Bibia Be Ye Ye by Ed Sheeran - Songfacts

Ahh, Ed Sheeran. The name provokes many reactions on /popheads: anger, disgust, hatred, happiness, pride, etc. 2017 brought him front and center in the pop zeitgeist, and with that, brings detractors. His 3rd studio album Divide was met with harsh criticism, mixed reviews, and plenty of thinkpieces. But when everything's said and done, is Divide a bad album? I personally don't think so, and I'm here today to share my thoughts on the album, going track-by-track giving you the best and worst points on the album. Join me, won't you?
Track one: Eraser. This is a great album opener and a great example of Ed Sheeran's talents. The guitar melody is forceful, memorable, and interesting. It's the first thing you hear on the album and it sets the mood perfectly. It's tense and kind of jagged, kind of foreboding and not at all calming, which works perfectly here. Ed's delivery is really good here, his sing-rap style is used to great effect here. It's about Ed's relationship to his fame and how he deals with being massive. And while it's not the first song to cover this topic, it’s certainly an interesting take coming from Ed Sheeran of all people, who’s appeal originally came from how “real” and “authentic” he is. And this song talks about how much he dislikes his fame and wants to go back to his regular life. I really enjoy how, for lack of a better word, authentic this feels. There’s actually something to this, and it feels like this is how he really feels. My score 10/10
Track two: Castle on the Hill. Now this is just fantastic. The energy alone is one of the highlights of the album, it’s fast-paced, exciting, and it hits the climax in all the right places. This is a song to sing in a giant stadium, something you blast in your car, a song you have to turn all the way up to eleven. The guitar here gives you a rush and helps to take you along for the ride. Ed here gives one of his best performances here, delivering nostalgia for experiences you probably didn’t have. He really knows the best way to build up a song to it’s full potential. It’s the perfect song for him. And the lyrics here are once again just fantastic, where he spells out his youth in Suffolk so distinctly, as if these events happened yesterday. From breaking his leg, to drinking and smoking, even the emotional bridge where he tells us what his friends are doing now. This is a song he put his all into, and its very much appreciated. My score: 10/10
Track three: Dive. Here’s a song I enjoy, A song that spells out Ed’s hesitation to fall for this girl, and him wanting her to actually feel something before she jumps headfirst in a relationship. And the lyrics really paint a dynamic picture, the first verse talking about how he messed up, and the second verse about the girl and wondering who she really is. It’s actually really interesting and it seems like he’s projecting a lot of his insecurities, fears, and his past onto this girl and it sort of plays like a slower Drake track. It loses some points because of that, as it’s not fair to do that to this girl, but it’s interesting enough that it kind of works. His delivery is a bit dramatic and heavy-handed, but it seems like it’s a stylistic choice, and it mostly works. I will say, the instrumental isn’t that great, it’s a bit slow and something about it bugs me, but the buildup to the chorus is really good. In short, this song is good on the surface, but once you dig deep into it, it seems to be a bit problematic, for lack of a better term. My score: 8/10
Track four: Shape of You. Ooh boy, this one. So, I’m judging this on its own merits first before I get into why I actually enjoy it. So as a song on its own, it’s fine. Like, if anybody else performed this song, it would be about a 6/10. There’s nothing inherently wrong it, the melody is fine, nothing sounds out of place, the lyrics aren’t, like egregiously awful, Ed’s delivery is good. Really all of it’s flaws seem to be in how straight it’s playing. This song from Ed could really use some camp or like, a wink to the audience to know not to take it so seriously. It’s such a weird departure stylistically from both the album and Ed’s discography. The “trop pop/Cheap Thrills/Work chords”, the emphasis on sex in the chorus but mundane relationship stuff in the verses, the beat that drills into your head, this seemed to be completely out of left field. But when you dig deeper, a lot of Ed’s trademark stuff is still there, like the fact that he doesn’t pull off “sexy” is so apparent, there’s some interesting vocal melodies and lyrics there that it doesn’t seem completely out of place on the album, the fact that it’s so irritatingly catchy has to be on purpose, and honestly? It’s kind of brilliant. There’s something about this that puts a giant smile on my face every single time I hear it. Like, it sounds like some weird satire that flew too close to the sun and was ended up taken way too seriously by everyone. It plays a lot like modern Maroon 5, you know, that one melody line that’s way too catchy, a song that’s functional and inoffensive but somehow massively hated, following trends so you can get on the radio, the knowing that nobody who had anything to do with this gave a shit. I know this isn’t the best defense of this song, and I won’t change anyone’s mind, but I’d be lying if I gave this song nothing other than massive praise. My score: 10/10.
