I find it hard to write about this song in an objective way, because Ed is basically saying everything that singer songwriters around the world are all thinking - I wish I could have been a songwriter in another time, when people paid for music and we didn't just give it away for nothing. What are we striving for? We love to write songs - in fact, music is our lifeblood, and it's all we feel we can do. The creative industries are all under threat from mass consumerism and AI, making it difficult for us to make a living from what we were born to do and be.
Beginning with a gentle piano and overlaid train announcement on the intro, we're introduced to Ed's heart-on-sleeve, obvious lyrics, with vocals that tackle this subject in a vulnerable and melodic way, with just the right amount of vibrato. The build up throughout the track brings in a variety of instruments in succession, culminating in an epic final section that includes strings and an entire choir. The bass is genius (who played bass on this? Please let me know Ed!).
Catching Trains is almost ironic; a song that is astoundingly beautiful, expertly produced and arranged, and yet unlikely to ever make enough money to stop Ed having to keep catching a train every day to work at an extra job just to make ends meet.
It could be tragic, but we make the best of it, don't we? If you hear something you love, and you want to support an artist, then please sign up to their mailing list, go to their shows, buy their merch. Let's see if we can't turn this tide.
Listen to Catching Trains and other new music on our playlist: