Meaning of “Budapest” by George Ezra

“Budapest” is a song performed by British singer and songwriter George Ezra. Contrary to what many think, the lyrics of the song aren’t about the city of Budapest, the capital of Hungary.

Speaking with the British tabloid newspaper The Sun, Ezra explained into detail how the song came about. According to him, while journeying to the Hungarian capital city of Budapest during a backpacking adventure in 2013, he took a stop in Malmö in Sweden – from where he was to catch a train to the capital of Hungary on the following day. However, he partied so hard and got so drunk that night that he missed his train to the Hungarian city. He later went on to write a song about being several miles away from the Hungarian capital – a song which ended up becoming the renowned “Budapest”.

Lyrically, the “Budapest” is a love song, which sees the narrator/singer mentioning the things he/she would give up for that person who means so much to him/her. Ezra confirmed this during an interview with the American Songwriter.

Facts about “Budapest”

• The song was written by Ezra along with award-winning English songwriter Joel Pott of Athlete fame.
• The production of “Budapest” was handled by British music producer and musician Cameron “Cam” Blackwood. Blackwood also produced Ezra’s hit single “Paradise”.
• The song was released on 13 December 2013 as the second single from Ezra’s debut album “Wanted on Voyage”.
• According to an interview Ezra had with the British newspaper The Telegraph, “Budapest” was the first time he had ever tried writing a love song.
• The song was the 13th most commercially successful single in the United Kingdom in 2014.
• Prior to the release of “Budapest”, Ezra was a relatively unknown singer. It was the massive success of the song that catapulted him into the limelight.
• On the UK Singles Chart, the song peaked at number three. On the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, it made it to number 32. It went on to top the charts in New Zealand and Austria.

But did Ezra eventually make it to Budapest during his backpacking trip?

According to him, the Hungarian capital was the only place he planned visiting during his trip that he unfortunately couldn’t make it to. This means that at the time Ezra wrote the song, he had still not had the opportunity to visit Hungary’s capital.

Did “Budapest” win a Grammy Award?

The song neither won a Grammy nor got nominated for one. However, it has over the year received a number of nominations for major awards ranging from Teen Choice Award to MTV Video Music Award nominations.