Analysis

The A Team

     People listen to music for all kinds of reasons. Music can be used to clear one's mind or as inspiration. It can change the way someone feels or how they view the world. But why do people write songs? Artists usually use their music to entertain people. Songs do not usually carry underlining meanings – or we just don't pay attention to them. Ed Sheeran's song, The A Team, isn't just a catchy tune with easy-to- learn lyrics. If you really listen to the song, you will see that there's a lot more to the song than what meets the ear. The A Team has a dark meaning that is hidden by a catchy tune and Sheeran's clever word choices.

     The song is about a woman who uses drugs and sometimes works as a prostitute. Sheeran starts the song out by writing: “White lips, pale face. Breathing in the snowflakes. Burnt lungs, sour taste.” Because the lyrics are set to a catchy tune, you don't really listen to the words. This little section is about someone doing drugs. The “snowflakes” that this person is breathing in are the drugs. Most drugs that people inhale this way are white, which is why he called them snowflakes. When someone uses drugs, it burns their lungs and their face becomes pale. Apparently, according to Sheeran, the drugs taste sour to the person. According to Sheeran, the woman will “Go mad for a couple grams.” This line is really sad. It tells the listener how her drug use got started. The woman has nothing of true meaning in her life. She goes crazy for a few grams of drugs so that she does not have to think about her situation. Later in the song, Sheeran writes: “And in a pipe she flies to the motherland.” This short sentence describes how the woman does drugs using a pipe and has hallucinations. Sheeran hides the true meaning of the song by disguising the drug usage with words that seem harmless until you actually read and think about them.

     

     Not only is this song about drug usage, it is also about a woman working as a prostitute. We know that Sheeran is talking about a woman who is a prostitute when he writes “Or sells love to another man.” He also writes in the beginning of the song, “Long nights, strange men.” She is spending the night with strange men. He also describes the woman as a “call girl, no phone.” A call girl is a prostitute or, for more formal term, an escort. When we really listen to the song, we realize that the woman in the song uses prostitution to pay for her drug use. She sells love to men so she can buy and use drugs. The fact that she has no phone suggests that she is very poor. That is how we know that she uses her money to buy drugs. Although this song sounds sad when we ponder the lyrics, it is based on reality. Drug use and prostitution are very common in today's age. Drug addiction can lead to financial devastation and that leads people to do things they would not normally do in order to get the money they need to satisfy their cravings. It is very sad when we realize what we are listening to.

     This song is also about violence. For example, when Sheeran writes “The worst things in life come free to us,” he is talking about the abuse that the woman receives is free. This is ironic because she is being paid because she is a prostitute. Another line in the song that speaks of violence is the line “We're just under the upper hand.” This line is about the woman being abused, neglected, and overpowered by her pimp.

     As the song progresses, we follow the woman through life. Because of all the violence and drug abuse in her life, she becomes weaker. We know this because Sheeran writes: “And she don't want to go outside tonight.” The woman in the song doesn't want to be a prostitute anymore. We also know that she is getting weaker when he writes “Weary-eyed.” Towards the end of the song, we know that she is going to die when he writes: “It's too cold outside for angels to fly. An angel will die. Covered in white. Closed eye and hoping for a better life. This time, we'll fade out tonight. Straight down the line.” We know that the woman will die because of her drug use when he writes “An angel will die Covered in white.” The white is the drugs that she uses. We also know that she dies by drug usage by the line: “This time, we'll fade out tonight. Straight down the line.” The “fading out” is when she dies and when he says “straight down the line,” he is talking about the line of drugs that send her life.

     This song is very powerful, not only because of the music and beat that interest people, but also because of the lyrics. The lyrics, although commonly overlooked, are very powerful and meaningful. Because this song is so sad, the music is used to mask the true meaning. Because it's a catchy tune and it has a good beat, people don't really listen to the lyrics. The words also mask the true meaning. Sheeran did this so that people would buy and listen to his song. If he came right out and said what the song meant, people would get depressed and not want to listen to it. The worst thing about this song is that it's true. People die all the time because of drug addiction and drug usage. This song is truly powerful. Although it is a very sad song, it is a great song. Sheeran took one of the worst topics, tweaked the words a little, and made it a hit. 

Sheeran, Ed. “The A Team.” The A Team. Lava Records 2010. MP3 file.