Ellie Goulding's inspirations behind her biggest songs from 'Starry Eyed' to 'Burn'
She's had a lot of big hits!
Ellie Goulding has had a plethora of hugely popular songs over the years including hits such as 'Love Me Like You Do', 'Burn' and 'Outside'! Her second single 'Starry Eyed' propelled her to the Top 5, and she didn't look back - having had four Top 5 albums and 14 Top 10 songs in the UK. Three of those songs were with Calvin Harris, the most recent 'Free', also looks set to enter high in the charts.
Here, we take a look some of Ellie Goulding's biggest songs from the past decade, including her Christmas song 'River', 'Your Song' which was featured on the John Lewis advert, and 'Love Me Like You Do' from the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack.
Ellie Goulding's 'River' (2019)
'River' was a huge hit from Ellie Goulding in December 2019, however it was originally by Joni Mitchell. Joni never actually released the song as a single, however it was featured on her fourth album 'Blue'. The song has been covered a number of times over the years, but Ellie has had the most success with it so far, reaching Number 1 in the UK.
The song is about a recent relationship split, and it said to be inspired by Joni's relationship with artist Graham Nash. As her relationship began to fall apart, and her music career was taking off, Joni escaped to Europe to get away from everything.
Ellie Goulding's 'Love Me Like You Do' (2015)
Co-written by Max Martin (the man behind Lady Gaga's 'Stupid Love' and Ariana Grande's 'Problem'), 'Love Me Like You Do' was featured on the the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack. The song saw huge success around the world, getting to Number 1 in a many countries and receiving more than 1 billion views on YouTube.
Although the song was originally written for the Fifty Shades of Grey soundtrack, during the Coronavirus pandemic the song took on a different meaning, when the singer performed it as part of Global Citizen's One World: Together At Home. As MTV reported at the time, the song is 'ode to human connection of any kind'.
After her performance, which saw Ellie playing the song on her guitar, she said: "I think it's amazing we're all staying home, keeping ourselves safe, and keeping others safe. I've seen such amazing kindness and togetherness and solidarity from people. … I hope you're all keeping busy and staying happy and positive and enjoying the sunshine somewhat."
Ellie Goulding's 'On My Mind' (2015)
'On My Mind' was co-written by Ellie Goulding, along with Max Martin, it reached the Top 5 in the UK in September 2015, it was also the lead single from her album 'Delirium'.
Many fans have speculated that the song is about her rumoured relationship with Ed Sheeran, but Ellie revealed in an interview with MTV News that it wasn't actually about anyone specific!
"I'm sorry to all the people that want it to be about someone - it's not, it's like a myth," Ellie said. "I like guys with tattoos, my boyfriend has tattoos... but I don't mind. People can read into it however they want. It's fun to do that, I would do that too."
She went on to say: "I probably walked into the studio and I was like, 'I have this person on my mind,' and then another writer is like, 'I have this person on my mind,' and we kind of formed the song out of all our different experiences, and I've never really done that before. That's the beauty of song writing: It doesn't have rules. It doesn't have to be about one person or one subject."
Ellie Goulding's 'How Long Will I Love You' (2013)
'How Long Will I Love You' was another cover, however like 'Your Song' it was also very popular reaching Number 3 in the UK. Originally released by The Waterboys in 1990, Ellie's version was included on the re-issue of her second album, 'Halcyon Days'.
Not much is known about the inspiration behind this song, but it was written by Mike Scott of The Waterboys, known for their hit 'The Whole of the Moon'.
Ellie Goulding's 'Burn' (2013)
'Burn' was a super popular song for Ellie. The music video for 'Burn' is just one of a few of Ellie's which has had more than 1 billion views, and she quite rightly reached the top spot in the UK with his hugely catchy song, which is pop at its best.
Although Ellie hasn't opened up about the meaning behind this banger, many fans have speculated what it could be about. Pop Crush did their own interpretation of the lyrics, saying: 'It's better to burn out than to fade away.
'Life is burning too bright to allow anyone to get any shut eye or sleep. Goulding is equating love to the light and the fire that burns inside us all. She's speaking of the passion which keeps us going.'
