New Man (Ed Sheeran song)
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox song
| name = New Man
| cover =
| alt =
| type =
| artist = Ed Sheeran
| album = ÷
| released = {{Start date|2017|3|3|df=yes}}
| recorded = 2016
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = R&B{{Cite news |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/album/ed-sheeran-divide-album-review |title=Ed Sheeran – ÷ Review |work=NME |access-date=10 July 2017}}
| length = {{duration|m=3|s=09}}
| label =
| writer =
| producer = Benny Blanco
}}
"New Man" is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran from his third studio album ÷ (2017).{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/divide-ed-sheeran-album-review-spotify-how-to-listen-tour-dates-a7608826.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220618/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/divide-ed-sheeran-album-review-spotify-how-to-listen-tour-dates-a7608826.html |archive-date=18 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Ed Sheeran, Divide, album review: Singer-songwriter's third record is impressive for ambition alone|last=O'Connor|first=Roisin|date=3 March 2017|work=The Independent|accessdate=18 March 2017}} It was written and produced by Sheeran and Benny Blanco, and co-written with Ammar Malik and Jessie Ware. It is the eighth track on the album. After the album's release, the song peaked at number 5 on the UK Singles Chart.{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/divide-conquer-ed-sheeran-smashes-uk-chart-records-new-album/|title=Divide and conquer: Ed Sheeran smashes UK chart records with new album and dominates singles rankings|date=10 March 2017|work=The Daily Telegraph|publisher=Telegraph Media Group|accessdate=18 March 2017}} It has been certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales of over 400,000.
Background
According to Sheeran, he originally intended the song to be in the album only as a bonus track. However, the label insisted that the song should be included in the main album, and it would be the only track in the album he allowed to be included at someone else's insistence. He said that the song is not about any specific person, although parts of the lyrics was inspired by people he had met. He had just finished writing another song with Jessie Ware and she suggested that they try to write something for him. He said: "I've had this idea about writing the f-ckboy anthem. 'Cos like, we all know them, we've all been them at some point. I was basically like, let's write a list of the things, like you know when your ex leaves you and the first guy she gets with, [...] what that guy is like."{{cite AV media |url=https://itunes.apple.com/us/post/idsa.38f32af0-ff6c-11e6-ba14-08153ff3e5e4 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171113003038/https://itunes.apple.com/us/post/idsa.38f32af0-ff6c-11e6-ba14-08153ff3e5e4 |url-status=dead |archive-date=13 November 2017 |title=Zane Lowe and Ed Sheeran, Pt 2 |date=3 February 2017|time=30:35–33:10 |author=Zane Lowe|work=iTunes}}
The song features vocals from Francis and the Lights at the end.{{cite web |url=http://www.coupdemainmagazine.com/ed-sheeran/12282 |title= Top 5 Ed Sheeran collaborations on new album '÷' |work= Coup De Main|date=6 March 2017 |first=Rose |last=Riddell}}
Critical reception
Taylor Weatherby of Billboard named this song the one with the "craziest lyrics" of ÷. She also noticed that "Sheeran found a way to include the phrase "bleached arsehole" into a song (the line "He's got his eyebrows plucked and his arsehole bleached," in the first verse), it definitely can't go unmentioned—especially since Kanye West was the last major artist to incorporate that graphic phrase. Coincidence that West's wife Kim Kardashian is also mentioned in "New Man"? We may never know."{{cite news|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/7710111/ed-sheeran-divide-album-songs-superlatives|title=Ed Sheeran's 'Divide': Superlatives for All 16 Tracks on the Album|last=Weatherby|first=Taylor|date=3 March 2017|work=Billboard|accessdate=18 March 2017}}
Charts
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Weekly charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2017)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| {{single chart|Australia|20|artist=Ed Sheeran|song=New Man|rowheader=true|accessdate=19 March 2017}} |
