Do we detect a hint of Sheeran? Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the songs you might be surprised were written or co-written by Ed Sheeran.
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00:00Welcome to MsMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the songs you might be
00:10surprised were written or co-written by Ed Sheeran.
00:20Number 20.
00:21Fallin' All In You – Shawn Mendes
00:24Shawn Mendes worked with some influential artists on his self-titled third album, including
00:29John Mayer, Camila Cabello, and Khalid.
00:32Track six of the album, Fallin' All In You, was co-written by Ed Sheeran, alongside Snow
00:37Patrol's Johnny McDade and songwriters Fred Gibson, Scott Harris, and Teddy Geiger.
00:50Sheeran wrote the hook and sent it to Mendes, who loved the song but was dubious because
00:55of the falsetto.
00:56However, Sheeran had faith that he could pull off the difficult singing part.
01:00Fallin' All In You has Sheeran's signature sound all over it, but Mendes perfected the
01:04falsetto and really made the song his own.
01:13Number 19.
01:14East Side – Benny Blanco, Halsey, and Khalid
01:18East Side, featuring Halsey and Khalid, was Benny Blanco's debut single as a lead artist
01:23and eventually got him into the Billboard Top 10.
01:26The song's lyrics tell a story about forbidden love while coming of age, set to a laid-back
01:30guitar rhythm that feels like classic Ed Sheeran.
01:41It wasn't until Blanco was hit with a copyright lawsuit, though, that people learned Sheeran
01:45had actually co-written the song, and was being sued right alongside Blanco.
01:50Writers Constantine Lois and Shane Williams accused Sheeran and company of ripping off
01:54a riff from the 2015 song Loveless by American XO.
01:58However, the accusations were soon dropped without a settlement.
02:10Number 18.
02:11Forget About Us – Perrie
02:13This summery pop ballad was Perrie Edwards' first solo outing after Little Mix went their
02:18separate ways.
02:19Ed Sheeran wrote a demo version of the song, which he then sent to Perrie.
02:29She had the lyrics adapted, putting her own stamp on the track to make it more her style.
02:34Written from Perrie's point of view, Forget About Us is a bittersweet love song in which
02:38the narrator speaks to a past love and hopes they'll both remember the good times.
02:47Fans speculated that the singer was referencing her past relationship with One Direction's
02:54Zayn Malik.
02:55The final version of the song was produced by Steven Solomon and Andrew Goldstein, and
02:59co-written by David Hodges, previously of Evanescence.
03:03Number 17.
03:04Thursday – Jess Glynn
03:06The third single from Jess Glynn's sophomore album, Always In Between, was released in
03:112018.
03:12Co-written with Ed Sheeran and producer Steve Mac, Thursday became a top three hit in her
03:16native UK.
03:24During the writing process, Glynn discussed the themes of the track with Sheeran and Mac,
03:28focusing on the pressures of fame and life in the spotlight.
03:32Of writing with Sheeran, Glynn told Billboard,
03:34Their finished product is a gentle ballad advocating for self-love and the importance
03:52of taking time off to be your authentic, unfiltered self.
03:56Number 16.
03:57Make It Right – BTS Featuring Lauv
04:00The South Korean sensation first teased Make It Right on Twitter in early 2019, tagging
04:05Ed Sheeran in their post.
04:07Sheeran is credited as a songwriter on the track, alongside Fred and Benji Gibson, Joe
04:11Hill, and members of the boy band.
04:21Make It Right featuring Lauv is a feel-good, modern R&B track with lyrics that celebrate
04:26how far the band has come, their love for their fans, and their wish to make Earth a
04:31better place.
04:32It's typical of BTS' positive K-pop sound, but it's also recognizably Sheeran.
04:37Two years later, Ed teamed up with the band a second time, co-writing their summer smash,
04:42Permission to Dance.
04:49Number 15.
04:50Your Song – Rita Ora Ed Sheeran and Steve Mac teamed up once again
04:55in 2018 to create Rita Ora's smash hit, Your Song.
04:59The track became the lead single from the English artist's second album, Phoenix, impressing
05:04the critics and reaching the top 10 in the UK and beyond.
05:15It's a joyful love song with Caribbean influences and lyrics that feel contemporary, but also
05:21refreshingly romantic.
05:22The electro-pop sound stops the sentiment from becoming too cheesy.
05:26Ora has called Sheeran and Mac some of the most talented songwriters of our time and
05:31says she enjoys working with Ed, as they are longtime friends who click creatively.
05:41Number 14.
05:42Strip That Down – Liam Payne featuring Quavo
05:45Like Little Mix's Perry, Liam Payne turned to Ed Sheeran for inspiration for his first
05:50solo single.