Ellie Goulding's 'Anything Could Happen' (2012)
'Anything Could Happen' was Ellie Goulding's third Top 5 single, and featured on her second album 'Halcyon'. The song was written by Ellie along with Jim Eliot, who has also written for Olly Murs, Will Young and Kylie Minogue.
Speaking to Billboard magazine about her music, Ellie said: "This was fun because Jim's a really experienced, clever producer, but he acts like a child, like me. We're both like little kids just wanting to create sounds, like 'Oh that sounds cool' and 'let's see what happens when we do this!' It's like child's play, and… that's how 'Anything Can Happen' started. It's quite childlike and quite innocent."
Ellie also told MTV News: "I suppose it's one of those songs where I sort of talk about bits of my childhood, but also about my friendship with this person, and, um, I suppose it's a song of realisation."
She continued: "And it's called 'Anything Could Happen', (so) I'm hoping it will make people go out and propose to their girlfriends or go on that holiday they never ended up doing. I hope it will provoke positivity, as opposed to making people really sad."
Ellie Goulding's 'Starry Eyed' (2010)
'Starry Eyed' was Ellie Goulding's breakthrough song, it was her second single to be released from her debut album 'Lights', and reached Number 4 in the UK. When asked about the song, she told DigitalSpy: "It's about letting go. As opposed to all the sad and depressing things I write about, I decided to write something about the joining together of people in some kind of euphoric state - be it at a festival, at a show or in a club.
"I wanted a song that would reach out to people of every background and every enjoyment, whether you enjoy a natural high, taking drugs, drinking or whatever. Because I'm essentially a pop artist I wanted to write a song that everyone can relate to."
Ellie Goulding's 'Your Song' (2010)
Ellie Goulding's 'Your Song' was super popular with fans after she recorded the classic hit to appear on John Lewis' Christmas advert in 2010, but it wasn't originally her track. The iconic ballad was originally written by musical legend Elton John, which was released way back in 1970.
Ellie's version of the song reached Number 2 in the UK and became her second Top 5 hit.
The song was written by Elton John with his long-time collaborator Bernie Taupin. As reported by Far Out magazine, the pair wrote the song while sitting at Elton's parents' kitchen table.
"The original lyric was written very rapidly on the kitchen table of Elton’s mother’s apartment in Northwood Hills in the suburbs of London, if I recall, on a particularly grubby piece of exercise paper," Bernie explained.
With Elton later telling Rolling Stone magazine: "I always thought ‘Your Song’ was written about one of his girlfriends, and when I asked him that, he just said, ‘No it wasn’t!’ He gets fairly defensive."
Bernie later revealed: "The early ones were not drawn from experience, but imagination. 'Your Song' could only have been written by a 17-year-old who’d never been laid in his life."
Is the song 'Where Are You Now' by Ellie Goulding?
Despite a lot of people thinking Ellie Goulding sings on Alan Walker's track 'Faded', also known as 'Where Are You Now', it isn't her! The vocals on the 2015 single are actually provided by Norwegian recording artist Iselin Solheim.
Which song did Ellie Goulding make for Game of Thrones?
Ellie sang a song for hit TV show Game of Thrones, 'Hollow Crown' on the album 'For the Throne: Music Inspired by Game of Thrones', and revealed how it came about: "I was sent the song six months ago or so and they were trying to put this soundtrack together," she said.
"I just, kind of, made it my own and they said a few other people, a couple of other rappers were doing it and I was like, okay, it’s gonna be like Post Malone and Drake and then just me.
"So I just gave it my best shot and I sent it to them and they were obsessed with it. So, luckily I got to stay on it. But it could have been different. I’ve got like five people who are obsessed with Game of Thrones."
You can hear songs by Ellie Goulding on Downtown Radio.
Take a look through Calvin Harris' collaborations including four with Ellie Goulding:
'Dance wiv Me' - Dizzee Rascal featuring Calvin Harris and Chrome, 2008
After releasing his debut album 'I Created Disco' in 2007, Calvin and Dizzee met at a festival that year. Dizzee had been a huge fan of 'Acceptable in the '80s', and the pair discussed working together. Calvin said of the collaboration: "Dizzee texted me, saying he'd done this a cappella over someone else's music, but his verse was too good for their music, so could he do it with me instead? So I spent a long time on it, to make sure it lived up to his expectations. I sent him the track, and he called me at 2 in the morning to say it was amazing, so I knew it was good."