Track five: Perfect. Alright, full disclosure. I’m massively biased towards these kinds of songs. I don’t know why, but I adore these love songs. You know the ones, they make these massive proclamations about how they’ll love you forever, how perfect you are, this is the love of my life. I can’t get enough of them, but ignoring all of that, this is a really good song. The instrumental just tugs at my heart every single time, those carefully calculated strings, drums, and guitar just fill my cold, barren heart with so much joy. And yes, Ed is fantastic here. He can really do these kinds of songs justice, with a really good balance of cheesiness and sincerity to sell every single word. The lyrics here are pretty generic, but they’re not supposed to be something super specific. These kinds of songs work well with generalizations and it does its job really well here. And if these songs don’t do anything for you, I totally get that. But for me? I endorse these whole-heartily and will continue to support them. And for the record, The Beyoncé version > the album version > the operatic version. My score: 10/10
Track six: Galway Girl. This is my favorite song on the album. Hands down. There’s so much to love here, starting with the chorus. This is honestly the best hook on the album, it’s catchy, it’s simple, it’s sincere, it has all the makings of a great hook. Ed here is just fantastic, he is reveling in this moment and he sounds so happy, it’s almost euphoric. Whoever this girl is sounds absolutely phenomenal and it honestly sells the song. The instrumental here is really good, I really enjoy how he used these Irish instruments and melodies to describe how he fell in love. And the lyrics really help sell this girl too. Describing who she is, what she’s into, how good she as at drinking, playing pool and darts, you really et a feel for who this girl is as a person and I like when songs can do this. I would like to ask, however, is this offensive to the Irish? Do Irish people like this song? The lyric “My pretty little Galway Girl” does kind of have unfortunate implications. Hopefully you guys love it as much as I do. My score: 11/10
Track seven: Happier. Now we’re getting into some not-great territory. Honestly, this song does nothing for me. It’s plodding, overdramatic, and just weak. I do appreciate how Ed acknowledges how this girl is genuinely happy so he’ll leave her alone. I was honestly expecting some song about how Ed made this girl “happier” so she should leave her new boyfriend. So, this song gains points on the concept alone. But unfortunately, that’s where the positives end. My biggest flaw is the instrumentation, and I get the mood that’s being set, but it’s just so slow and overdramatic. With these building strings, the random choir, and pounding drums which honestly do nothing. And Ed’s whining is so obnoxious, I get what he’s trying to do, but it just isn’t working here. Honestly, he should’ve went for a more subdued performance, just him and his guitar, a subtle vocal delivery to portray his emptiness to contrast her happiness. But as is, it’s a chore of a song to get through that does nothing for me at all. My score: 4/10
Track eight: New Man. This is the closest thing to a guilty pleasure on this album for me. This is honestly one of the pettiest songs I’ve ever heard. It’s so weirdly catty and douchey that it’s honestly hilarious. The instrumental is taken right out of some 2000s Timberlake song with the DJ scratches, hip-hop beat, that guitar melody I could’ve sworn I’ve heard before. Ed here is playing up his sleazier side, and it works pretty well here. He definitely can play catty and vindictive. maybe Taylor’s rubbing off on him The real “star” of the show here are the lyrics, this is some sharp songwriting here, you can definitely get a feel for who this guy is, and he’s kind of an asshole. An asshole who’s rich and good-looking, but an asshole nonetheless. Honestly the only time the song starts to fall apart is when he starts talking about the girl, and who she “used to be”. He’s definitely veering into some Hotline Bling territory there. But even still the girl is actively cheating on her bf with Ed, it seems like, so I guess he’s earned the right to be a bit smug. I honestly see these last three tracks as kind of a trilogy. Galway Girl is about him meeting and falling in love with her, Happier is about the breakup and her finding someone new, and New Man is about her going back to Ed and him having a bit of fun with it. And honestly Dive, Shape of You, and Perfect kind of fit this narrative as well. Hmmm But anyways, this is guilty fun. My score: 9/10
Track nine: Hearts Don’t Break Around Here. This is honestly the most forgettable song on the album. It’s just a generic love song without anything special to add to it. Ed isn’t really that emotional or memorable here, the instrumental is pretty plain, and the lyrics mean nothing. He’s describing this really nice girl and what she means to him and it just doesn’t connect at all. There’s nothing to this song and it makes me upset because it shouldn’t even exist. I have gained nothing from listening to this song, it was a waste of my time, and it is the worst song on the album. My score: 0/10
