Maps of Music

x (Multiply) (2014)

Where the lyrics of x (Multiply) take you, and where it was really made.

The cover's × is a lowercase letter x, not the multiplication sign, and Sheeran carried its green theme across his artwork.

Key places

Recording studio: Sticky Studios (2014)

Recording site Sticky Studios — Listed as a place where x was recorded. The pin uses the studio's registered coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording studio: Jungle City Studios (2014)

Recording site Jungle City Studios — Listed as a place where x was recorded. The pin uses the studio's registered coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording studio: Metropolis (2014)

Recording site Metropolis Studios — Listed as a place where x was recorded. The pin uses the studio's registered coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recording studio: Sphere Studios (2014)

Recording site Sphere Studios — Listed as a place where x was recorded. The pin uses the studio's registered coordinates. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• x (Multiply): second studio album by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran
• Released 20 June 2014 in Australia and New Zealand, and 23 June worldwide
• Issued through Asylum Records and Atlantic Records
• Five singles: "Sing", "Don't", "Thinking Out Loud", "Bloodstream" (with Rudimental), "Photograph"
• Peaked at No. 1 in 15 countries, topping the UK Albums Chart and the US Billboard 200

Background

• Sheeran wrote "hundreds" of songs before entering the studio with Rick Rubin
• Fifteen new songs were kept for the album
• Working with Rubin pushed Sheeran out of his comfort zone and changed the record's direction
• Jake Gosling, producer of most of the debut album, has no writing credits here
• New collaborators included Snow Patrol's Gary Lightbody and Rudimental
• Pharrell Williams produced "Runaway" and worked on "Sing"
• Profanity in "Sing", "Don't" and "The Man" was censored after a taxi driver persuaded Sheeran, because his young daughter was a fan

Recording

• Sessions involved Rick Rubin, Benny Blanco and Pharrell Williams
• "Don't" was recorded first with Benny Blanco, then again with Rubin
• "Thinking Out Loud" was written after the Rubin sessions ended
• Four recording studios are shown on the map

Cover

• Large black lowercase x on a green background, in place of the multiplication sign ×
• Sheeran said he wanted a theme running through each record, and this one is green in its artwork
• Physical versions come in a green jewel case

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Edward Christopher Sheeran was born on 17 February 1991 in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk.
• He began writing songs around the age of eleven and learned guitar at that age.
• He studied at the Academy of Contemporary Music in Guildford before leaving to support Just Jack.
• He released the EP No.5 Collaborations Project independently in January 2011 and signed with Asylum Records the same year.

Career

• His debut album + (2011) topped the UK Albums Chart and featured the hit "The A Team".
• × (2014) won the Brit Award for British Album of the Year and was the second-best-selling album worldwide of 2015.
• ÷ (2017) became the best-selling album worldwide of 2017, and he was named Global Recording Artist of the Year by the IFPI.
• He has sold 200 million records worldwide and has won four Grammy Awards.
• He founded the label Gingerbread Man Records and released albums including = (2021), − (2023) and Play (2025).

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Metacritic: 67 out of 100 from 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews"
• The Daily Telegraph: Neil McCormick gave five stars
• AllMusic: Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave three and a half stars, saying hip hop elements give the music "some appealing character"
• Billboard: Jason Lipshutz gave 81 out of 100
• Q: John Aizlewood gave four stars
• The Guardian: Alex Petridis gave four stars
• USA Today: Brian Mansfield gave three and a half stars out of four
• Rolling Stone: Jon Dolan gave three stars
• The Observer: Kitty Empire gave two stars, saying the album "has a broad palette but lacks depth"
• Drowned in Sound: Dave Hanratty gave four out of ten
• The Independent: highly critical of the album and its lyrics
• Time Out: three stars
• PopMatters: six out of ten
• Pitchfork: Michael Tedder's essay questioned Sheeran's "Nice Guy Brand"

Records

• UK Albums Chart debut at No. 1 with 180,000 first-week sales
• Fastest-selling album of 2014 in the UK, 12 non-consecutive weeks at No. 1
• US Billboard 200 debut at No. 1 with 210,000 first-week copies, Sheeran's first US No. 1
• Certified double platinum by the RIAA in December 2015
• Australia: eight non-consecutive weeks at No. 1, 490,000 copies sold
• Australia: first album certified Diamond by ARIA, November 2015
• UK: 13× Platinum, over 3.9 million copies sold
• Most-streamed album of 2014 worldwide on Spotify
• Brit Award for British Album of the Year, 2015
• Nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year at the 57th Grammy Awards

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Profanity in "Sing", "Don't" and "The Man" was removed after a taxi driver persuaded Sheeran, because his young daughter was a fan
• "Sing" was meant for a future album with Pharrell Williams, but Elton John, Taylor Swift and Pharrell urged Sheeran to release it on x
• "Don't" nearly missed the album because Sheeran felt it was a bit personal, until people who heard the demo urged him to release it
• "Afire Love" was written about Sheeran's grandfather two weeks before he died, and Sheeran finished the song at his funeral
• "Thinking Out Loud" is Sheeran's favourite song on the album

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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