It is no secret that the world’s most talented Ginger-head has many romantic anthems in his discography. What would you pick if you were to select the best? We would not dare single out one song as the ‘best.’ Instead, we will guarantee you that “All of the Stars” is definitely among the top 5 romantic songs by Ed Sheeran. Let us take a look at the lyrics and see why.
“All of the Stars” was created for the soundtrack of the romance movie ‘The Fault in Our Stars,’ a romantic-tragedy about a teenager dying of cancer (Hazel Lancaster) falling in love with another teenager with cancer (Augustus Waters). The song also made its way into Ed Sheeran’s second studio album ‘X (Multiply)’ on its deluxe edition. The song initially released on May 9, 2014, and has sold over 500,000 copies in the US alone.
“It was kind of inspired by the whole movie, just wanting to be sad, yet euphoric and lift people a little bit, which I hope it does. I hope it doesn’t depress people too much,” said Ed Sheeran in an interview.
The official music video picks out scenes from the movie amongst many romantic and motivational quotes running through the screen. Ed Sheeran appears in the last few seconds of the song.
Watch “All of the Stars” Music Video by Ed Sheeran
Lyrics Review and Song Meaning of “All of the Stars”
Prepare your tissues!
Verse 1
The majority of the song is from the perspective of Hazel Lancaster who is torn apart from the passing of the love of her life–Augustus. She is laying on the grass, at night, and staring at the moon and the stars. She believes this is the only way that she could look in the direction of Augustus (Gus) now–in heaven.
The popular belief is that when you see a shooting star, you need to make a wish. Hazel saw one today and immediately thought about Gus. We can imagine what her wish was.
Hazel tells us that Gus is on the “other side, as the skyline splits in two.” This is a beautiful way of telling us that he is no longer in this world.
Hazel finally says that she can see the stars from where she is–America. He wonders if Gus sees the same stars from heaven!
Chorus
In these beautifully penned lyrics, Ed Sheeran or Hazel lets us know that no matter how far apart they are, their hearts will forever be closer to each other. She uses a beautiful metaphor to express how this happens. “Our horizons meet,” she says, noting that the Earth and heaven above has the same horizon where they meet each other. There is no science behind this, but at this point, we are far beyond logic!
Hazel admits that the scars left behind from his departure will bleed forever. But in their hearts, they are together! The stars in the night sky are her only solace into his world.
Verse 2
Hazel’s mind often wanders back to the short time they had on this earth. Some songs remind her of him, some moments, familiar roads, places, all bring flashfloods of memories.
Ed Sheeran also gives a shoutout to Snow Patrol’s most famous and elegant work “Chasing Cars,” another beautiful romantic anthem.
The mention of ‘Amsterdam’ city in the lyrics could be a reference to the time Hazel and Gus took a trip to the city in the movie.
Ed Sheeran and Christina Grimmie Performing “All of the Stars” Live
Hazel finally says that no matter how far Gus is, her heart still beats to his song.
So what do you think about this song? Is “All of the Stars” a romantic or a tragic song? Or a mix of both? Drop a comment below.