Dusty

Album: - (2023)
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Songfacts®:

  • And drop the needle on Dusty
    Frost on the leaves like a lake
    The moment came out of nothin'
    A beautiful smile on your face


    In the early mornings spent with his first daughter, Lyra, Ed Sheeran often plays records. While listening to British singer Dusty Springfield's 1969 album, Dusty in Memphis, the singer and Lyra enjoyed a joyous moment that inspired this song.
  • Sheeran penned "Dusty" during a time of personal turmoil. Not only was his pregnant wife, Cherry Seaborn, diagnosed with cancer, but he also experienced the tragic loss of his best friend, Jamal Edwards. To add to the emotional weight, Sheeran was also dealing with a challenging plagiarism lawsuit.

    Driven by a pulsing electronic beat, "Dusty" encapsulates a moment of clarity that Sheeran experienced while indulging in his morning ritual of listening to vinyl with Lyra.

    "I'm going through that time of turbulence and massive lows," Sheeran disclosed to Rolling Stone, "but then waking up in the morning and having a joyous morning with a beautiful girl. It's such a weird juxtaposition to go to bed crying and wake up smiling with your daughter."
  • Sheeran realized that despite grieving, worrying about his wife's health, or feeling depressed, none of that matters when he is with his children. For Sheeran, his two daughters have brought a new perspective to life, helping him prioritize.

    "I'd cry myself to sleep after spending hours and hours at Jamal's mural," he told Apple Music, "And then waking up in the morning at six to your daughter being like, 'Hey, let's eat porridge. Let's listen to...' There is a switch that you can flip; you go into dad mode, like, 'Yeah, let's do it!' 'Cause I don't want my daughters ever feeling that I'm like that. Especially not for now."
  • "Dusty" is a collaborative effort between Ed Sheeran and Aaron Dessner, the renowned producer and musician from the American band The National. Dessner has lent his songwriting and production talents to a diverse range of artists, including Gracie Abrams, Sharon Van Etten, and Taylor Swift. He is perhaps best known for his work on Swift's critically acclaimed studio albums Folklore and Evermore, both of which earned nominations for the prestigious Album of the Year Grammy Award in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Folklore went on to win the coveted prize.
  • Dessner played The Juno synthesizer, Mellotron, electric guitar, bass, synth bass, piano, and percussion. Sheeran also played electric guitar. The other musicians are:

    Rob Moose: violin, viola, cello, orchestration
    Dave Nelson: trombone
    J.T. Bates: drums
    James Krivchenia drums, percussion
    James McAlister drums
    Benjamin Lanz: synthesizer

Comments: 2

  • Nancy Barcott from San Antonio Texas"Wait til our clothes are bone dry" because you saved me from a storm. I was on the bench soaking soaking wet when you took my hand to go inside the tug boat home. Mike and Stephanie were on the couch watching "pure country" you blocked me from seeing them and saved me a heartache. I cried myself to sleep in your room to the right as soon as you walk in the door. "A beautiful smile on your face" because I was pretending to be happy to get my boyfriend back and you helped because you wanted me to really be happy. We hid in the top of the closet playing hide~n~seek and under clothes on the floor. I'm trying to reach you.
  • Nancy Barcott from San AntonioI remember a couple sitting on the famous couch watching pure country while I'm sleeping in the bedroom. Waking up seeing the kitchen. It was up higher than the living room with all the pans on the wall. It was a big boat made from a tug boat or barge with flowers on the side under the three pane window and front which was on the top of the bedroom. Playing hide and seek in the top of the closet and under clothes. Teaching someone how to slow dance and playing with the Lego house. Thank you for the memories and saving my life from the elements.
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