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Afterglow (Ed Sheeran song)

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Wikipedia article




{{Infobox song

| name = Afterglow

| cover = Ed Sheeran - Afterglow.png

| album = =

| alt =

| border = yes

| type = single

| artist = Ed Sheeran

| released =

| written = 2019

| genre = Folk-pop

| length = 3:05

| label =

* Asylum

* Atlantic

| writer =

* Ed Sheeran

* David Hodges

* Fred Gibson

| producer =

* Fred

* Ed Sheeran

* Parisi

| prev_title = Own It

| prev_year = 2019

| next_title = Bad Habits

| next_year = 2021

| misc =

}}

"'Afterglow'" is a song by English singer Ed Sheeran. Released on 21 December 2020, the song marked Sheeran's first single release in more than 18 months. An accompanying music video features a one-take performance by Sheeran with solo acoustic guitar accompaniment.

The song reached number-one in Israel and peaked within the top-ten of the charts in ten other countries, including the United Kingdom (number two on the UK Singles Chart), Australia and Switzerland. It also became Sheeran's 13th top ten on the US 'Billboard' Adult Top 40, the most on the chart for a male solo artist.

Background



On 20 December 2020, after having taken an extended hiatus from public life, Sheeran returned to social media to announce his new single: "Hey guys. 'Afterglow' is a song I wrote last year that I wanted to release for you". He further explained that the song is "not the first single from the next album" but just a song he loves.

Cover art



The cover art depicts an original piece of action painting created by Sheeran himself.

Critical reception



The song received generally positive reviews from critics. 'Billboard's Gil Kaufmann described the song as a "spare acoustic ballad" that features a "haunting chorus". Zoe Haylock of 'Vulture' compared the song to Taylor Swift's latest surprise releases, saying he "took a page out of Taylor Swift's book and surprised fans with a new single" and went on to describe the track as one of his "acoustic bangers". Morgan Hines of 'USA Today' thought the song, accompanied by a "mellow melody", "exudes a feeling of intimacy during an emotional time between loved ones".

Personnel



Credits adapted from Tidal.

* Ed Sheeran producer, guitar, vocals, backing vocals

* Fred producer, bass, programmer

* Marco Parisi synthesiser

* Giampaolo Jack Parisi vocoder

* Stuart Hawkes masterer

* Mark Spike Stent mixer

* Matt Wolach assistant mixer

* Parisi producer, sound designer

Charts



Weekly charts



Year-end charts



Certifications



Release history



References



Category:2020 singles

Category:2021 singles

Category:2020 songs

Category:Ed Sheeran songs

Category:Asylum Records singles

Category:Folk ballads

Category:Number-one singles in Israel

Category:Song recordings produced by Ed Sheeran

Category:Songs written by David Hodges

Category:Songs written by Ed Sheeran

Category:Songs written by Fred Again

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