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Bounce' - featuring Kelis, 2011
Calvin's next major collab came in the form of 2011 summer anthem 'Bounce' starring Kelis. The first single from his third album '18 Months', 'Bounce' peaked at Number 2 in the UK charts after being kept off the top spot by Example's 'Changed the Way You Kiss Me'.
The song also marked Calvin's decision to stop singing on his tracks; he said: "I'll do tracks with people who can sing well – proper artists, proper performers. I can focus on what I'm much better at, which is making music. I'm just not cut out for that role. I kind of fell into it a few years ago – the live show had to happen, I had to be the frontman because I was doing the vocals on the songs. It went all right. I spent a few years trying to get it really properly good, but it dawned on me it wasn't going to get much better. I've taken the singing thing as far as I can."
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'We Found Love' - Rihanna featuring Calvin Harris, 2011
Teaming up with Rihanna for another 2011 summer banger, 'We Found Love' went to Number 1 in the UK and was certified 5x Platinum, selling over 10 million copies worldwide. Former X Factor star Leona Lewis was originally going to sing the song, but she didn't commit and it went to Rihanna instead.
Calvin said of the song: "'We Found Love,' is the most successful thing I've done ever... It's not strictly a song by me, obviously, it's by Rihanna. She sings it...It was great to work with her... No one could have taken it as far as she did. You can't escape it in America. I've heard it a lot. I've heard it probably more times today than I did when I was mixing it. Which is a good thing."
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Let's Go' - featuring Ne-Yo, 2012
Calvin worked with Ne-Yo on 'Let's Go', released in March 2012 from his third album '18 Months'. The track peaked at Number 2 in the UK, being held off the top spot by 'Call Me Maybe' by Carly Rae Jepsen.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'We'll Be Coming Back' - featuring Example, 2012
Calvin and Example's collaboration on 'We'll Be Coming Back' in July 2012 was a huge hit, peaking at Number 2 after being held off Number 1 by Wiley's 'Heatwave'. It appeared on both Calvin's album '18 Months' as well as Example's fourth album, 'The Evolution of Man'.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Sweet Nothing' - featuring Florence Welch, 2012
After working on a remix of Florence and the Machine's 2012 single 'Spectrum' from their second album 'Ceremonials', Calvin became interested in working with lead singer Florence Welch. She wasn't immediately available, but he finally tracked her down and they worked together on 'Sweet Nothing'.
He said: "With Florence, she was really busy at that time. She was in the middle of a tour and she had like three days to record something, so I wasn't there, anything could've come back. I didn't think she'd do it. She seemed a really unattainable artist to reach for. I think she would've done it if the song was right and the people were right and it was all at the right time."
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Drinking from the Bottle' - featuring Tinie Tempah, 2013
Calvin worked with Tinie Tempah on 2013 single 'Drinking from the Bottle' which appeared on his album '18 Months', peaking at Number 5.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'I Need Your Love' - featuring Ellie Goulding, 2013
Ellie and Calvin sparked dating rumours with their collaboration 'I Need Your Love' in 2012, appearing on '18 Months' as well as Ellie's album 'Halcyon'. It peaked at Number 4 in the UK, and was nominated for both British Single of the Year and British Video of the Year at the BRIT Awards 2014.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Blame' - featuring John Newman, 2014
Calvin worked with John Newman on 'Blame', which appeared on his fourth album 'Motion'. The artists worked together to write the song, along with John's brother James Newman - it peaked at Number 1.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Outside' - featuring Ellie Goulding, 2014
Calvin and Ellie worked together again in 2014 following the success of 'I Need Your Love', releasing 'Outside' in October that year. It appeared on Calvin's album 'Motion' and Ellie's album 'Delirium'. It peaked at Number 4 in the UK.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'How Deep Is Your Love' - with Disciples, 2015
Calvin teamed up with Disciples for 'How Deep Is Your Love' in 2015, featuring vocals from Norwegian singer Ina Wroldsen. It peaked at Number 2 in the UK charts, starring model Gigi Hadid in the music video.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'This Is What You Came For' - featuring Rihanna, 2016
