Since our last post about the most underrated songs by Ed Sheeran in 2017, he has released a collaborative compilation album, two full-length LPs, and numerous stand-alone singles. With the most recent release of his record – (Subtract), we thought it may finally be time to fill you in on the 15 new underrated Ed Sheeran songs. This list will only consist of songs released after ÷ (Divide). If you would like to see our previous list of 15 underrated songs, click here! Keep in mind, this is not a list of his best songs, just songs that are good but sadly overlooked.

These songs would have made the list proper, but I either ran out of room or they thankfully seem to have gained a good amount of traction!

Despite No.6 Collaborations Project being mostly, um, hot garbage, there are a few jewels speckled throughout. You might see the name Skrillex attached to this song and immediately assume the worst. (You’re telling me the guy who made “The A Team” teamed up with the guy who made “Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites”?) But in reality, the production elements that Sonny brings to the table on “Way to Break My Heart” are rather understated compared to some of his prior handiwork and could be considered moderately tasteful. While I don’t think I’d be shouting my praises of this song from the rooftops, I would still encourage listeners to give it one more spin. Somewhere in the back of my head, I can’t shake my suspicion that this song would’ve suited a different artist much more than it suits Ed. Nevertheless, despite that speculation in tandem with the lyrics feeling a tad underwritten, I still find myself mildly enjoying “Way to Break My Heart.”

I’m not sure where to even begin describing this song and actually do it justice. A stand-alone single, “F64” is a sorrowful tribute to Ed’s late friend Jamal Edwards, the founder of London-based SBTV. SBTV was instrumental in providing a platform for underground artists to share their music, and Ed happened to be one of those artists. One could argue this is Ed’s first rap-centric tune in years outside of No.6; despite 2021’s “2step” having a bit of rhythmic flow in its pre-chorus, “F64” will more pointedly remind fans of past songs like “The Man” and “Eraser” with its rapid fire verses and heartfelt delivery. The live music video portrays the lengths Ed went in order to pay homage to Jamal and shows how emotional of a song this truly is.

In the verses of “I Don’t Want Your Money,” Ed exposes just how rough things can get on a personal level while living out what many would call the dream. Despite his astronomical rise to fame, he discusses the bumps in his relationships as well as his financial struggles. In 2014, Ed masterfully displayed similar notions on the × (Multiply) songs “Nina” and “The Man,” the hardship of always being on the road, touring from country to country and never being able to spend time with the ones you love. As he states on “The Man,” “Success is nothing if you have no one left there to share it with” and “But when I broke the industry / That’s when I broke your heart.” Although not as heavy or painstaking as those two aforementioned songs, he alludes to similar feelings on “I Don’t Want Your Money.” “There ain’t no diamonds, silver, or gold / That can replace a man’s love in a home” or “I couldn’t be more present, but I was in a mess / I remember being on tour, staying up on the phone.” It’s a catchy tune that reveals some hard truths underneath all the glittering gold. … Oh, and H.E.R.’s appearance is fantastic, as usual!

Album closer “Be Right Now” opens with one of my personal favorite verses on = (Equals), singing “Every teardrop, every wrong turn / Made the moment we found.” The instrumentation of this tune is intriguing, characterized by an uptempo beat and hazy piano refrain laden over wispy strings and an almost anxiety-inducing pulsing bassline. The second verse introduces a plucky guitar melody that admittedly could’ve been much more impactful, but a new synth “wall of sound” picks up some of the slack. The musicality reaches a climax during the bridge before giving way to a stripped-back final chorus. This last refrain truly encapsulates the lyrical message—all “the hurry and the noise” surrounds you for so long but Ed’s abruptly solitary vocals force you to just … be. Be right now, exist in the moment with no distractions, no outside sounds.