| {{single chart|Austria|28|artist=Ed Sheeran|song=New Man|rowheader=true|accessdate=19 March 2017}} |
| {{single chart|Canada|21|artist=Ed Sheeran|rowheader=true|accessdate=19 March 2017}} |
| {{single chart|Czechdigital|12|year=2017|week=10|rowheader=true|accessdate=19 March 2017}} |
| scope="row"| Denmark (Tracklisten){{cite web|url=http://hitlisten.nu/default.asp?w=11&y=2017&list=t40 |title=Track Top-40 Uge 10, 2017 |publisher=Hitlisten |accessdate=19 March 2017}}
| 15 |
| scope="row"| France (SNEP){{cite web|url=http://www.snepmusique.com/tops-semaine/top-singles-megafusion/?ye=2017&we=10|title=Le Top de la semaine : Top Singles - SNEP (Week 10, 2017)|publisher=Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique|language=French|accessdate=19 March 2017}}{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
| 83 |
| {{single chart|Germany|20|songid=1637381|artist=Ed Sheeran|song=New Man|rowheader=true|accessdate=19 March 2017}} |
| {{single chart|Hungarystream|15|year=2017|week=10|rowheader=true|accessdate=2 May 2018}} |
| {{single chart|Ireland2|5|artist=Ed Sheeran|song=New Man|rowheader=true|accessdate=19 March 2017}} |
| scope="row"| Italy (FIMI){{cite web|url=http://www.fimi.it/classifiche#/category:digital/id:2437|title=Classifica settimanale WK 10|publisher=Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana|language=Italian|accessdate=19 March 2017}}
| 40 |
| {{single chart|Dutch100|14|artist=Ed Sheeran|song=New Man|rowheader=true|accessdate=19 March 2017}} |
| {{single chart|Norway|18|artist=Ed Sheeran|song=New Man|rowheader=true|accessdate=19 March 2017}} |
| {{single chart|Slovakdigital2|14|year=2017|week=10|rowheader=true|accessdate=19 March 2017}} |
| {{single chart|Sweden|29|artist=Ed Sheeran|song=New Man|rowheader=true|accessdate=19 March 2017}} |
| {{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|5|artist=Ed Sheeran|rowheader=true|accessdate=18 March 2017}} |
| {{single chart|Billboardhot100|72|artist=Ed Sheeran|rowheader=true|accessdate=18 March 2017}} |
{{col-2}}
=Year-end charts=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2017)
! scope="col"| Position |
|---|
| scope="row"| UK Singles (Official Charts Company){{cite web|url=http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/end-of-year-singles-chart/|title=End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2017|publisher=Official Charts Company|accessdate=10 January 2018}}
| 72 |
{{col-end}}
Certifications
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|artist=Ed Sheeran|title=New Man|award=Platinum|number=2|type=single|relyear=2017|certyear=2022|access-date=16 May 2022}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|artist=Ed Sheeran|title=New Man|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2017|certyear=2018|accessdate=28 March 2018}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Denmark|award=Gold|id=3787|type=single|relyear=2017|certyear=2018
|access-date=16 November 2021}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|artist=Ed Sheeran|title=New Man|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2017|certyear=2018|accessdate=13 August 2018}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Ed Sheeran|title=New Man|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2014|certyear=2018|source=radioscope|access-date=29 December 2024}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Poland|artist=Ed Sheeran|title=New Man|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2017|certyear=2021|certmonth=8|accessdate=9 September 2021}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Ed Sheeran|title=New Man|relyear=2017|certyear=2017|award=Platinum|refname="bpi"|accessdate=30 June 2017|id=14218-2403-1}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|artist=Ed Sheeran|title=New Man|award=Gold|type=single|relyear=2017|certyear=2018|accessdate=17 September 2018}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true | noshipments=true}}
References
{{reflist|30em}}
{{Ed Sheeran songs}}
{{authority control}}
Category:Songs written by Ed Sheeran
Category:Songs written by Ammar Malik
Category:Songs written by Jessie Ware