After confessing his 'Bad Habits' back in June, Ed Sheeran returns with a typically tender and emotive ballad called 'Visiting Hours'. The song, written in Australia where he was attending a friends memorial service, is about Sheeran "dealing with the loss of his mentor and friend, Michael Gudinski".
Sheeran's latest release is taken from the singer-songwriter's forthcoming album '=' that he is due to release on October 29th via Asylum/Atlantic records. '=' is Sheeran's first solo album since he released '÷' more than four years ago in March of 2017 and contains fourteen new tracks including this one, and his previous single, 'Bad Habits'.
Speaking about his new album Sheeran said, "= (Equals) is a really personal record and one that means a lot to me. My life changed greatly over the past few years – I got married, became a father, experienced loss, and I reflect on these topics over the course of the album. I see it as my coming-of-age record, and I can’t wait to share this next chapter with you."
Ed's latest track is the twelfth on the album and was recorded with backing vocals from Kylie Minogue and Jimmy Barnes, both of whom were also close friends of Michael Gudinski who died earlier this year of a heart attack. On the day of the song's release Sheeran tweeted, "Thank you to @kylieminogue and @JimmyBarnes for sharing their talent on the backing vocals of the recorded version of this song. It’s an honour to sing with you. I hope you love it" ....adding later that he'd "Filmed a live version of visiting hours in St Stephens Church, Hampstead. I finished writing this song going through proper grief for the first time, and for me its one of the most important songs on =."
The song, which Sheeran has dedicated to Gudinski, will have you reaching for the tissues as he sings, "I wish that Heaven had visiting hours, So I could just show up and bring the news, That she's getting older and I wish that you'd met her, The things that she'll learn from me, I got them all from you."