Ed Sheeran performs live on stage as he plays a surprise support set for The Darkness at The Roundhouse on Dec. 09, 2023 in London, England.“I already know that this is gonna be a top three best gig of my life,” Ed Sheeran pronounced early on Wednesday night . He had only just taken the stage at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.
“Obviously, originally the lyrics said ‘Don’t f–k with my love,’” the singer conceded somewhat sheepishly after performing the diss track aimed at a certain famous but unnamed ex. He then went on to reveal that a chance encounter with an Uber driver sitting in Los Angeles traffic made the song more radio-friendly.
The audience burst into laughter as Sheeran continued: “I said, ‘If I take the F-word out of it, would you play it to them?’ And he said, ‘Yeah. I would.’ So that’s why that song has the ‘Don’t with my …'” before trailing off with a big grin on his face. Despite his at times complicated feelings about the song, the four-time Grammy winner also told the crowd that “Photograph” — which he co-wrote with Snow Patrol pianist Johnny McDaid — ultimately became the cornerstone that the entirety of“It was at this moment that I was like, ‘That’s the first important song I’ve written for my second album,” he remembered feeling at the time.