Ed Sheeran Mourns on “Eyes Closed”

Ed Sheeran Mourns on “Eyes Closed”

Ed Sheeran returns with his latest single “Eyes Closed”. The singer had originally started the song a few years ago, with its framework being that of a breakup track. However, following recent events such as the death of a close friend, the song eventually molded into a song about loss and grief. 

The song’s instrumental is very sparse and minimalistic. We mostly just hear a simple drum beat in the background; it is clear that the song is tailored for Ed Sheeran’s vocals to be the standout feature. The lyrics reflect on the loss that Sheeran has gone through, as he laments on the loss of his friend. Every song seems to remind him of them, he still believes that they will come back somehow. The chorus sees Sheeran repeatedly talk about how he is always the last person at the bar now and that he is dancing with his eyes closed. 

The music video shows Ed Sheeran being followed around by a giant green monster wherever he goes. The monster bears a slight resemblance to Sulley from Monsters Inc. The music video primarily takes place at a bar and has frequent shots of the musician dancing with his eyes closed. The video also has repeated shots of Ed Sheeran sitting alone, his hands shaking from what seems to be the continued distress of missing his friends. Continuing with the themes of blue, the music video has a perpetual shade of turquoise blue throughout. 

“When I was thinking of concepts for the Eyes Closed music video, I wanted to make a video inspired by movies like Harvey, where the main character has an imaginary friend who’s a giant rabbit that no one can see. There’s also a book I read my daughters where sadness is encapsulated by an imaginary creature. Often sadness is something that follows you around, engulfing the rooms you’re in, and you can feel and see it, but no one else around you can. So I decided to create my own big blue monster for the video. He gets bigger and bigger as the video goes on, til he takes up whole rooms, and is all I can see, just like sadness.”

Ed Sheeran is currently on a worldwide tour and tickets can be found on his website. His latest album, – (pronounced subtract) will be released on all streaming platforms on May 5th. Make sure to check his music and follow his socials that are listed below!

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