Castle on the Hill

2017 single by Ed SheeranTemplate:SHORTDESC:2017 single by Ed Sheeran

* pop
 Songwriter(s) | * Benny Blanco
 Producer(s) | * Benny Blanco

"**Castle on the Hill**" is a song by English singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran. It was released on 6 January 2017 as one of the double lead singles from his third studio album *÷* (2017), along with "Shape of You". "Castle on the Hill" was written and produced by Ed Sheeran and Benny Blanco. The song refers to Framlingham Castle in Sheeran's home town of Framlingham in Suffolk, and reminisces tales of his upbringing in the town. The BBC states, "the song has been described as a love letter to Suffolk."

Released on the same day as "Shape of You", "Castle on the Hill" reached number one in Iceland, Scotland and
Israel. The song also reached number two in a number of countries, including the UK, Australia and Germany, while "Shape of You" debuted at number one. It was the first time in the history of the UK, Australian and German charts that an artist has taken the top two chart positions with new songs. The song debuted at number six in the US, while "Shape of You" entered at number one; this made Sheeran the first artist ever to have two songs simultaneously debut in the US top 10. "Castle" is certified nine-times platinum in Australia, Diamond in Canada and 6-times platinum the UK, and multiplatinum in numerous other countries.

## Background

 File:Framlingham Castle Sunset.jpg
The theme of the song surrounds Sheeran's home town of Framlingham, and he reminisces tales of 'smoking hand-rolled cigarettes' and getting 'drunk [with] friends' at this place, living life as a teenager. The castle mentioned in the song is Framlingham Castle, and in January 2017, Sheeran was invited to perform at the Castle.

The song was written and recorded in 2015. Sheeran revealed that despite a similarity to the music of U2, the direct influence of the song came from "Fallen Empires" by Snow Patrol, a band he had toured with. He said: "I grew up on Snow Patrol, I didn't grow up on U2, but I know that Snow Patrol grew up on U2, so I know [where] that influence had come [from]." He also said he wanted to make a song like "The River" by Bruce Springsteen, a song with similar reflective element.

## Critical reception

Jon Caramanica from *The New York Times* said, "'Castle on the Hill' has U2 influenced nervous guitar builds and wistful, largely generic lyrics about the people who shaped him." *Billboard*'s Taylor Weatherby wrote about the song saying, "'Castle on the Hill' has a Train like vibe with a fast-paced, yet powerful melody that builds to an epic chorus that's just as Sheeran as all of his past singles. Needless to say, Sheeran is telling the world he's back in compelling fashion." Jeremy Gordon of *Spin* gave the song a positive review, stating that the song "sort of sounds like late period Coldplay, big, broad stroke music for arenas and Wembley performances. There's a lyric about driving down a country road while listening to Elton John's hook-free 'Tiny Dancer,' because Ed Sheeran saw *Almost Famous* once." Adam Starkey from news website *Metro* states that it "'has echoes of Mumford & Sons with the kind of climbing drums and soaring chorus sure to win over festival crowds, recalling how far he's come from 'smoking hand-rolled cigarettes' and 'running from the law in the backfields'."

## Chart performance

"Castle on the Hill" debuted at number two on the UK Singles Chart on 13 January, selling 193,000 combined units in its first week. Sheeran also debuted at number one with "Shape of You", making him the only artist in UK chart history to debut in the top two positions in the same week. The song was certified silver in the first week due to selling 200,000 units. The song remained at number two in its second week, selling 100,000 units. The song spent a further three weeks at number two, and spent fourteen weeks in the top ten altogether. As of September 2017, the song has sold 1.7 million combined units in the UK, 479,000 of these are actual sales, with 119 million streams. On the Scottish Singles Chart, "Castle on the Hill" debuted at number one, ahead of "Shape of You".

The song debuted at number six on the *Billboard* Hot 100, selling 171,000 downloads and gaining 13 million streams in its debut week in the US. Sheeran also became the first artist to debut two songs in the top 10 in the same week in the history of the Hot 100, with "Shape of You" also debuting at number one. As of September 2017, "Castle on the Hill" has sold 821,000 downloads in the US.

## Music video

 File:Eastward Ho!, Felixstowe.jpg
"Castle on the Hill" was accompanied by a lyric video on 5 January 2017 with "Shape of You" upon its release. By March 2018, it had amassed over 300 million views on YouTube.

