For many people, Ed Sheeran’s music has been there for major parts of their lives. His songs are commonly used for first dances at weddings, to the point that it’s a cliché. Until recently, “Shape Of You” was the most-streamed song in Spotify history, meaning the upbeat tune has probably gotten a party or two going in its day.
Now, it’s the Miami Heat who are leaning on Sheeran’s music and lyrics in a vulnerable moment: They apparently listened to one of his sad songs in the locker room after their devastating, miraculous Game 6 loss to the Boston Celtics this weekend.
On ESPN’s Get Up today (May 29), the network’s Nick Friedell said of the environment in the Heat locker room after the playoff game:
“The disbelief in that room was palpable. That was one of the quietest locker rooms I’ve ever been in after a game. Now you have to understand: Jimmy Butler usually has that speaker bumping in that room, win or lose. It was silent. And after about 10 or 15 minutes, Gabe Vincent walks over to his locker and he hits play on his phone, and he plays ‘Life Goes On’ by Ed Sheeran, and certainly, that’s the mantra the Heat want to have going into Game 7 tonight.”
“Life Goes On” comes from Sheeran’s album – (aka Subtract), and it’s a sad one. The track starts, “It hit like a train, I ran out of words / I got nothing to say, everything hurts / And I know love leads to pain / But memories serve our sweetest refrain.”
The final game of the Boston/Miami series goes down tonight, and the winner will face the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals.
Watch Friedell tell the story above, starting at 9:18 into the video, and listen to “Life Goes On” below.
Ed Sheeran is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.