"Visiting Hours" is a song by English singer-songwriter

Ed Sheeran Edward Christopher Sheeran ( ; born 17 February 1991) is an English singer-songwriter. Born in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and raised in Framlingham, Suffolk, he began writing songs around the age of eleven. In early 2011, Sheeran independently r ...

. It was released on 19 August 2021 as the promotional single from his fifth studio album, '' ='' ("Equals"), the same day he announced the album. The song was produced by Sheeran and Johnny McDaid.

Background and release

On 2 March 2021, Australian music promoter

Michael Gudinski Michael Solomon Gudinski AM (22 August 1952 – 2 March 2021) was an Australian record executive and promoter who was a leading figure in the Australian music industry. Born and raised in Melbourne, Gudinski formed the highly successful Austr ...

died at the age of 68. Sheeran first performed "Visiting Hours" at Gudinski's funeral on 24 March 2021 as a tribute to him in Australia, delivering an emotional performance. Gudinski's close friends and fellow musicians,

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...

and

Jimmy Barnes James Dixon Barnes ( Swan; born 28 April 1956) is an Australian rock singer. His career, both as a solo performer and as the lead vocalist with the rock band Cold Chisel, has made him one of the most popular and best-selling Australian music a ...

, as well as comedian

Jimmy Carr James Anthony Patrick Carr (born 15 September 1972) is an Irish-British comedian, presenter, writer and actor. He is known for his rapid-fire deadpan delivery of One-line joke, one-liners. He began his comedy career in 1997, and he has regula ...

, provide backing vocals on the song. He finished the song during his two weeks of mandatory quarantine because of

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

rules due to his decision to travel to Australia. On 19 August 2021, Sheeran released the song as a promotional single and announced the album. A live performance video, which was filmed in St. Stephen's Church in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, was also released with the song. Sheeran stated that he "finished writing this song going through proper grief for the first time, and for me its one of the most important songs on ''=''".

Lyrics

Lyrically, "Visiting Hours" is an ode to the late

, an Australian music promoter. In the first verse, Sheeran makes a reference to his daughter, Lyra Seaborn Sheeran, wishing that Gudinski had got to meet her: "I wish that Heaven had visiting hours / So I could just show up and bring the news / That she's getting older and I wish that you'd met her / The things that she'll learn from me, I got them all from you".

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. *

– vocals, songwriting, production * Johnny McDaid – production, songwriting, engineering, backing vocals * Parisi – additional production * Josh McDaid – backing vocals * Courteney Cox – backing vocals * Aine McDaid – backing vocals * Pauline McDaid – backing vocals * Maev McDaid – backing vocals *

– backing vocals *

– backing vocals * Ant Clemons – songwriting * Michael Pollack – songwriting * Amy Wadge – songwriting * Scott Carter – songwriting * Kim Lang Smith – songwriting * Graham Archer – engineering * Will Reynolds – engineering assistant * Spike Stent – mixing * Charlie Holmes – mixing assistant * Kieran Beardmore – mixing assistant * Matt Wolach – mixing assistant * Stuart Hawkes – mastering

Charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 2021 singles 2021 songs Ed Sheeran songs Folk ballads Pop ballads Songs about business people Commemoration songs Song recordings produced by Ed Sheeran Songs written by Amy Wadge Songs written by Ant Clemons Songs written by Ed Sheeran Songs written by Johnny McDaid Songs written by Michael Pollack (musician)