Music Review: Ed Sheeran "Don't"

Ed Sheeran

Don’t

Album: x

Year: 2014

            A girl pulls the rug from underneath Ed Sheeran in the  eye-popping           “Don’t.”

          Suave synths open the single, setting a stinging tone. He should’ve trusted his instincts after his ex starting flirting with him last September. He told her he wasn’t interested in a relationship then. She gave him her number anyway. The drama with his ex had been enough for him for awhile. He decided to call one of his friends to give him some perceptive. Maybe he was overreacting. His friend would let him know. His friend encouraged him, saying that she seems to be a nice person. After thinking of what to say, he called his her and asked her if she wanted to go out. For the next three nights, they kissed, talked, and hung out every chance they could. He began to fall for her. On the third night, he told her was having lots of fun but he couldn’t do anything serious right now. She was ok with it. A few months later, he was leaving work when he saw her. She said she was in town for a couple of shows and they should catch up. She tells him how much she missed and that they should hook up in her room. In bed, she told him she was afraid to be vulnerable and to be careful with her. Looking back, though, she saw him as a fling. (“I met this girl late last year/She said "don't you worry if I disappear"/I told her "I'm not really looking for another mistake"/I called an old friend thinking that the trouble would wait/But then I jumped right in a week later, returned/I reckon she was only looking for a lover to burn/But I gave her my time for two or three nights/Then I put it on pause until the moment was right/I went away for months until our paths crossed again/She told me "I was never looking for a friend/Maybe you could swing by my room around ten/Baby, bring the lemon and a bottle of gin/We'll be in between the sheets till the late AM"/Baby, if you wanted me then should have just said, she's singing.”)

            In the chorus, he doesn’t want to get hurt by her. He hopes she means what she says. He doesn’t want to be heartbroken again. (“Don't fuck with my love/That heart is so cold/All over my arm/I don't wanna know that babe/Don't fuck with my love/I told her she knows/Take aim and reload/I don't wanna know that babe.”)

           For about close to a month, she lives at his apartment. They opt to stay in, having their food delivered. It was great having her around all the time. It was what he hoped would happen when he would get one of her text messages. She blares his Aretha Franklin songs on his stereo. She tells him she wants to spend as much time with him as possible. They stay up all night and have sex. He adds she’s a singer like him. They both tour and travel to promote their projects. He enjoys what he does. However, his entire life isn’t about stardom. He would like to meet someone to talk about how stressed he was during the meeting or unwind after a long day with movie on cable. He begins considering what will happen once their vacation is over. Tomorrow, they both get on planes to different countries. But he shouldn’t have thought that far ahead. While on break, a Google alert popped up about her and a rumor that was currently circulating throughout the Internet. He intially dismissed it until he found a site that had photographic proof of his girlfriend in the arms with another guy. (“And for a couple weeks I only wanna see her/We drink away the days with a takeaway pizza/Before a text message was the only way to reach her/Now she's staying at my place and loves the way I treat her/Singing out Aretha, all over the track like a feature/And never wants to sleep, I guess that I don't want to either/But me and her, we make money the same way/Four cities, two planes, the same day/And those shows have never been what it's about/But maybe we'll go together and just figure it out/I'd rather put on a film with you and sit on a couch/But we should get on a plane or we'll be missing it now/Wish I'd have written it down, the way that things played out/When she was kissing him, how I was confused about/Now she should figure it out, while I'm sat here singing.”)

        The chorus is sung again.

        Rapid knocking on his hotel room door startles him. He opens the door and it’s her. She was in tears, saying she was sorry and that it just happened. She begs him for another chance. He tells her she should’ve his feelings first before she slept with the other guy. He explains that her actions tell him all he needs to know. He figured he had nothing to worry about. The other guy was probably looking for publicity for himself. He didn’t think the story was actually true. Her excuses: rehearse, impromptu meeting with her manager, etc. were all fake. He feels foolish for even believing him, considering the guy was staying in the same hotel as they were. He continues to say that he didn’t expect marriage from her. However, he didn’t want to be used by her, either. He tells her that he thought she was someone he could share his life with, even if it was just for a little while. He tells her to get out and leave him alone. (“ (Knock knock knock) on my hotel door/I don't even know if she knows what for/She was crying on my shoulder, I already told ya/Trust and respect is what we do this for/I never intended to be next/But you didn't need to take him to bed, that's all/And I never saw him as a threat/Until you disappeared with him to have sex, of course/It's not like we were both on tour/We were staying on the same fucking hotel floor/And I wasn't looking for a promise or commitment/But it was never just fun, and I thought you were different/This is not the way you realised what you wanted/It's a bit too much, too late if I'm honest/And all this time, God knows I'm singing.”)

            The chorus is sung twice to end the single.

         Sheeran’s candid vocals tell his side of the story regarding a past relationship (who that actually is remains unconfirmed by him, though). Not once does he hold back. He gets right into the thick of the mess and sorts it all out.

        As for him not revealing who the song is about, it is his business. It’s up to him how much he wants to tell.

         The acerbic “Don’t” says what it feels on its own terms. Superstardom is his for the taking.