INQUISITR.COM / Entertainment

Grab Your Tissues! Ed Sheeran Releases Music Video For Coming-Of-Age Hit ‘Castle On The Hill’

By Liz Kelley
Published on: 02:20 PST, Jan 23, 2017

Ed Sheeran is, arguably, one of America’s favorite Brits. And if you didn’t love him enough already, his new music video might just seal the deal.

Sheeran’s music has that singer-songwriter emotion that plucks at heartstrings and triggers nostalgia. His new coming-of-age song, “Castle On The Hill,” was released on January 14, 2017, following the earlier release of another hit–Shape Of You–from his upcoming album Divide. The Inquisitr recently reported that Ed’s two new songs have already broken all-time Spotify records.

Ed Sheeran’s new album is looking very promising. Not only are “Shape Of You” and “Castle On The Hill” already hitting the charts, but Sheeran has also revealed that a rendition of the traditional Irish tune, “Galway Girl,” will be featured on Divide, according to Irish Central.

Sheeran is not afraid of talking about hard things or singing about things that people do not always want to hear. Mirror said that a policeman once contacted Ed after listening to his lyrics for “Castle On The Hill.”

“In the song, Ed, who released the track today after a year-long break, sings ‘driving at 90 down those country lanes.’ Hearing the song prompted Sgt Harris, a roads policing and firearms operations sergeant, to tweet Ed, writing: ‘#DriveToArrive @edsheeran Know you want to get home but please slow down on #SuffolkRoads #WelcomeBackEd #DrivingAt90 #CastleOnTheHill.'”

The music opens on an expansive and foggy beach, where we see a group of teenage boys running, exploring and hanging out. It continues to a night scene, where we see the boys, along with some girls, smoking, laughing and drinking. Sheeran writes as an adult visiting his childhood home, reminiscing all of his friends and their adventures and losses.

“I’m on my way
Driving at ninety down those country lanes
Singing to ‘Tiny Dancer’
And I miss the way you make me feel, and it’s real
We watched the sunset over the castle on the hill
Over the castle on the hill”

True to classic Ed Sheeran style, the video is brutally honest. The landscape is not idealized, but rather is a typical England setting–green, gray and misty. Ed’s first appearance is him driving in a car, but later on he switches to walking down country roads. Meanwhile, we watch as a younger Sheeran explores the ups and downs of life with his mates–and even his first love.

Near the end of the song, Ed Sheeran states the fates of his friends, again addressing the hard truths about life and growing up.

“One friend left to sell clothes
One works down by the coast
One had two kids but lives alone
One’s brother overdosed
One’s already on his second wife
One’s just barely getting by
But these people raised me and I can’t wait to go home”

During a final repeat of the chorus, we see an adult Sheeran sitting with his now grown-up companions, drinking beer and laughing.

The song is heavy in some instances, but it has a beautiful essence of nostalgia and reminiscence that many people can relate to. It’s made even more special by the fact that Ed Sheeran employed current students from his high school to play the roles of his friends.

[Featured Image by Rich Fury/Invision/AP Images]

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