Track ten: What Do I Know? This is one of the smuggest songs I’ve ever heard from Ed. It reeks of empty platitudes about how “We should use music to fix the world!” And it’s stated, in the actual song, that Ed basically has no idea what he’s talking about. Like, there’s this underlying point to be made about how people should forget about their stressful activities and just join the band, and play the music. And that fixes nothing, it helps nobody, it just makes yourself feel better than you’re not egregiously awful. If you’re going to write this kind of song in today’s world, you absolutely should know what you’re talking about, otherwise you look like you don’t have the range. And Ed does not. He is in way over his head here, and luckily this is more of a general, “be nice to people, do what makes you happy, etc” kind of song. But the implications are not great here. And the worst part about this song is that I absolutely love it. I adore the chorus here, the melody is catchy, it’s a simple song, and it kind of revels in it. The closest comparison is Ariana Grande’s Put Your Hearts Up, another song that I love, in that the empty platitudes really connect with me and it helps me look over the implications. I’m kind of ashamed that I like it honestly. My score: 8/10
Track 11: How Would You Feel (Paean). Another standard love song. This one is better than Hearts Don’t Break Around Here, by actually being memorable. The guitar melody here is really good, and I find myself humming it sometimes. The lyrics here are nice, sweet, pleasant. The usual stuff I expect from a love song. I think he wanted to bridge the difference between a dramatic, proclamation to the world kind of love song, and a simple, sweet one and I don’t think he succeeded all that well. This song is nice, but it’s forgettable and it doesn’t really do anything for me. It’s not bad though, but I probably won’t choose to listen to it. My score: 6/10
Track 12: Supermarket Flowers. Now this is an emotional song. There’s something about an Ed song where he sings about a personal experience that does something for me. He knows the right amount of detail to throw in to set a scene and immerse you in what he’s singing. His performance is an empty kind of sad, the sadness you feel when you lose somebody. The lyrics about throwing away old tea cups, beer bottles, get-well cards, and flowers really paint the picture of his emotions and the fear of not wanting to do anything that makes it feel real but also knowing you have to in order to heal. I’d be remiss if I didn’t state that this song is about Ed’s grandmother, not his actual mother. He apparently performed it at her funeral and his relatives told him he needs to put it on the album. So it only feels right as the album closer to dedicate it to his late grandmother, as she would have probably loved it. My score: 10/10.
Track 13: Barcelona. I’m including the deluxe tracks here mostly because that’s the version I own so I’m connected with these songs. But onto this song specifically. It’s loads of fun, and I love it. There’s something so joyous about this song, like Ed got to Spain, had a blast, and basically started a party in the streets of Barcelona. Of course there’s a pretty girl (or multiple girls?) but it’s less focused on that and more of how amazing this one night is. The instrumental is surprisingly not as over-the-top as he is. I guess they needed some contrast because Ed is selling this. He is honestly as happy as can be, so happy that he starts singing in Spanish! And the Spanish here is troubling, kind of. It’s not Bieber-levels of bad, but I can tell Spaniards probably don’t like this at all, which I get. But ignoring all of that, this is a whirlwind fun time of a song and I can’t ignore that. My score: 9/10
Track 14: Bibia Be Ye Ye. Whoo boy. I’m very conflicted on this song. On one hand, I really like the melody and the lyrics about how he had some wild times in Ghana and how he has to piece everything back together, but it’s fine because he had a good time and is alive and all that junk. But on the other hand, something about the way he sings “Bibia Be Ye Ye” and the instrumentation does not sit right with me. He seems very respectful and everything, but this may be right on the edge. Am I looking to deep into this? Am I overreacting? I like the song, but I feel guilty every time I do. But as a whole, there’s nothing really wrong here, and I haven’t seen any anger over this, so maybe it’s harmless. My score: 8/10
Track 15: Nancy Mulligan. This is just a great song. The tie-ins to Ed’s actual grandparents is honestly very romantic. It’s a very personal song for him and he absolutely nails it here. The lyrics are plain fun, from him saying he’ll marry Nancy no matter what, to their backstories in the war, to where they live and how many children they’ll have, it all hits those wish fulfillment tropes about meeting your true love and being with them forever, no matter what you have. And the Irish instrumentation actually feels genuine, considering these are his actual grandparents, after all. Nothing really more to say about it, It’s just great. My score: 10/10
Track 16: Save Myself. This is a song that hit me, and it hit me hard. Something about giving your all and not having anyone help you afterwards just strikes a chord with me. The melody here is my favorite part of the song, it gives me chills every single time. His performance as a singer is mesmerizing, there’s this emptiness inside him that keeps eating him up inside. And I have a thing for tortured singers, so this was made for me. The lyric about drinking with prescription pills honestly shocked me. There’s surprisingly no guitar here, just piano and a string portion performed by his brother. I truly don’t think I can do this song justice with words, I urge you to check it out. My score: 10/10.
Discussion Questions:

1. What is your favorite track on the album?
2. Do you think that Shape of You, and its legacy taints the album?
3. Is this album really deserving of all the hate/controversy?
4. What’s next for Ed?