of his victory in a copyright lawsuit last week, singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has a new album out.
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