Galway Girl (Ed Sheeran song)

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search

<templatestyles src="Module:Hatnote/styles.css"></templatestyles>

"Galway Girl"
File:EdSheeranGG.jpg
Single by Ed Sheeran
from the album ÷
Released 17 March 2017 (2017-03-17)
Recorded 2016
Genre
Length 2:50[4]
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Script error: The function "ucfirst" does not exist. singles chronology
"Shape of You"
(2017)
"Galway Girl"
(2017)
"Perfect"
(2017)
Music video
"Galway Girl" on YouTube

"Galway Girl" is a song recorded by English singer and songwriter Ed Sheeran. The song is a collaboration between Sheeran and Irish folk band Beoga, and is heavily influenced by Irish traditional music.[6] On Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March 2017, Sheeran announced the song as the third single from his 2017 album ÷, accompanied by a lyric video.[7][8]

The song entered the charts of 31 countries around the world. It topped the charts in Ireland, Scotland, Iceland, Slovenia, and Slovakia; reached number two in the UK, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, and Poland; and reached the top five on the charts of Germany, Hungary, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.

"Galway Girl" was included on the year-end top singles charts of 17 countries, including the top five of Belgium, Denmark, Slovenia, and the UK; the top 10 of Australia, Austria, Germany, New Zealand, and Sweden; and the top 20 of Hungary, Italy, Poland, and Switzerland.

The song was certified Platinum or multi-Platinum in 13 countries.

Background

Sheeran wrote and recorded "Galway Girl" together with Irish band Beoga; the song incorporates parts of the tune "Minute 5" from Beoga's album How to Tune a Fish (2011).[9] They decided to write the song after they had finished another song together at his house, and had some free time.[10]

In an interview with Zane Lowe of Beats 1, Sheeran said: <templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" />

"I came up with this song with Foy, and Johnny and Amy. We were recording in Suffolk and we were just sitting in the garden, and we had Beoga, this Irish folk band, come and [record] some other songs. And I was kinda like: Beoga would be here for two or three days, it would be a shame to waste them, shall we try and write another song? ... They have a song called "Minute 5", which is that riff. So I just said: "Can you try that on it?" And they did, and it sounded brilliant, so we just kept it."[11]

In an interview with The Irish Times, Sheeran said that the opening line of the song, "She played the fiddle in an Irish band", was inspired by Niamh Dunne of Beoga. However, the rest of the song was made up and not about anyone in particular (Dunne is from County Limerick and married an Irishman).[10][12]

Sheeran was aware that American singer and songwriter Steve Earle had recorded a song with the same title in 2000; however, in a BBC interview, Sheeran said that his version is an original, and not a cover of Earle's song.[13] He also stated, "I actually tried to find another [title]. I did Wexford Girl and [Clonakilty] Girl and Cork Girl... none of them worked. But the whole point of folk songs is taking inspiration from the past and making something new – so people will just have to deal with it.".[13][14] In a 2017 Dublin concert Sheeran played first verse and chorus of Steve Earle's song together with Beoga, followed by his own.[15]

Composition

"Galway Girl" is written in the key of F# minor in cut time with a tempo of 100 beats per minute. Sheeran's vocals span from E3 to F#4.[16][17]

Sheeran was introduced to Beoga's music through Foy Vance; Sheeran, who had written several Irish-styled songs for the album, invited Beoga to collaborate with him to help ensure an authentic sound. Eamon Murray of Beoga described the collaboration as being very productive, noting Sheeran's ability to create a pop hook that "gets into people's heads", and recalling his own astonishment at how quickly the songs were written. Of the approximately half-dozen songs resulting from the session, two of them, "Galway Girl" and "Nancy Mulligan", were included on the album. Murray said that for "Galway Girl", the melody taken from Beoga's "Minute 5" was used to link the bridge and the chorus in the manner of a modern pop song, resulting in a pop song with an Irish flavor rather than a wholly traditional-sounding folk song.[9]

Release

The song was announced as the third single from the album on Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March 2017, and was added to BBC Radio 2's playlist on 18 March 2017.[18]

According to Sheeran, he had to fight his record label to keep the song on his album: "They were really, really against 'Galway Girl', because apparently folk music isn't cool."[19][20] However, he was able to convince them to include the song by telling them that it would be a "“f***ing massive” [hit] because there are 400 million people in the world who will say they are Irish even if they aren’t".[21][22]

The song went on to become the third most streamed song from ÷ on Spotify.[23]

