#MusicMonday – Ed Sheeran

Just when you think Ed Sheeran couldn’t get any cooler, he goes and releases a new song for the upcoming Hobbit sequel The Desolation of Smaug. I mean, really Ed? Really?

A few months ago I discovered Ed Sheeran, and my music collection will never be the same because of it. If you’re not familiar with Ed, here’s the rundown: he’s a 22-year-old British, award-winning artist, bestie to Taylor Swift, soulful singer and amazing songwriter. He’s extremely talented, performing his songs with just himself and a loop pedal (which allows him to act as drums, bass, and background vocals) and has gained superstardom not only in the UK, but also in the States. His album, +, was released in 2011, and soon after Taylor Swift asked him to write and perform a song with her for her album Red. So they penned and recorded “Everything Has Changed” (love it!) and Taylor loved Ed so much that she asked him to come open her US Red tour with her, which of course he did. (Does anyone really say “no” to Taylor Swift?) His song “The A Team” was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2013 Grammy’s, where he performed with Sir Elton John. Ed recently sold out three shows at Madison Square Garden (sold out! wow) where he surprised concert-goers each night with a special guest opening act, and even brought Taylor out on stage at one point to sing with him!

+  has become one of my all time favorite albums; some of the highlights you definitely need to check out are “Give Me Love“, “Lego House” (Harry Potter fans will love this one), “Drunk“, and “Small Bump“. The record has absolutely been played dozens of times in my house and I love watching videos of Ed performing. To get the full effect of the loop pedal and what all this kid can do, watch The Live Room performance of “Give Me Love” here. Ed Sheeran has gone on me and my husband’s list of live shows to see at some point in our lives.

So, we were thrilled when he announced on Twitter a few weeks ago that he was asked by Peter Jackson himself (whoa!) to write and perform the song for The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug. “I See Fire” is sooo good, I got goose bumps the first time I heard it. Ed captures the story of a dragon wreaking havoc on Middle Earth in this song so well, and I look forward to hearing it as the credits role at the end of the movie. Which my husband and I will be going to see on opening day. Because we’re nerds.

Here is the video for the song, which Ed performs all instruments and vocals on, except for the cello. (I guess there really are some things this guy can’t do.) Break out your hoodies and your cuppa tea and crank this one up, y’all.

Related articles

• Taylor Swift Predicts Huge Success For Friend Ed Sheeran (popwrapped.wordpress.com)
• Peter Jackson Releases Music Video Of Ed Sheeran’s The Hobbit Track (popwrapped.wordpress.com)
• Ed Sheeran Announces New Track “I See Fire” For The Desolation Of Smaug Soundtrack (popwrapped.wordpress.com)
• Ed Sheeran Debuts New Song “New York” At Madison Square Garden (popwrapped.wordpress.com)
• Ed Sheeran (missdenglishclass.wordpress.com)

Music Monday – Country Collaboration With A Message

OK, so you saw the word “Country” and are immediately thinking about skipping this installment of Music Monday – but before you do, let me just tell you that this song is not about someone’s truck or a dog dying or crying in their beer. Alright? So, as I’ve said before, I am a Southern girl living in Alabama by way of Tennessee and I couldn’t really help the fact that I grew up listening to country music. I have always kind of loved it. But I do love other types of music like pop, alternative and indie rock.

I’m sure everyone has heard of the artists from today’s featured song – country sex symbol Tim McGraw, mega-superstar Taylor Swift and extremely hot American Idol judge Keith Urban are all pretty much country music royalty. When the three got together for Tim’s new single, “Highway Don’t Care” not only did they create an amazing song but also a video that covers a very relevant topic in our society today.

I have been hearing “Highway Don’t Care” on the radio a lot lately (yes, I even listen to country radio sometimes! gasp!) and really like it – the lyrics are catchy if not a little bit haunting. I finally caught the video yesterday while flipping through the channels and it immediately drew me in because I thought I knew what the song was about, but was surprised to find out it was actually about something totally different. We all know that distracted driving due to cell phones is a huge problem in our society right now, and not only with teenagers. I’ll admit, I am guilty of this. So far this year in the U.S., there have been an estimated 392,872 crashes involving drivers using cell phones and texting. And that number increases every 30 seconds. (source) That is too many, y’all.

I urge you to watch the “Highway Don’t Care” video because not only will you get to hear some great music that will get stuck in your head for hours (not to mention a glimpse of Keith Urban in all his marvelousness), you’ll also get maybe a much-needed reality check. Seeing this definitely reminded me that taking a call, reading an email or sending a text is not worth it if it means that I or someone else could end up in the hospital, or worse – dead.

Are you a country music fan? If not, did you like this song? 

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Friday Music – Mumford & Sons At The BRITs

Happy Friday everyone! As many of you know, the BRIT Awards were held a few nights ago in fancy London Town. There were lots of amazing performances by artists such as Ben Howard (swoon), Taylor Swift, Muse, Robbie Williams, and One Direction, to name a few. The performance that floored me, however, was Mumford and Sons singing ‘I Will Wait’. It was exhilarating and electric, and I have come to expect nothing less than incredible from these boys who went home with the award for favorite British Group that night. Which they very much deserved, in my opinion!

I absolutely LOVE Mumford and Sons and am really excited to share  this video with you all. Here is their performance from the 2013 BRITs – I hope it puts you in a happy mood and makes you want to jump up and dance around your room, too. Enjoy!

Have a wonderful weekend!