05:52After leaving One Direction, Liam wanted something different to kickstart his solo career and
05:57so met with Sheeran to throw some ideas around.
06:04Interpolating Shaggy's It Wasn't Me and featuring Quavo as an additional artist, Strip That
06:09Down is a mix of R&B and pop with a 2000s flavor.
06:13Payne said he and Sheeran were going for a Justin Timberlake vibe, if Timberlake had
06:17been starting out in 2017.
06:20The lyrics referenced 1D and referred to Payne's new edgier persona.
06:24The song itself is a real earworm.
06:30Number 13.
06:31Pointless – Lewis Capaldi The Scottish singer-songwriter joined forces
06:36with Ed Sheeran in 2022 to create this simple but moving love song.
06:41Sheeran, Johnny McDade, and Steve Mac originally worked on the unfinished tune, after which
06:46Capaldi added the chorus and the middle eight.
06:52He also tweaked some of the lyrics to make the song his own, including a Sheeran line
06:56about giving the girl in the song his last name.
06:59Capaldi told the BBC,
07:00"'I was like, Ed, this is 2022.
07:04No one has to take anyone's second name.
07:06I'm not singing that.'"
07:07Despite being nervous about collaborating thanks to Sheeran's reputation as a prolific
07:11songwriter at first, the pair worked well together.
07:20Capaldi said Sheeran,
07:21"'Brought out the softie in me.'"
07:23Number 12.
07:24Woman Like Me – Little Mix Featuring Nicki Minaj
07:27You might not expect the song, Woman Like Me, to have been penned by a man like Ed Sheeran,
07:32but he was one of four co-writers on the track.
07:41Sheeran worked alongside Jess Glynn, Nicki Minaj, and Steve Mac to compose the Girl Power
07:46anthem, which was originally intended for Glynn's second album.
07:49When the record started to move in a different direction, the song went to Little Mix instead.
08:00Sheeran went into the recording studio with the girls and helped them adapt the song to
08:05make it a better fit for the group.
08:06He also provided backing vocals in the chorus, which are uncredited.
08:10Number 11.
08:122002 – Anne-Marie Co-written by Ed Sheeran, Julia Michaels,
08:16Benny Blanco, and Steve Mac, 2002 was a runaway hit for English singer-songwriter Anne-Marie.
08:31Sheeran got the track started, and Anne-Marie later joined him in the studio to complete
08:35the track later that same day.
08:37It was then produced by Mac and released as a single after much online prodding from Sheeran.
08:42The song tells the story of young love during an early naughty summer of the narrator's
08:47youth.
08:48Referencing pop songs from the era, it's a warm, nostalgia-filled pop song that struck
08:52a chord with people all over the world.
09:00Number 10.
09:01I Was Made For Loving You – Tori Kelly Featuring Ed Sheeran
09:05American singer-songwriter Tori Kelly has reportedly long been a fan of Sheeran's impressive
09:11work ethic and down-to-earth nature.
09:13In fact, she looks to him as a mentor-type figure.
09:22Perhaps that's why the two decided to collaborate on a song for her debut studio album Unbreakable
09:28Smile in 2015.
09:29The track in question was I Was Made For Loving You, and not only did Sheeran help write it,
09:34but he also lent his signature voice to a couple of the song's verses.
09:44It's a soothing acoustic track, and after only one listening, you'll find yourself loving
09:49it right back.
09:50Number 9.
09:51All About It – Hoody Allen Featuring Ed Sheeran
09:55When it came time to pen his debut studio album, New York-based rapper Hoody Allen turned
10:00to one of the most recognizable names in the music industry for help.
10:12While Allen and Sheeran had been friends for years, they'd never before collaborated on
10:16a song.
10:17That all changed when they teamed up on All About It.
10:20The song, which reportedly only took them a few hours to complete, is an upbeat rap
10:24track that will have you bobbing your head from the onset and throughout.
10:28Oh, and the music video is hilarious.
10:38We can't wait for the next collaboration between these two musical superheroes.
10:43Number 8.
10:44Dark Times – The Weeknd Featuring Ed Sheeran
10:47The Weeknd teamed up with a host of extraordinary musical talent for his sophomore album Beauty
10:52Behind the Madness back in 2015, and no list of A-list songwriters is complete without
10:57this Englishman.
11:03Sheeran not only co-wrote the brooding Dark Times, but he also features on it, delivering
11:08some appropriately dark lyrics.
11:11Collaborations between heavyweights like these don't happen every day, so it's important
11:15that we appreciate them whenever they come along.
11:23Clearly, The Weeknd feels the same way, as he called Sheeran the fastest and most talented
11:29songwriter he'd ever worked with.
11:31That's some serious high praise from one of the music's biggest stars.
11:35Number 7.
