“Put It All on Me” by Ed Sheeran (ft. Ella Mai)
This is a song where Ed Sheeran and Ella Mai play participants in what is apparently a mutual romance, as in they are lovers. They share a similar overall disposition, as in being stressed out by the “[expletive]”, as in unfavorable occurrences, which are part and parcel life. This is especially true of Ed, who says he faces such situations “each and every day”.
But the primary sentiment he is expressing in this song is not one of aggravation but rather appreciation for his lover – i.e. Ella Mai – for serving as a relief from all of his stresses. Indeed he is very much looking forward to returning home, so she can ease his emotional pain. And as always, she is there to serve this all-important role. Or as the title puts it, Mai entreats Sheeran to “put it all on (her)”. What she basically means by this is that she will absorb his “worries” in order to help him overcome them.
Indeed Ella has similar issues, as in external pressures which cause her a considerable degree of tension. And while Ed also performs a likewise relieving function in her life, the pre-chorus seems to make it clear that he is more emotionally dependent on her than vice versa.
So in a way, “Put It All on Me” reads like the age-old tale of a working-class man being stressed out by his job, unable to find relief until reaching his wife at home, who is ever-ready to help him overcome via her love. But it also has a modern twist in that she is also dealing with comparable aggravations. And while she may serve the role of a supporter more than Ed does, she is still very much dependent on his love as a form of relief also.
First Sheeran and Ella Collaboration
This is the first time Ed Sheeran and his fellow British singer, Ella Mai, have collaborated.
Album Appearance
“Put It All on Me” is one of the tracks featured on Ed Sheeran’s famed No. 6 Collaborations Project, which dropped on 12 July 2019.
The entire project was released by Asylum Records UK along with Atlantic Records UK.
Who wrote “Put It All on Me”?
Ed and Ella actually wrote this song along with the track’s producer, Fred Gibson, who worked on the entirety of the album.
