Another great addition to the Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift lore arrived on Thursday (Feb. 10) when Ed, 30, released the new remix of “The Joker and the Queen,” featuring not just Taylor, 32, but a blast from Swiftie past. Not only did the new version feature Taylor’s vocals, but the music video continued the story from “Everything Has Changed,” off of Taylor’s 2012 album, Red. The video even features Jack Lewis and Ava Ames, the children from the “Everything Has Changed” video. Watch it above!
Ed first hinted that something was coming during the 2022 BRIT Awards when he closed out the awards show with “The Joker and the Queen” (originally released on his 2021 album, equals). Ed let it slip during the BRIT Awards red carpet that “a new song comes out on Friday and it’s with Taylor Swift.” Later, he tweeted a clarification. “Thanks @BRITs for having me last night,” wrote Ed. “I can’t wait for you to hear the new version of The Joker And The Queen with @taylorswift13 on Friday.” He later posted a preview of the video, which showed that the two children from “Everything Has Changed” might not be as close as they used to be.
Taylor and Ed’s friendship is well known, and “Everything Has Changed” marked the start of their professional partnership. The original track was their first collaboration, and Ed returned to re-record it for Red (Taylor’s Version). Ed also appeared on the “Vault Track,” i.e. bonus song, “Run.” The two have also worked on “End Game,” off of Taylor’s 2017 album, Reputation.
“I heard his song ‘Lego House’ in Australia when I was on the Speak Now tour,” said Taylor in a 2017 Rolling Stone feature on Ed. “It just cut through everything else. We’ve gotten matching Scottish folds, made each other arts and crafts Christmas presents, vacationed with our families, and had each other’s backs. He is the James Taylor to my Carole King and I can’t imagine a time when he wouldn’t be.” Ed also professed his gratitude for Taylor’s friendship. “She would be there if everything ended for me,” he said. “Taylor is kind of an anomaly in that sense.”
Though, Ed also knows when he’s done his friend wrong. “Me and Taylor do that when we see each other, me and Taylor play each other tunes, get not validation, but just like ‘what do you think of this?’” he said in a 2021 interview with 100.5 Fresh Radio. “I famously said to her, she played me ‘Blank Space’ and ‘Bad Blood.’ She said ‘Which one should come out first?’ And I was like ‘definitely ‘Bad Blood,’ that’s the smasher’…obviously ‘Blank Space’ is like her biggest tune. I was definitely wrong.” Count it as another time he played the joker to her queen.