Critical reception

  • Amy Mulvaney from the Irish Independent gave the song a positive review, calling it "Definitive proof of just how much he (Ed) likes Ireland" and wrote "With mentions of Grafton Street, "Carrickfergus", fiddles, céilis, an Irish band and trad tunes, there's no denying just how much the pop star loves our fair isle, and can see this becoming a sure fire hit over the next few weeks".[24]
  • Jordan Bassett of NME described "Galway Girl" as a "stomping Irish hip-hop jig that recounts dancing a merry [cèilidh] with the girl of your dreams while Van Morrison parps away in the background."[2]
  • Laura Snapes of Pitchfork referred to the song as a tribute to the Irish band Corrs, noting the references to stereotypical Irish culture such as Guinness beer, Jameson Irish Whiskey, and Northern Irish songwriter Van Morrison. Snapes said, "Set to bodhrán and uileann pipes [sic], it's the latest of many Sheeran barnstormers about meeting a great gal (who is definitely real) on a boozy night out."[25]
  • Caitlin Gallagher of PopSugar referred to "Galway Girl" as the "new unofficial St. Patrick's Day theme song", and declared that the song is "catchy as hell (and will continue to be until the end of time)".[26]
  • Maura Johnston of Rolling Stone referred to the song as Sheeran's "own spin on the Irish drinking song", and that his "musical history lesson is both well-timed and rip-roaringly fun, another example of his still-evolving craft."[1]
  • Jon Caramanica of The New York Times described the song as a "literal take on Irish-inflected pop", also drawing a comparison to music of Irish band The Corrs. He felt it incorporated traditional Irish instrumentation in a "blandly effective" manner, rather than being a more thorough exploration of traditional Irish sound and music.[27]
  • Craig Jenkins of Vulture found it to be an "upbeat R&B love song with Celtic folk accents", with a "guitar breakdown that sounds like a nod to Oasis' "Wonderwall".[28]

The song has been ranked as one of worst songs of 2017 by Time and New York Post.[29][30]

Chart performance

The song entered the UK chart at number two behind "Shape of You" when it became available for download on the album release.[31] As of September 2017, the song has sold 1.2 million combined units in the United Kingdom, with 246,000 in actual sales and 0.95 million in streams.[32]

In Ireland, it debuted at number one on the singles chart.[31] It also reached the number one chart position in Scotland and Slovenia. In the United States, the song peaked at number 53, and has sold 210,813 copies as of October 2017.[33]

Music video

On 11 April 2017, Sheeran shot the POV music video for "Galway Girl" in Galway, Ireland and filmed it himself on a Sony α7S on body-mounted Ikan EC-1 gimbal rigged to a Steadicam vest.[34][35] The video was directed by Jason Koenig, who also directed the music video for "Shape of You", and director of photography Johnny Valencia.[34] It was uploaded to Sheeran's official YouTube channel on 3 May 2017. The video has over 435 million views as of June 2019.[36]

The video begins with Sheeran leaving a concert he has just finished playing. He goes to a bar where he finds Ronan, who is dancing on a table and drinking Guinness beer. The two drink beer, dance together, and play darts. Sheeran enrages another man at the bar by accidentally hitting him in the back with a dart, and Sheeran and Ronan quickly leave. Out in the street, they encounter Irish dancers, stop to listen to a busker, and ride bikes to a tattoo parlor where Sheeran gets a tattoo. They return to the bar for more dancing and drinking. Sheeran spills beer on the same man he hit with a dart earlier, and gets knocked out, but wakes up at Ronan's apartment. The video concludes with both Sheeran and Ronan on the apartment's rooftop balcony together, looking out over The Long Walk and Galway Bay.[37][38][39]

The video for "Galway Girl" features Irish actress Saoirse Ronan.[3] Sheeran was impressed by Ronan's performance in the video, commenting, "She, off-screen, is normal and just like a cool person and as soon as the camera goes on her she just turns...It was a really phenomenal thing to watch. I've never really seen a young actor or actress that good. She's really talented."[38] The video also features cameos by several local celebrities, including Irish comedian and presenter Tommy Tiernan, host of The Tommy Tiernan Show.[38]

Sheeran's new tattoo filmed in the video is misspelled "Galway Grill", which Sheeran said was the result of a prank by Ronan.[40]

Live performances

On 6 July 2017, Sheeran performed the song along with other songs from ÷, live at Rockefeller Center in New York City for the Today show. About 12,000 fans attended the performance, with some lining up before sunrise to secure their place in line.[41][42]

On 8 December 2017, Sheeran performed "Galway Girl" live at the Z100 Jingle Ball at Madison Square Garden in New York City.[43][44]

On 10 December 2017, Sheeran performed the song live at the Jingle Bell Ball at London's O2 arena, hosted by Capital FM.[45][46]

