"Eyes Closed"
Single by Ed Sheeran
from the album −
Released24 March 2023
GenreFolk pop
Length3:14
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Ed Sheeran singles chronology
"F64"
(2023) 		"Eyes Closed"
(2023) 		"Boat"
(2023)
Music video
"Eyes Closed" on YouTube

"Eyes Closed" is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was released on 24 March 2023 through Asylum and Atlantic Records as the lead single from his fifth studio album, −. The song was produced by Max Martin, Shellback, Fred Again, and Aaron Dessner, and the former three producers wrote it with Sheeran. "Eyes Closed" debuted and peaked at the top of the UK Singles Chart.

Background and promotion

"Eyes Closed" started in 2018 as a collaboration between Sheeran and pop producer Max Martin. Originally a love song, it was reworked in 2022 by Sheeran and Dessner, with a different instrumentation and lyrics detailing the loss of a dear friend.[1][2] Sheeran announced the song alongside the album on 1 March 2023, setting up several pre-order opportunities.[3] On 9 March, he shared a preview of the song on his socials, performing parts of the song on an acoustic guitar and a piano.[4] In a TikTok posted on the same day, it was revealed that it will be the lead single of the album.[5]

The song pays tribute to his former music entrepreneur and close friend Jamal Edwards, who died in February 2022 from a drug overdose.[6] He had been exchanging text messages with Edwards about an upcoming music video, while having dinner with Taylor Swift and Joe Alwyn, and then he learned the next day that his best friend was gone.[7] Talking about the loss, Sheeran revealed, "Blue was Jamal's colour, but now is all I feel.[7] And I guess music helps heal, so I'm dancing with my eyes closed to try get through it".[8] Edwards' funeral was the first one Sheeran had ever attended in which the deceased was not cremated, which means he remembers the moment he placed dirt on his friend's grave.[9] In addition to the death of Edwards, his wife Cherry was diagnosed that same month with a tumour that could not be operated on until after she had delivered their second child in June, and then his friend Shane Warne died in early March.[7] He has cited his feelings of "fear, depression and anxiety" as the inspiration behind the song.[10]

The song was prominently featured in the first trailer of Sheeran's Disney+ documentary, Ed Sheeran: The Sum of It All, which explores details of his private life.[11]

Composition and lyrics

In the song, Sheeran's voice has a rich timbre and his falsetto softens when he sings the refrain on the chorus, "I keep dancing with my eyes closed".[12] Writing for The Guardian, Alexis Petridis noted that the song featured percussive guitar playing and that the chorus was "insistent" and "radio friendly".[13] Originally written as a breakup song, it took on new meaning after Sheeran suffered personal losses. The lyrics feel "more personal" and "explicitly linked to a very specific event", that of the death of Jamal Edwards.[13][12]

Critical reception

Roisin O'Connor of The Independent, rated the song four stars and wrote that "much of the emotional heft" of the song was in Sheeran's delivery.[12] In a mixed review, The Guardian's Alexis Petridis gave the song three stars out of five, writing that "you already know if you’ll love it, loathe it with every fiber of your being" or "simply marvel at its effectiveness without being moved."[13]

Music video

The Harvey-inspired music video for "Eyes Closed" was released alongside the single. Directed by Mia Barnes, the video depicts Sheeran being followed by a big blue monster that only he can see during his night out, representing his grief. He soon finds other people with their own monsters, before finally facing his own and singing the song's final line, causing it to disappear.[14][15][16]

Live performances

"Eyes Closed" was performed on 1 April 2023 on The Jonathan Ross Show and on 7 May on American Idol.[17]

Accolades

Awards and nominations for "Eyes Closed"
Organization Year Category Result Ref.
MTV Video Music Awards 2023 Best Pop Nominated [18]
Best Cinematography Nominated

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Eyes Closed"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[85] Platinum 70,000‡
Austria (IFPI Austria)[86] Gold 15,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[87] Platinum 80,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[88] Gold 45,000‡
France (SNEP)[89] Gold 100,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[90] Gold 50,000‡
New Zealand (RMNZ)[91] Gold 15,000‡
Poland (ZPAV)[92] Gold 25,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[93] Gold 30,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[94] Gold 10,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[95] Platinum 600,000‡
Streaming
Sweden (GLF)[96] Platinum 8,000,000†

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
† Streaming-only figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Release history and formats for "Eyes Closed"
Region Date Format(s) Version Label Ref.
Various 24 March 2023
Original
[97]
United Kingdom CD single [98]
Italy Radio airplay Warner [99]
Various 27 March 2023
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 Piano
  • Asylum
  • Atlantic
  • Warner
 [100]
United States Hot adult contemporary radio Original Atlantic [101]
28 March 2023 Contemporary hit radio [102]
Canada 19 April 2023 CD single Piano
Various 19 May 2023 Remix Lost Frequencies remix

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