The official music video for the song was released on 23 January 2017. It was directed by George Belfield and produced by Tom Gardner, and it features a group of adolescents living their youth with parallels being made to Sheeran's own youth. The video was filmed throughout Suffolk with locations including Framlingham, Boyton marshes, Mildenhall Stadium and Felixstowe. The final shot shows Framlingham Castle. Ed Sheeran stated on *The Graham Norton Show* that the young man playing him in the video went to the same school as Sheeran, Thomas Mills High School.

## In popular culture

The song was used in trailers and several TV spots for the 2017 animated film *Ferdinand*.Template:Cn

The song is also used in the first trailer and a few TV spots for the 2019 animated film *How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World*.Template:Better source needed

## Formats and track listings

* Digital download

1. "Castle on the Hill" – 4:21

* Digital download – Acoustic

1. "Castle on the Hill" (Acoustic) – 3:46

* Digital download – Live at the BRITs

1. "Castle on the Hill" (Live at the BRITs) – 1:47

* German CD single

1. "Castle on the Hill" – 4:21
2. "Castle on the Hill" (Acoustic) – 3:46

* **Digital download – Seeb remix**

1. "Castle on the Hill" (Seeb remix) – 3:51

* **Digital download – Throttle remix**

1. "Castle on the Hill" (Throttle remix) – 3:40

* **Digital download – NWYR remix**

1. "Castle on the Hill" (NWYR remix) – 3:33

### Weekly charts

Template:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:SinglechartTemplate:Singlechart

 US Anglo (Monitor Latino) | 12

### Year-end charts

 UK Singles (Official Charts Company) | 97

### Decade-end charts

 UK Singles (Official Charts Company) | 11

## Certifications

Template:Certification Table Top
Template:Certification Table Entry
Template:Certification Table Entry
Template:Certification Table Entry
Template:Certification Table Entry
Template:Certification Table Entry
Template:Certification Table Entry
Template:Certification Table Entry
Template:Certification Table Entry
Template:Certification Table Entry
Template:Certification Table Entry
Template:Certification Table Entry
Template:Certification Table Entry
Template:Certification Table Entry
Template:Certification Table Entry
Template:Certification Table Entry
Template:Certification Table Entry
Template:Certification Table Entry
Template:Certification Table Bottom