Sheeran, accompanied by Beoga, performed "Galway Girl" at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards on 20 May 2018. Although he was on world tour in support of his album ÷ at the time, his performance at Phoenix Park in Dublin, Ireland was broadcast at the award ceremony in Las Vegas.[47][48]

Track listing

  • Digital download[49]
  1. "Galway Girl" – 2:50
  • Digital download – Martin Jensen remix[49][50]
  1. "Galway Girl" (Martin Jensen remix) – 3:16

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Australia (ARIA)[118] 6× Platinum 420,000
Austria (IFPI Austria)[119] Platinum 30,000
Belgium (BEA)[120] 2× Platinum 60,000
Canada (Music Canada)[121] 5× Platinum 50,000
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[122] 2× Platinum 0
France (SNEP)[123] Platinum 250,000
Germany (BVMI)[124] 3× Gold 450,000
Italy (FIMI)[125] 4× Platinum 120,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[126] 2× Platinum 30,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[127] Platinum 40,000
Sweden (GLF)[128] 3× Platinum 120,000
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[129] 2× Platinum 60,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[130] 3× Platinum 246,000[32]
United States (RIAA)[131] Platinum 210,813[33]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
xunspecified figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales/streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history

Country Date Format Version Label Ref.
United Kingdom 17 March 2017 Contemporary hit radio Original Asylum [18]
7 April 2017 Digital download Martin Jensen remix Atlantic [132]
United States [50]

Covers and adaptations

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. 10.0 10.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. 13.0 13.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. Ed Sheeran tells all to BBC about his Irish roots, music, childhood and future, irishcentral.com, visited 5. June 2017
  15. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. 18.0 18.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. 31.0 31.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. 32.0 32.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. 33.0 33.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. 34.0 34.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. 38.0 38.1 38.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  44. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  48. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. 49.0 49.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  50. 50.0 50.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  51. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. "Australian-charts.com – Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  53. "Austriancharts.at – Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 5 April 2017.
  54. "Ultratop.be – Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  55. "Ultratop.be – Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
  56. "Ed Sheeran – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Ed Sheeran. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  57. "Ed Sheeran – Chart history" Billboard Canada AC for Ed Sheeran. Retrieved 31 October 2017.
  58. "Ed Sheeran – Chart history" Billboard Canada CHR/Top 40 for Ed Sheeran. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  59. "Ed Sheeran – Chart history" Billboard Canada Hot AC for Ed Sheeran. Retrieved 17 October 2017.
  60. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201733 into search. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  61. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201711 into search. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  62. "Danishcharts.com – Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl". Tracklisten. Retrieved 22 March 2017.
  63. "Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl Hitlisten.nu" (in Danish). Tracklisten. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  64. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  65. "Ed Sheeran: Galway Girl" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 19 March 2017.
  66. "Lescharts.com – Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  67. "Officialcharts.de – Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl". GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  68. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Dance Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  69. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
  70. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  71. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Stream Top 40 slágerlista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  72. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  73. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Galway Girl". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  74. "Italiancharts.com – Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 25 March 2017.
  75. "Ed Sheeran – Chart history" Japan Hot 100 for Ed Sheeran. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  76. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  77. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  78. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 22, 2017" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40 Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  79. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  80. "Dutchcharts.nl – Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  81. "Charts.org.nz – Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  82. "Norwegiancharts.com – Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl". VG-lista. Retrieved 8 April 2017.
  83. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  84. "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  85. "Archive Chart: 20170317". Scottish Singles Top 40. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  86. "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201733 into search. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  87. "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201710 into search. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  88. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  89. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  90. "Swedishcharts.com – Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl". Singles Top 60. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  91. "Swisscharts.com – Ed Sheeran – Galway Girl". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 27 March 2017.
  92. "Archive Chart: 20170310" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  93. "Ed Sheeran – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Ed Sheeran. Retrieved 26 January 2018.
  94. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  95. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  96. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  97. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  98. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  99. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  100. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  101. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  102. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  103. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  104. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  105. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  106. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  107. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  108. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  109. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  110. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  111. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  112. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  113. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  114. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  115. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  116. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  117. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  118. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  119. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Ed Sheeran in the field Interpret. Enter Galway Girl in the field Titel. Select single in the field Format. Click Suchen
  120. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  121. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  122. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  123. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  124. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  125. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter Ed Sheeran in the field Filtra. Select 2018 in the field Anno. The certification will load automatically
  126. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  127. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Select the "Chart", enter 2017 in the field "Year". Select 31 in the field "Semana". Click on "Search Charts"
  128. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  129. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  130. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Galway Girl in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
  131. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
  132. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  133. iTunes: Ritchie Remo - Galway Girls (single)
  134. YouTube: Ritchie Remo - "Galway Girls" music video
  135. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links