Ed Sheeran’s Top Songs: Solo Hits vs. Collaborations — A Musical Journey

Ed Sheeran is arguably one of the most successful solo male artists of all time. In 2024, Sheeran was the most played artist in the UK for the seventh time in just nine years. He's sold 200 million records worldwide, putting him among the best-selling music artists in history with the likes of Taylor Swift, Beyonce, AC/DC, and the Eagles.

Ed Sheeran's top songs include his diverse range of collaborations — one of the most distinctive features of his discography. Whether it's his collaborations or solo works that ignite the most interest for you, this Ed Sheeran music success analysis has everything you need to know.

Among Sheeran's most successful songs, the top five on the Billboard Top 100 are all solo hits. His personal creations, which highlight heartfelt lyrics and acoustic instrumentation, resonate deeply with audiences. Sheeran's solo style is also extremely fluid, moving seamlessly from pop to indie, folk, hip-hop, and rap. 

“Shape of You” was the first song to get 2 billion streams. It dominated the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 for 12 weeks and stayed on the chart for 59 weeks in total. The song was nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Song and Video of the Year at the 2017 American Music Awards. 

In 2018, “Shape of You” won the APRA Awards' Most Performed International Work of the Year, Billboard Music Awards' Top Radio Song, GRAMMY Awards' Best Pop Solo Performance, Global Awards' Most Played Song, and Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards' Favorite Song. “Shape of You” also garnered numerous Song of the Year awards around the globe.

“Perfect” was another of Ed Sheeran's chart-topping hits, commanding a No. 1 spot for six weeks and staying on the Billboard Hot 100 for 57 total weeks. “Perfect” was dubbed the Best Crush Song in the 2018 Radio Disney Music Awards and the Choice Song: Male Artist in the 2018 Teen Choice Awards. 

Though “Thinking Out Loud” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, it stayed on the list a week longer than “Perfect.” One of Sheeran's earlier hits, “Thinking Out Loud,” took Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2016 GRAMMY Awards.

“Bad Habits” takes fourth place in Sheeran's list of overall hits, hitting No. 2 in 2021 and staying on the list for 56 weeks. Finally, “Shivers” rounds out Sheeran's most successful hits on the Billboard Hot 100 with a fourth-place spot nearly four months after it dropped and a total of 52 weeks spent on the list.

Ed Sheeran's popular duets and collaborations have made up a significant part of his music career.

Sheeran's collaboration and friendship with Taylor Swift put a major stamp of approval on his value as a singer/songwriter. Swift featured Sheeran in “Everything Has Changed” on her Red album and recently re-recorded the hit with him for Red (Taylor's Version). Sheeran also opened for Swift on her 2013 “The Red Tour”, which arguably catapulted Sheeran into superstar status.

Sheeran's best-performing collaboration on the Billboard Hot 100 was “I Don't Care” with Justin Bieber, which hit the No. 2 spot the day it debuted and stayed on the list for 39 weeks. “Beautiful People” featuring Khalid made it to No. 13 in 2019 and stayed on the list for 26 weeks. Eminem's “River” featuring Ed Sheeran hit No. 11 the day it debuted and enjoyed 13 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. 

Sheeran's collaborations proved so successful that his fourth studio album, No. 6 Collaborations Project featured 15 tracks with other artists including Chris Stapleton, Bruno Mars, 50 Cent, Eminem, Travis Scott, Cardi B, and more. The album claimed five of the Top 10 spots on streaming charts the day it dropped and took the global No. 1 spot on Amazon Music and Apple Music.

Sheeran's solo success prompted streaming platforms to reconsider the way they handle rankings. When the Official Charts company first included streaming numbers in its charts in 2014, Sheeran's x (Multiply) album dominated the list with every single track appearing within the Top 100. When his 2017 album, ÷ (Divide), came out, every song was within Top 20, and nine of them dominated the Top 10. The Official Charts have since implemented a rule that an artist can only have three songs on the list at a time to make room for others. 

Though Sheeran's collaborative projects have earned him plenty of attention, they typically underperform on the Billboard Hot 100 compared to his solo pieces. His collaborations are best suited to introducing Sheeran to audiences across different genres. 

Reviews for No. 6 Collaborations Project were mixed. While audiences clamored to listen to the songs when first released, they didn't maintain the same staying power as Sheeran's solo hits. Critics noted that he failed to connect with some of his guest artists. The sheer number and variety of his collaborations helped him genre-jump around the music industry, but it robbed Sheeran of the opportunity to settle down and hone his skill in any one area.

Though No. 6 Collaborations Project debuted at the top of the UK charts like his prior albums, it didn't have the same lasting power. It spent four weeks at No. 1 and 159 weeks on the chart in total. His previous album, ÷ (Divide), was in the top spot for nine weeks and stayed on the chart for 299 weeks in total. x (Multiply) spent 13 weeks in the No. 1 spot on UK charts and lasted for 432 weeks total. Though + (Plus) spent only three weeks in the No. 1 spot on UK charts, it lasted on the list for a whopping 444 weeks.

Sheeran's career is an intriguing blend of solo success and creative collaborations. Without his genre-bending works and collaborative prowess, it's possible that he wouldn't have had the inspiration that he did for many of his pieces. One thing's for sure: there's an Ed Sheeran song out there for you.