+ (Plus) cover art

  Studio Album · No. 1

+ (Plus) Songwriting Credits by Ed Sheeran

2011 Atlantic Records / Asylum Records 12 tracks 50 min

Produced by Jake Gosling  ·  Engineered by Jake Gosling, Guy Massey, Charlie Hugall, Rob Kinaelski, Ruadhri Cushnan, Christian Wright

Atlantic Records / Asylum Records Folk PopAcoustic PopHip-Hop Soul
100%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 12 of 12 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 12 / 12 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 12 tracks with documented writers, by whether Ed Sheeran carries a lyricist or composer credit.

100%
12 trackswritten by Ed Sheeran 0 tracksoutside writers
Ed Sheeran's roles on this album

Share of the 12 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist100%
Composer100%
Producer8%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

12
Tracks
4
Lyricists
4
Producers
4 million
Worldwide Copies Sold
2011
Released

Awards & Recognition 1

Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically, 'The A Team' (2012)
Data Insight

Sheeran wrote every track on +, making it one of the few major-label pop debuts of the 2010s with sole authorship across the entire album. He had built his initial following through free online mixtapes including 'No. 5 Collaborations Project' before signing with Atlantic, arriving with a pre-formed grassroots audience. 'The A Team' won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically in 2012.

+ (Plus) is the debut studio album by Ed Sheeran, released in September 2011 on Asylum/Atlantic Records and produced by Jake Gosling. It is the album that introduced the red-haired Suffolk singer-songwriter to a mainstream audience through a combination of acoustic-guitar-based pop, beat-boxing, and melodic R&B influence drawn from Craig David and Damien Rice simultaneously. Sheeran wrote all material himself; the album's production approach, largely solo acoustic or minimal accompaniment, gave his emotional writing a directness that stood against the more elaborate production of the UK pop mainstream in 2011. 'The A Team,' 'Lego House,' and 'Drunk' were the principal singles; 'The A Team' reached number three on the UK Singles Chart and won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically in 2012. + debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, where it spent four weeks at the top position, and has been certified nine-times platinum in the United Kingdom; in the United States it reached number five on the Billboard 200. The album established Sheeran as the most commercially viable solo acoustic act of the early 2010s and set the creative template, personal writing, acoustic guitar, production minimalism, that would define his approach even as the production scale expanded on subsequent releases.

Track Listing & Credits 12 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
The A Team #3
Ed Sheeran Ed SheeranJake Gosling Jake Gosling Ed Sheeran (Vocals, Guitar)
2
Drunk
Ed Sheeran Ed SheeranJake Gosling Jake Gosling Ed Sheeran (Vocals, Guitar)
3
U.N.I.
Ed Sheeran Ed SheeranJake Gosling Jake Gosling Ed Sheeran (Vocals, Guitar)
4
Grade 8
Ed Sheeran Ed SheeranJake GoslingTrue Tiger Jake GoslingCharlie Hugall Ed Sheeran (Vocals, Guitar)
5
Wake Me Up
Ed Sheeran Ed SheeranJake Gosling Jake Gosling Ed Sheeran (Vocals, Guitar)
6
Small Bump
Ed Sheeran Ed SheeranJake Gosling Jake Gosling Ed Sheeran (Vocals, Guitar)
7
This
Ed SheeranGordon Mills Jr. Ed SheeranGordon Mills Jr.Jake Gosling Jake Gosling Ed Sheeran (Vocals, Guitar)
8
The City
Ed Sheeran Ed SheeranJake Gosling Jake Gosling Ed Sheeran (Vocals, Guitar)
9
Lego House #5
Ed Sheeran Ed SheeranJake GoslingChris Leonard Jake Gosling Ed Sheeran (Vocals, Guitar)
10
You Need Me, I Don't Need You #4
Ed Sheeran Ed SheeranJake Gosling Jake GoslingCharlie Hugall Ed Sheeran (Vocals, Guitar)
11
Kiss Me
Ed SheeranJustin FranksJulie Frost Ed SheeranJustin FranksJulie Frost Ed SheeranNo I.D. Ed Sheeran (Vocals, Guitar)
12
Give Me Love
Ed Sheeran Ed SheeranJake GoslingChris Leonard Jake Gosling Ed Sheeran (Vocals, Guitar)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 9 contributors

More from Ed Sheeran

Frequently Asked Questions + (Plus)

When was Ed Sheeran's + released?
September 9, 2011 on Asylum/Atlantic Records.
How many weeks did Ed Sheeran's + spend at number one in the UK?
Four weeks at the top of the UK Albums Chart.
Who produced Ed Sheeran's +?
Primarily Jake Gosling; Charlie Hugall and No I.D. contributed production on select tracks.
Did The A Team win any major awards?
Yes. It won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically at the 2012 Ivor Novello Awards.
What US chart position did Ed Sheeran's + reach?
It peaked at number five on the Billboard 200.
How is Ed Sheeran's + certified in the UK?
Nine-times Platinum by the BPI.
Did Ed Sheeran write all the songs on +?
Yes. Every track is written or co-written by Sheeran, with Jake Gosling contributing compositional credits on most tracks.

Sources