Analysing Music Videos- Ed Sheeran, Thinking Out Loud

Ed Sheeran- Thinking Out Loud

Ed Sheeran is known for his slower acoustic songs like Thinking Out Loud, Lego House and The A Team. He produces mostly pop music, which appeals to a wide audience because of his meaningful lyrics. He is associated with his guitar which has a paw print on it. It is usually incorporated into most of his videos. His record labels at the time were Atlantic Records and Asylum Records. Atlantic Records, founded in 1947, is an American record label known for producing rhythm and blues, rock and roll, jazz and hip hop. Similarly, Asylum Records is also known for its hip hop and rock but also for its alternative metal. 

The song itself was produced by Jake Gosling, who is best known for his work with Ed Sheeran, One Direction, Christina Perri and Paloma Faith. He usually produces music in the genres pop, acoustic, hip hop, grime and dance. Before producing Thinking Out Loud, he also worked with Ed in producing some of his earlier songs like Drunk and The A Team. Thinking Out Loud was written by Ed Sheeran and Amy Wadge, a singer songwriter who usually produces rock and folk music. 

The music video shows Ed Sheeran dancing with a girl (Brittany Cherry).  Only one setting is used and the couple dance throughout the whole video. The room the dancers are in is quite big and looks very grand with its mostly blue and gold walls and decorations. This type of setting is usually associated with wealth and romance, which could suggest that the couple are rich and in love. Their dancing, together with the slow romantic music, also indicates a strong connection between the two dancers. Brittany’s costume is a white flowy dress, the connotations of which are purity and beauty. The dress also makes her look slightly sexualised as parts of the dress are see-through and parts of the dress look similar to lingerie. This along with Ed Sheeran’s smart attire further reinforces the wealthy connotations associated with the room they are in. There are no props used in the music video. This means that the video is completely focussed on the love between the two people dancing together. The lighting is very dark with only spotlights on the dancers and some fairy lights in the background. This is used to ensure that the audiences focus is only on the dancers and their connection. The dim lighting could also be used to create a more intimate feel between the characters. 

A majority of the shots used in this music video are tracking shots and wide shots. This enables the audience to see the dancers’ whole bodies from a variety of angles, so you can see the closeness between them. As well as this, a few mid shots are also used to perhaps further illustrate the closeness of the two characters. Ed Sheeran and Brittany Cherry are empowered by the frequent use of low angle shots, suggesting that as a couple they are strong. The video begins and ends with a dissolve transition. The remaining shots are transitioned with a straight cut, ensuring that the dance flows as the shot changes. The dissolves at the beginning and end of the video, correspond with the fading in and fading out of the music.

The genres of Thinking Out Loud are soft rock and blue-eyed soul. Soft rock songs typically incorporate a guitar, drums, piano or synthesiser. The themes of soft rock tend to be love, everyday life and relationships. Blue-eyed soul refers to R&B music performed by white people, originally established in the 1960s. In Ed Sheeran’s music video for Thinking Out Loud, the themes of love and relationships are prominent, as the video focusses on a man and a woman dancing together. As well as this, the main instruments that we can hear are drums, a guitar and a piano, all of which are instruments associated with soft rock. 

The lyrics are written from the point of view from one of the lovers talking to the other about their love, which is the main theme shown in the music video. A few sections of the lyrics do correspond with the visuals shown. For example, as we hear the line ‘maybe just a touch of the hand’, the dancers hold hands. However, the lyrics are not always linked to each dance move. The music is slow, which matches the slow and lyrical dance moves shown. Also at points where the music picks up, the complexity and speed of the dance moves used increases. 

A link to the lyrics of Thinking Out Loud http://www.directlyrics.com/ed-sheeran-thinking-out-loud-lyrics.html

The whole video, is focussed on the two characters, one of them being the artist of the song. However, the characters screen time is roughly equal, so as to make sure that the focus is on the two characters together and not mainly on one character. Despite this, a few close up shots of the artist are used in order to promote him in his video.