"Galway Girl" | ||||
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Single by Ed Sheeran | ||||
from the album ÷ | ||||
Released | 17 March 2017 | |||
Format | Digital download | |||
Recorded | 2016 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:50 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | ||||
Ed Sheeran singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Galway Girl" on YouTube |
"Galway Girl" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. The song is a collaboration between Sheeran and the Irish folk band Beoga, and mixes Irish traditional music with pop. On Saint Patrick's Day 2017, Sheeran announced the song as the second single (third overall) from his 2017 album ÷, accompanied by a lyric video.
The song reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 1 on the Irish chart when it became available for download and streaming on the release of the album.
Sheeran wrote and recorded the song together with the Irish band Beoga. Beoga used parts of the track "Minute 5" from their album How to Tune a Fish. In an interview with The Irish Times, Sheeran said that the opening line of the song, "She played the fiddle in an Irish band", was inspired by Niamh Dunne of Beoga, however, the rest of the song was made up and not about anyone in particular (Dunne is from County Limerick and married an Irishman). According to Sheeran, he had to fight his record label to keep the song on his album: "They were really, really against Galway Girl, because apparently folk music isn't cool." However, it went on to become the third most streamed song from ÷ on Spotify.
The song was announced as the third single from the album on Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March, and it was added to BBC Radio 2's playlist on 18 March.
Sheeran was aware that Steve Earle recorded a song with the same title in 2000. In 2008 a cover of the Steve Earle song by Sharon Shannon and Mundy was a number one hit and highest selling single of the year in Ireland. Sheeran said in a BBC interview "I actually tried to find another lyric. [...] none of them worked. But the whole point of folk songs is taking inspiration from the past and making something new – so people will just have to deal with it.". In a 2017 Dublin concert Sheeran played first verse and chorus of the Steve Earle song together with Beoga, followed by his own.