Equals was a fantastic album that Ed Sheeran dropped late in October 21 and out of all the brilliant songs on the album, there were some that truly stood out to me. Amongst the fast paced, foot-tapping bops such as "Shivers", "Bad Habits" and (a personal favourite) "Stop The Rain", there were some truly beautiful gems in there.
One of which was "The Joker and The Queen". This song caught me off guard during my first listen as it was so much softer both in the instrumentation and the vocals and had the warmth of vinyl from the style in which it had been recorded in.
On February 11th, the song was released again with Taylor Swift featuring on the track.
The song still begins with the same beautiful piano and soft vocals done by Ed. After the first verse and chorus, the song differs from the original with a new verse done by Taylor Swift as the guitar comes into the mix.
Right away, there is a stark difference in the vocals. Taylor's vocals feel sharper and more crisp than the original and while this takes away from the soft undertones of the song, it mirrors the title in my opinion. If Ed is 'the joker' in this instance, and Taylor is 'the queen', it makes more sense for the female part to be richer and clearer to show the stark difference between the two and make Taylor's vocals feel more regal compared to Ed's soft tones.
And then you went all in And we left together
The fact that the second verse was altered completely to show a different perspective with the addition of another vocal was done very well, with all but one line being different. I think that by keep that line, it links the two different verses together while still showing a different perspective.
Another major difference to the original track is the addition of the harmonies. The harmonies cut through the clarity of Taylor's vocals and helps to soften them in such a lovely way.
The instrumental part of the song following the second chorus also benefits from some additional melodic vocals and harmonies that aid in building it to the final chorus - almost making the original sound like it was missing something all along. The strings in the mix work so well with the theme of the song, making it feel like something out of a fairytale ball and really bringing a regal feel to the mix.
The harmonies of both vocals in the final chorus bring the song to soft ending and make it even more emotional than the original song by having that little bit extra harmony with the song and showcasing how beautiful their voices are together in such a fantastic way.
As a fan of both Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift, it comes as no surprise that they have come together to bring another masterpiece to life and hopefully will continue to do so as their music continues to grow even further.
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