Calvin once again teamed up with Rihanna for 2016 single 'This Is What You Came For', peaking at Number 2 in the UK. It was co-written by Calvin's former girlfriend Taylor Swift, who used pseudonym Nils Sjöberg initially as she did not want their relationship to overshadow the success of the song. It has since been changed.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Slide' - featuring Frank Ocean and Migos, 2017
'Slide' was the lead single from Calvin's fifth album 'Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1', featuring Frank Ocean and hip hop trio Migos, released in February 2017. It peaked at Number 10 in the UK charts.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Heatstroke' - featuring Young Thug, Pharrell Williams and Ariana Grande, 2017
The Scottish DJ worked with rapper Young Thug, Pharrell Williams and Ariana Grande on 'Heatstroke' from his 'Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1' album. The song was certified Silver in the UK.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Feels' - featuring Pharrell Williams, Katy Perry and Big Sean, 2017
Calvin worked with Pharrell Williams, Big Sean and Katy Perry on 'Feels' for his fifth album 'Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1' in 2017, peaking at Number 1 and being certified 2X Platinum in the UK.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'One Kiss' - with Dua Lipa, 2018
'One Kiss' was a worldwide smash hit, peaking at Number 1 in the UK and spending a whopping eight weeks at the top. It was the biggest-selling song of 2018, and was also the third longest-running Number 1 of the century by a female artist. It also won Best British Single at the BRIT Awards 2019.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Promises' - with Sam Smith featuring Jessie Reyez, 2018
Calvin's next big collaboration was with Sam Smith - 'Promises' was released in August 2018, and will appear on Sam's upcoming third album, due to be released in 2020. It peaked at Number 1 in the UK and was certified 2X Platinum.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Giant' - with Rag'n'Bone Man, 2019
Calvin got together with Rag'n'Bone Man in 2019, putting out 'Giant' which peaked at Number 2 in the UK and was kept off the top spot by Lewis Capaldi's 'Someone You Loved'. The pair performed the song at the 2019 BRIT Awards.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Over Now' - with The Weeknd
The Weeknd teamed up with Calvin for 2020 single 'Over Now', which peaked at Number 33 in the UK.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'By Your Side' - with Tom Grennan
'By Your Side' was a Top 10 hit for Calvin Harris and Tom Grennan in 2021.
Watch the video on YouTube here.
'Potion' - with Dua Lip and Young Thug
After the HUGE success of 'One Kiss', Calvin and Dua Lipa teamed up again to bring out 'Potion' with Young Thug in May 2022.
Watch the video for 'Potion' on YouTube
'New Money' featuring 21 Savage
21 Savage and Calvin Harris joined forces for 'New Money' which is included on the DJ's album 'Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2'.
'Stay With Me' featuring Justin Timberlake, Halsey and Pharrell
'Stay With Me' featuring Justin Timberlake, Halsey and Pharrell was released in July 2022, the song is one of two collabs the artists have recorded for Calvin's album 'Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 2'. The second song is called 'Stay With Me (Part 2)'.
'New To You' with Normani, Tinashe & Offset
Calvin Harris' 'New To You' with Normani, Tinashe & Offset was released on 29th July 2022. The song's lyric video was also released with a tropical theme which showed old TVs in a jungle setting.
'Miracle' with Ellie Goudling
Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding teamed up for their third collab in 2023. The song called 'Miracle' was released on 10th March.
'Desire' with Sam Smith
Following the success of 'Miracle' with Ellie Goulding, at the end of July 2023, Calvin dropped huge single 'Desire' with Sam Smith!
'Lovers In A Past Life' with Rag'n'Bone Man
Calvin Harris and Rag'n'Bone Man teamed up on the fifth anniversary of their hit 'Giant', to announce another song called 'Lovers In A Past Life'. It was released in February 2024, peaking at Number 13 in the UK charts and was certified Silver by the BPI with 200,000 UK sales in May 2024.
Watch the video on YouTube.
'(When I'm With You I'm) Free' with Ellie Goulding
Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding teamed up for the fourth time on their song '(When I'm With You I'm) Free'. They premiered their new song together at Ushuaïa nightclub in Ibiza, and the crowd went wild.
Read more:
Everything you need to know about 'Lights' hitmaker Ellie Goulding
Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding premiere their new song 'Free' live in Ibiza 🙌
Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding drop the music video for their collab 'Miracle' 🙌