With 23 tracks total (14 standard and 9 bonus) on –, it’s no wonder some great tunes have become buried and forgotten. Even more of an uphill battle, “Balance” is one of the four bonus tracks exclusive to the deluxe vinyl record which luckily came with a CD that includes those bonus tracks. (Unfortunately, “Boat (Reprise)” is still only available on flexi-disc at this time.) “Balance” features this laidback kind of vocal delivery, somewhat akin to “Dusty” from the standard version of –. Some unpronounced strings are ushered in during the chorus, as well as a skittering percussion beat. It’s a strange amalgamation that shouldn’t truly work in the recipe book, but damn, does it taste good! The lyrics leave a lot to be pondered upon; there are so many different directions we could go with the potential meaning of this song. But sometimes I like that unknowingness, the ability to apply your own interpretation to the material presented.

“Call On Me” was a stand-alone single that eventually found a home on the French deluxe tour edition re-release of = in 2022. Made with French singer/songwriter Vianney, this tune offers a unique flavor in Ed’s catalogue. Ed has dipped more than just his toes in the realms of modern dancehall, Latin dance, Afrobeat, and reggaeton music, collaborating with artists like J Balvin, Fireboy DML, Burna Boy, Paulo Londra, and Camila Cabello on multiple occasions. But an acoustic French pop song? Consider me tickled pink!

“Stoned” reminds me a lot of “Save Myself” from ÷, a song which carved out a spot on our previous list of underrated Ed Sheeran tunes. (I mean, he even sings “Save me” in the pre-chorus here.) This a bleak cut of introspection into how Ed perceives himself, his current habits, his motives, and his personal success in comparison to his peers. “All my friends have settled and grown / And then there’s me here dancing alone.” I suppose it’s a testament to how even being on top of the world can’t shield you from those negative voices in the back of your mind. The first verse expands on this a bit with the lines “Crowds will devour, I don’t need breathing space / Consumed by hopelessness and all my worries.” Furthermore, Ed reveals how he tries to cover up his pain by getting high, writing “I’ll keep bleeding and I’ll be stoned” in the chorus. Piano-based and quietly capacious, the instrumentation of “Stoned” bolsters the exposure and vulnerability Ed is putting on display here. With – still being rather fresh, I hope this track can continue to climb the ranks in popularity.

Ed has always done a fabulous job at approaching grief in his music. The excited hope of “Small Bump” turning into a heart-wrenching farewell, the reminiscence on an enduring romance in “Afire Love,” the raw specificity of the pain in simple activities on “Supermarket Flowers.” The man has mastered painting the highs and lows we experience throughout the process of bereavement. Happy memories remembered, but a vacant hole remains. “I Will Remember You,” a bonus track on =, seems to get overshadowed by its standard version predecessor “Visiting Hours.” While “Visiting Hours” is a great tune, “I Will Remember You” hasn’t remotely neared the same level of acclaim. This song offers that dichotomy of highs and lows; the instrumental beneath the vocals sounds relatively upbeat and the lyrics reflect on the fond, beloved aspects of the deceased, but there’s still that familiar ache of grief. That longing, that feeling of wanting someone right back beside you and yet understanding it will never be possible.

Written solely by Ed, “End of Youth” is a brutally honest display of the toll sadness and grief can have on one’s juvenescence. Do we lose our sense of youth when we face a depressive state? Is a piece of our own innocence taken to the graves of those for whom we mourn? Ed even briefly divulges his suicidal ideation over the years: “All my ups led to falls that led to trying to end my life.” On a brighter note, it’s rather delightful to see that Ed, age 32, still considers himself in a state of youth despite being a “geriatric pop star” by Taylor Swift’s recent definition. “End of Youth” is one of Ed’s strongest solo showings in quite some time and certainly shines on an album that already weighs as heavily as –. My favorite line would have to be “Can’t get a handle on my grief when every memory turns to tears.”

On paper, this is the sort of song I would feel some kind of vague apathy towards from an artist like Ed Sheeran. But in actuality, “Stop the Rain” is a diamond in the rough. Lively, danceable, and fervent, “Stop the Rain” features Ed’s more impassioned vocals on = and a bass-heavy chorus bound to get you moving. Plus, the lyrics impart some semblance of emotional depth, discussing the challenges of keeping your head up when others aim to bring you down. Ed reiterates an idea he’s routinely espoused over the years throughout his discography: it’s okay to cry. It’s okay to not be okay.