## See also

* Lists of Scottish number-one singles of 2017

## References

1. ↑ New Music Friday: 9 New Songs To Hear Now (6 January 2017).
2. ↑ Ed Sheeran, Sam Hunt & More Are Spotify Editors' Picks for New Music Friday. Billboard.
3. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Music, Guardian (6 January 2017). "Ed Sheeran releases new songs Castle on the Hill and Shape of You". *The Guardian*. Guardian News and Media Limited. Retrieved 15 January 2017.
4. ↑ Ed Sheeran Returns With Two New Tracks "Castle on the Hill" and "Shape of You".
5. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"Ed Sheeran exhibition in Ipswich features college drop-out letter". BBC. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
6. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"Ed Sheeran takes top two chart positions". BBC. 13 January 2017.
7. ↑ Historical record: Ed Sheeran starts as the first artist on 1 and 2 of the Official German single charts. "(translated from German)"
8. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
9. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Inside the real Castle On The Hill where Ed Sheeran 'found love' and 'got drunk' (9 January 2017).
11. ↑ Template:Cite AV media
12. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Caramanica, Jon Pareles, Jon; Chinen, Nate (6 January 2017). "The Playlist: Ed Sheeran Returns With a Foot in the Past and an Eye on the Future". *The New York Times* – via NYTimes.com.
13. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
14. ↑ Ed Sheeran Releases Two New Songs, Isn't So Bad. *Spin* (6 January 2017).
15. ↑ Starkey, Adam (6 January 2017). Ed Sheeran drops two new singles (and it sounds like he's been listening to Sia). *Metro*. DMG Media.
16. ↑ Ed Sheeran scores biggest Official UK Chart comeback since Adele.
17. ↑ <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>Copsey, Rob (19 September 2017). "The UK's Official Chart 'millionaires' revealed". Official Charts Company.
18. ↑ Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100 – 13 January 2017 – 19 January 2017. Official Charts Company.
19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 Template:Cite magazine
20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 <templatestyles src="Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css"></templatestyles>"Nielsen SoundScan charts – Digital Songs – Week Ending: 09/28/2017" (PDF). Nielsen SoundScan. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 October 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
21. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
22. ↑ Ed Sheeran – Castle on the Hill [Official Lyric Video] (14 February 2017).
23. ↑ Ed Sheeran 'Castle On The Hill' by George Belfield. Promo News.
24. ↑ Watch Ed Sheeran's nostalgic video for 'Castle On The Hill' – NME (23 January 2017).
25. ↑ Episode 14, Series 20, The Graham Norton Show – BBC One.
26. ↑ HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON: The Hidden World | Official Trailer. YouTube.
27. ↑ Castle on the Hill: Ed Sheeran. Amazon.co.uk.
28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 Castle on the Hill (Acoustic): Ed Sheeran. Amazon.co.uk (10 February 2017).
29. ↑ 29.0 29.1 Castle on the Hill (Live at the BRITs). iTunes Store (US) (22 February 2017).
30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 Castle on the Hill (2-Track) – Ed Sheeran (de). Amazon.de.
31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 Castle on the Hill (Seeb Remix) – Single by Ed Sheeran. iTunes Store (US) (19 May 2017).
32. ↑ 32.0 32.1 Castle on the Hill (Throttle Remix). Amazon.co.uk (30 June 2017).
33. ↑ Template:Citation
34. ↑ Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Dead link
35. ↑ Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Dead link
36. ↑ Ed Sheeran This Chart History. RÚV.
37. ↑ מדיה פורסט – לדעת שאתה באוויר. Mediaforest.biz.
38. ↑ Billboard Japan Hot Overseas (ja). Billboard Japan (20 February 2017).
39. ↑ Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Dead link
40. ↑ Top 20 Most Streamed International & Domestic Singles in Malaysia. Recording Industry Association of Malaysia.
41. ↑ Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Dead link
42. ↑ Home – Mega Top 50 – AVROTROS – NPO 3FM.
43. ↑ BillboardPH Hot 100. *Billboard Philippines*.
44. ↑ Official Russia Top 100 Airplay Chart (week 6) (ru). Tophit.
45. ↑ SloTop50 – Slovenian official singles chart. slotop50.si.
46. ↑ Top 20 Anglo USA (es). Monitor Latino (4 September 2017).
47. ↑ 2017 ARIA Singles Chart. Australian Recording Industry Association.
48. ↑ Ö3 Austria Top 40 – Single-Charts 2017. oe3.orf.at.
49. ↑ Jaaroverzichten 2017. Ultratop.
50. ↑ Top 200 faixas em streaming - 2017 (pt). Pro-Música Brasil.
51. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
52. ↑ Track Top-100 2017. Hitlisten.
53. ↑ Top Singles Annuel (physique + téléchargement + streaming) (fr). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
54. ↑ Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts (de). *GfK Entertainment*. offiziellecharts.de.
55. ↑ Single Top 100 – eladási darabszám alapján – 2017. Mahasz.
56. ↑ Stream Top 100 – 2017. Mahasz.
57. ↑ TÓNLISTINN - LÖG - 2017 (Icelandic). Plötutíðindi.
58. ↑ Classifiche annuali dei dischi più venduti e dei singoli più scaricati nel 2017 (it) (Click on "Scarica allegato" and open the "Classifica annuale 2017 Singoli digital" file). FIMI.
59. ↑ Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2017. Dutch Top 40.
60. ↑ Jaaroverzichten – Single 2017. Hung Medien.
61. ↑ Top Selling Singles of 2017. Recorded Music NZ.
62. ↑ Top AFP - Audiogest - Top 100 Singles 2017 (pt). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa.
63. ↑ Top 100 Songs Annual 2017 (es). Productores de Música de España.
64. ↑ Årslista Singlar – År 2017 (sv). Sverigetopplistan.
65. ↑ Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2017 – hitparade.ch. Hung Medien.
66. ↑ Copsey, Rob (3 January 2018). The Official Top 40 Biggest Songs of 2017. Official Charts Company.
67. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
68. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
69. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
70. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
71. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
72. ↑ ARIA End of Year Singles 2018. Australian Recording Industry Association.
73. ↑ End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2018. Official Charts Company.
74. ↑ 2019 ARIA End of Decade Singles Chart. ARIA (January 2020).
75. ↑ Copsey, Rob (11 December 2019). The UK's Official Top 100 biggest songs of the decade. Official Charts Company.
76. ↑ BBC – Radio 1 – Playlist. *BBC Radio 1* (7 January 2017).
77. ↑ Future Releases on Triple A (AAA) Radio Stations, Independent Artist Song Releases. *AllAccess Music Group* (16 January 2017).
78. ↑ Top 40/M Future Releases. All Access Media Group.

Template:Seeb
Template:Authority control