Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran shared the follow-up to his latest hit “Bad Habits,” “Visiting Hours.” As part of the release, he announced that his upcoming album = (Equals) will be out on October 29.
“Visiting Hours” Will Make You Cry
“Visiting Hours” sees Sheeran coming back to his acoustic roots. Pretty much the opposite to the upbeat and dancey tunes that “Bad Habits” offer,” “Visiting Hours” is a heartbreaking song that Ed wrote about experiencing grief.
One of his close friends passed away earlier this year, and Ed wrote the song to him. “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,” the moving tribute starts.
In the announcement post, Ed wrote, “The next song off of it is called Visiting Hours, which I finished for my friend Michael who sadly passed away this year. Lot’s more music to come, but for now, I hope you are as excited as me for this album.”
Ed Wrote The Song in Quarantine
Ed debuted the track back in March with a teary live performance in Australia; at the state funeral for his friend Michael Gudinski – an influential and highly respected music promoter in Melbourne. When introducing the heartfelt number he said to the audience, “In lockdown, I was able to have a guitar for quarantine… I always find the best way to process stuff is to write songs—be it good news, bad news, or whatever. And, yeah—here’s a song I finished last week.”
“Visiting Hours” is one of 14 songs that will be on Sheeran’s upcoming album. While on Instagram Live, Ed revealed that the song isn’t the only new material fans will get to hear before the album is officially released in two months. “‘Visiting Hours’ is not the next single,” he teased. “The next single comes out on Sept. 10.”
