Ed Sheeran - The A Team - Single

"The A Team" is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was released as a digital download in the United Kingdom on 12 June 2011, serving as the lead single from his debut album, +. The track was written by Ed Sheeran and debuted at number three on the UK Singles Chart, with sales of 57,607 copies.[1]

Musically, "The A Team" is a folk ballad with lyrics that speak of a crack-addicted prostitute (crack is known as a "Class A drug"). It was written after Sheeran visited a homeless shelter and heard some of the stories of the lives people had been living. Making the song upbeat was Sheeran's way of masking the heavy subject matter. Also using the term "Class A Team" was another way of masking it a little more. Sheeran wrote the song following a last-minute performance at an event for the homeless. The chorus of "The A Team" was also used by Sheeran in the track "Little Lady", which features Mikill Pane. It is available on No. 5 Collaborations Project.

The song received acclaim from critics, praising the lyrics and production as well as Sheeran's vocal performance. "The A Team" became a top 10 hit in Australia, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Luxembourg, New Zealand, Norway, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. The song was serviced to U.S. radio formats in late 2012 and became a sleeper hit within the United States, gradually rising up the Billboard Hot 100 to peak at number 16 – becoming Sheeran's first single on that chart. On 5 December the song received a Grammy Award nomination for Song of the Year, Sheeran's first Grammy nomination.