Justin Bieber: 1 of His No. 1 Songs Was Written by Ed Sheeran
Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran make very different songs. Despite this, one of Bieber’s No. 1 hits was written by Sheeran. Sheeran refused to put the song on one of his albums for a very specific reason. Interestingly, Sheeran said writing the song made him feel much better.
Ed Sheeran didn’t write this song for Justin Bieber
Sheeran got his start as a folk singer. Even though he’s had a lot of pop hits, folk music is still a big part of his brand. Interestingly, the song Sheeran gave to Bieber definitely has folk elements.
The song in question was Bieber’s hit “Love Yourself.” According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Sheeran didn’t write the song for Bieber. The “Shape of You” singer decided the song wouldn’t work on one of his albums because of some of his past experiences.
Why Ed Sheeran refused to put the song on one of his own albums
“I’ve ruined friendships and relationships with people that I know by putting songs on my album,” he said. Sheeran cited his songs “Don’t” and “The Man” as examples of songs that had negative impacts on his personal life. “They’re songs that people play on the radio but they have big repercussions in my personal life. ‘Love Yourself’ would have really, really, really f***** up some stuff so I was never ever going to record it or put it on an album.”
Sheeran explained why he writes songs that reflect his negative feelings. “If some people are in a really f****** bad mood, they’ll go on a run or they’ll go boxing or something, just to get out their aggression,” he says. “I’ll put all my bad energy into a song, which is why something like [‘Love Yourself’] ends up being like, quite bitey and mean. It’s because all my bad energy went into that song and after I finish it, I feel completely clean and better.”
The way the world reacted to ‘Love Yourself’ and other songs from the same Justin Bieber album
“Love Yourself” became a huge hit. The track reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 41 weeks. Its parent album, Purpose, topped the Billboard 200, remaining on the charts for 156 weeks. Notably, Purpose produced two other No. 1 hits: “Sorry” and “What Do You Mean?”
“Love Yourself” was a hit in the United Kingdom as well. The Official Charts Company reports the song reached No. 1 in the U.K., lasting on the charts for 64 weeks. Interestingly, “Sorry” and “What Do You Mean?” also topped the charts in the U.K. Purpose peaked at No. 2 in the U.K., staying on the charts for 132 weeks. Sheeran didn’t want to release “Love Yourself” on one of his albums — but the song made a huge impact on the charts when Bieber released it on one of his albums.