11:36Old School Love – Lupe Fiasco Featuring Ed Sheeran
11:40We can't quite decide which part of this song we like the most.
11:43Is it the melodic, piano-heavy beat?
11:46Is it Lupe's silky-smooth flow?
11:48Or is it Ed Sheeran's soulful hook?
11:58Or is it the combination of the three that make this song so memorable?
12:01Sheeran, who is a self-professed fan of Lupe Fiasco's work, is no stranger to working with
12:06hip-hop acts, having collaborated with multiple artists through the years.
12:11However, Old School Love is something special, as Fiasco and Sheeran come together to craft
12:16a love letter to the hip-hop scene of the late 80s and early 90s in a way that's catchy,
12:21intelligent, and above all, fun.
12:33Number 6.
12:35Everything Has Changed – Taylor Swift Featuring Ed Sheeran
12:38Anyone who is familiar with these two artists know that they go way back.
12:42Sheeran can thank Taylor Swift and her decision to include him on her wildly successful fourth
12:47album Red for helping him to reach a wider audience.
12:57Sheeran co-wrote and featured on Everything Has Changed, a folk-pop track that peaked
13:02at number 32 on the US Billboard Hot 100 record chart.
13:06Ed Sheeran would later serve as the opening act of the North American leg of Swift's Red
13:10Tour, further cementing the two artists' collaborative nature.
13:23While Everything Has Changed is an excellent song, the adorable accompanying music video
13:28is even better.
13:29Number 5.
13:30Say You Love Me – Jessie Ware British singer-songwriter Jessie Ware teamed
13:35up with Ed Sheeran back in 2014 to produce Say You Love Me.
13:38The fourth track off her sophomore album Tough Love.
13:49The track, which combines elements of pop and soul, peaked at number 22 on the UK Singles
13:54chart and helped cement Ware's status as an up-and-comer worth keeping an eye on.
13:59However, she can't take all the credit for the song's success as Ed Sheeran, along
14:04with record producers Benny Blanco and Ben Ash are all listed as songwriters on the track.
14:15Number 4.
14:16Tattoo – Hilary Duff For many long-term fans, it doesn't matter
14:20how many times she collaborates with high-end musical talent like Ed Sheeran, Hilary Duff
14:25will always be Lizzie McGuire.
14:27However, to eternally associate her with her Disney Channel role is to seriously undervalue
14:32her skills as an adult singer.
14:40In fact, it was reportedly Ed Sheeran who asked her to come in and record, later adding
14:45in his own backing vocals in a mere 15 minutes.
14:48The track, which was featured on Duff's fifth studio album, laments the fact that a past
14:53lover left an unerasable mark on her and was a perfect fit for her maturing sound.
15:02Number 3.
15:05Cold Water – Major Lazer Featuring Justin Bieber and Moo
15:10Cold Water is easily one of the most successful tracks Ed Sheeran has ever written.
15:23The collaboration between himself, Benny Blanco, EDM group Major Lazer as well as pop superstar
15:29Justin Bieber and Danish singer Moo, the song peaked at number two on the US Billboard
15:34Hot 100 chart.
15:36The immense critical and commercial success of Cold Water can be attributed to a number
15:40of factors, foremost among them being its strong lyrics and a hook that makes it impossible
15:45not to dance.
15:46When you've got this much talent working together on a track, success is pretty much
15:50a foregone conclusion.
15:58Number 2.
15:59Little Things – One Direction Ed Sheeran and the boys from One Direction
16:03are no strangers when it comes to hooking up for a little musical collaboration.
16:07Sheeran co-wrote Moments, a track from their debut album, before teaming up again on Little
16:12Things, the latter of which remains one of the group's most popular songs.
16:25Sheeran and 1D would join forces yet again in 2014 when he helped pen 18, a track off
16:31of their fourth studio album.
16:33While they've collaborated multiple times, Little Things remains arguably their greatest
16:37achievement together.
16:39The track combines elements of pop and folk, and is pure Sheeran from start to finish.
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17:07Number 1.
17:08Love Yourself – Justin Bieber One of 2016's best-selling songs and yet
17:13another positive collaboration between Sheeran, producer Benny Blanco and Justin Bieber, Love
17:19Yourself is as addictive as they come.
17:26While the track is quite basic in its composition and instrumentation, it's basically just Bieber
17:31and his electric guitar.
17:33It's remarkable in its stripped-down simplicity.
17:35The song was nominated for two Grammys, including Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance,
17:42the former of which is a testament to Sheeran's incredible songwriting ability.
17:55Bieber and Sheeran need to keep this collaboration thing going, because every time they get together,
18:00the results are downright electric.
18:02Which artist would you like to see Ed Sheeran write or collaborate with?
18:06Let us know in the comments!