Ed is featured on “Lonely Lovers” by hip-hop group D-Block Europe, delivering a solid verse and a fantastic chorus. Don’t be misled by the title—this song is yet another tune about grief and losing the ones you love, but more specifically friends. With poignant lyrics layered over a solemn guitar melody and smooth beat, “Lonely Lovers” is a painfully undiscovered gem. I personally wish Ed had promoted this tune more. And don’t fret, there’s plenty of Ed featured on this song if you’re not enthused by D-Block for some reason.

This song was released on the deluxe tour version of = in 2022 as a bonus track. There’s a particular cadence in Ed’s voice on “Penguins” that echoes his older material: a bit clunky at times with some interesting lyrical choices (“We are penguins on the ice / We’re not meant to fly but God knows we can try”) yet endearing and quite charming nonetheless. The instrumentation is rather sparse in comparison to most songs present on =, once again reminiscent of his previous work. But when I mention the song “Penguins” to my colleagues, they look at me with confused expressions. And rightfully so—it sounds ridiculous! But hear me out, “Penguins” is a fantastic deep cut well worth your time.

“Sycamore” might very well end up being one of those songs critics will point to in order to illuminate how – is just a “folklore clone,” considering all the input from Aaron Dessner, the similar instrumentation and reflective state of melancholy. But I think “Sycamore” and most all the other tunes on – can stand on their own as authentically Ed Sheeran songs. This tune cuts deep, reminiscing on how the trials and tribulations we face throughout life only render our relationships even more “glorious.” In the opening verse, Ed sings “Worried about my lover and I’m worried about our child / And part of me was always in denial, it’s gonna take a little while.” His wife’s cancer diagnosis is something he actively processes throughout this album. How do you cope with the very real possibility of losing your lover and the mother of your children? As he states, “What a puzzlе is this to be in love / To be planting your roots thеn dig them up.”

A piano-driven ballad, “Borderline” features Ed’s falsetto vocals in the chorus, and although this isn’t his most impressive performance, it’s still admirable nonetheless. Lyrically, this tune is an emotional gut punch. Some lines sound like they could’ve fit in comfortably on an album like A Crow Looked at Me by Mount Eerie, such as “And the blackbirds, they fly / Like a frown on the skyline” or “Sadness always finds an in / Sneaks its way past, infecting everything.” Ed captures something I find difficult to describe in the production and mixing on this track: it simultaneously feels spacious and atmospheric yet so closed-in and claustrophobic, so vast yet intimate. So lonely, wandering adrift in emptiness… I feel as though that perfectly conveys the message and overall vibe of “Borderline.”

“Fear” takes our top spot on Ed’s more recent underrated songs. It’s the perfect blend of everything you’ve come to know and love about Ed Sheeran. There’s a catchy chorus, a rap sequence, a fun post-chorus melody, a delectable mix of instruments, Ed’s great chest voice and falsetto, and some relatable lyricism. It’s a breezy tune that doesn’t take itself too seriously and yet still manages to feel momentous and undoubtedly genuine. One listen and you’ll have that chorus embedded into your brain, “Fear is a joy-killer / So f*ck what they say.” And of course you’ll try to keep up with his spitting verses and inevitably fumble over your words the first few attempts. With how exuberant the chorus and post-chorus can feel, it’s worth taking in the depth of the lyrics at hand. “You’re only human, they bleed just like you do” and “If they have a thought, don’t mean that it’s right / Because they said [it] out loud” will assuredly resonate with listeners in our current internet-consumed era. “Fear” is an absolute hidden gem and I pray it’s more widely released for all to hear!

I truly didn’t anticipate that all three of our most underrated songs would be from –, but what can I say? The record is one of Ed’s best, and with 23 tracks, of course some tunes will be stifled! Let us know what you think of our list down in the comments. What would your list look like?

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