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"First Times" is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran from his fifth studio album = (2021), appearing as the third track on its tracklisting. It was written and produced by Sheeran, Johnny McDaid and Fred Again. After the album's release, it charted at number 31, 50, 33, 126, 27, and 52 on Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, New Zealand and Sweden, respectively as well as charting at number 48 on the Global 200.

Background

Sheeran wrote the song after he took the inspiration from drinking beer with his wife backstage at Wembley Stadium. He shared that "First Times" was actually inspired by a quiet moment amid the chaos and heightened expectations of one of the biggest nights of his life—the evening he played Wembley Stadium. After all the excitement, he says it was a simple moment with wife Cherry Seaborn that really made it all real. He wrote “I was just on stage, and I was like ‘It’s actually just a concert. It was a good concert, but just a concert,’” he said. “Coming backstage, my wife giving me a beer, then me sitting down, and we chatted over a beer each; I felt everything. This is like real life.” He explained that's where the entire first verse of the song comes from. “That sort of took me back and I wrote this song thinking about all the simplest things that seemed so insignificant at the time, like our first glass of wine sitting on a step in Brooklyn opposite a pizza bar, and that at the time was just whatever.," he shared. "Now, it's become tradition. We go back to New York and that's what we do every single time." “Life is full of small things that seem so insignificant at the time, but they are massive in the grand scheme of things. We chase after these things in life that we think will fill the void, whereas the void is actually being filled by all these tiny, beautiful things," he continued. "You go ‘I need to do this thing because this is what I think will be the making of me and this is going to be it’ when actually it's all around you and you just have to take it in sometimes.”

Promotion and release

On 19 August 2021, Sheeran announced his fourth studio album, =, in which the song is listed on the tracklist. On 29 October 2021, "First Times" was released alongside other album tracks that appeared on the album =.

Lyric video

A lyric video for the song was uploaded on Sheeran's YouTube account on 29 October 2021 along with the other lyric videos of the songs that appeared on the tracklisting of =.

Credits and personnel

• Ed Sheeran – vocals, production, songwriting, writing
• Joe Rubel – strings programming
• Johnny McDaid – production, songwriting, writing
• Fred – production, bass, piano, songwriting, writing
• Parisi – additional strings
• Ashok Klouda – cello
• Tim Lowe – cello
• Victoria Harrild – cello
• Leon Bosch – double bass
• Matthew Sheeran – string arrangement
• Eoin Schmidt-Martin – viola
• Laurie Anderson – viola
• Rebecca Lowe – viola
• Gary Pomeroy – viola
• Meghan Cassidy – viola
• Ann Bielby – viola
• Kirsty Mangan – violin
• Kathy Gowers – violin
• Thomas Gould – violin
• Michael Jones – violin
• Marije Johnston – violin
• Jan Regulski – violin
• Anna Blackmur – violin
• Antonia Kesel – violin
• Beatrix Lovejoy – violin
• Warren Zielinksi – violin
• Samantha Wickramasinghe – violin
• Ciaran McCabe – violin
• Matthew Denton – violin
• Martyn Jackson – violin
• Hal Ritson – additional vocals, additional programming, bass
• Richard Adlam – additional programming
• Sam Roman – guitar
• Stuart Hawkes – mastering
• Mark "Spike" Stent – mixing
• Joe Rubel – string engineering
• Matt Glasbey – engineering
• Matt Wolach – mixing assistance
• Kieran Beardmore – mixing assistance
• Charlie Holmes – mixing assistance
• Marta Di Nozzi – engineering assistance
• Neil Dawes – engineering assistance

Charts

Certifications

References

1. "Ed Sheeran says 'First Times' was inspired by drinking beer with his wife backstage at Wembley". etalk. 29 October 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
2. Beaumont-Thomas, Ben (19 August 2021). "Ed Sheeran announces new album, =". The Guardian. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
3. "Ed Sheeran - First Times [Official Lyric Video]". YouTube. 6 November 2021. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
4. "Ed Sheeran – First Times". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
5. "Ed Sheeran Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
6. "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Select 44. týden 2021 in the date selector. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
7. "Ed Sheeran – First Times". Tracklisten. Retrieved 10 November 2021.
8. "Ed Sheeran – First Times" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
9. "Ed Sheeran Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
10. "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved 11 November 2021.
11. "Ed Sheeran – First Times". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
12. "Ed Sheeran – First Times". AFP Top 100 Singles. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
13. "ČNS IFPI". IFPI ČR. Note: Select SK SINGLES DIGITAL TOP 100 and insert 202144 into search. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
14. "Local & International Streaming Chart Top 100: Week 44". The Official South African Charts. Recording Industry of South Africa. Archived from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2021.
15. "Ed Sheeran – First Times". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
16. "Official Audio Streaming Chart Top 100: 05 November 2021 - 11 November 2021". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 November 2021.
17. "Ed Sheeran Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 November 2021.
18. "Canadian single certifications – Ed Sheeran – First Times". Music Canada. Retrieved 6 October 2024.
19. "British single certifications – Ed Sheeran – First Times". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 18 February 2023.

• 2021 songs
• Ed Sheeran songs
• Song recordings produced by Ed Sheeran
• Song recordings produced by Fred Again
• Songs written by Ed Sheeran
• Songs written by Fred Again
• Songs written by Johnny McDaid