“Bad Habits” by Ed Sheeran

All facts considered, Ed Sheeran’s “Bad Habits” was intentionally put into a romantic context, as pop singles tend to go. And based on such an understanding, whom Ed would be addressing is someone like a transient lover. Or put differently, it is a person whom he is hooking up with on a ‘late night’ type of basis, not a conventional partner. Or as the chorus puts it, said individual is “a stranger (he) barely knows”.

And comprehensively, the situation reads like the titular “bad habits” he is referring to led to the dissolution of the narrator’s relationship with his significant other. So he is not celebrating the fact that he has to prowl at midnight to save himself from evenings of loneliness. 

Instead, on one hand, he is lamenting the fact that his own actions put him into such a predicament in the first place. Or as the singer puts it, his ‘bad habits lead him to’ the addressee.  So it’s like the sentiment he’s putting forth is actually twofold. For on the other hand, he is able to at least celebrate the fact that he found someone special, or let’s say more to the stated point a person whose companionship he has become addicted to.

A Song place in a Romantic Context

Now the reason we started off by noting that this song was put into a romantic context because, as the story goes, what actually inspired Ed Sheeran to conceptualize it was giving birth to first child in 2020. 

In other words, when Ed first learned that he was about to become a dad, he instantly went about resolving what he perceived as his personal bad habits. And no, the lyrics of this song do not appear to have any direct connection to such an origin story.

But again we have come across a number of love tracks like this throughout the years, i.e. ones that are originally based on ideas which have nothing to do with romance per se. And we’re confident that someone like Ed Sheeran knows what he’s doing, as early reviews of Bad Habits indicate that it features the musician returning to peak pop form. 

And ultimately the idea he actually ends up putting forth is one which is common in the modern world, i.e. a person finding himself settling in love, so to speak, after falling with a previous partner.

Music Video

Dave Meyers directed the music video Bad Habits, which features Sheeran taking on the role of, according to Rolling Stone, “a glam vampire”.

Release Date

It was formally released on 25th of June 2021. As of its release date, “Bad Habits” is recognized as the lead single from be Ed’s fourth studio album (=).

And you probably don’t need us to tell you that throughout the 2010s, with his first album, +, coming out in 2011, Sheeran has established himself as one of the most-successful musicians in the world. For instance, he closed out the decade by engaging in what was known as the ÷ Tour (2017-2019), which proved to be the most commercially-successful concert tour of all time. 

Also his last project, 2019’s No. 6 Collaborations Project, topped both the UK Singles Chart and Billboard 200, as is his standard as far as studio albums go.

“Bad Habits” was issued by Asylum Records, whom Ed Sheeran signed with in 2011.

Credits for “Bad Habits”

Ed Sheeran, who often contributes to the writing and production of his songs, served both roles on this particular track. And the other co-writers/co-producers are Johnny McDaid and Fred Again.

The “=” Album

Multi-award-winning English songwriter and singer Ed Sheeran will release his long-awaited fourth solo studio album and fifth overall album, =, through Asylum Records and Atlantic Records, on October 29, 2021. = is pronounced “Equals.”  

On August 19, 2021, Ed announced on all his social media accounts that the years of waiting for his next full studio album were over and that his next studio album will be due. He stated that Voyage is his personal record, in the sense that, on the album, he describes his life changes during the four years after his previous full studio album.

Ed stated that he had married, become a father, and experienced the loss of his beloved friend and mentor, Michael Gudinski, during those years. Therefore on = (Equals), he reflects on these major life changes and explores the realities of his career and human nature through his music. 

Alongside the album’s announcement, he also released its first promotional single, Visiting Hours, composed in memory of Michael Gudinski. The hit drill song Bad Habits is the lead single of the album. = (Equals), is also composed in line with his previous solo studio albums, Plus (+), Multiply (X), and Divide (÷).