Ellie Goulding (born Elena Jane Goulding, 30 December 1986 in Hereford, Eng… Read Full Bio ↴Ellie Goulding (born Elena Jane Goulding, 30 December 1986 in Hereford, England) is an English singer-songwriter. Having caught the public's attention in 2010 with her singles "Starry Eyed" and "Guns and Horses," British vocalist Ellie Goulding quickly rose to the top of the charts with her infectious electronic pop sound. Although she started out writing songs in a folk-inflected style, she eventually grew into a more electronic-influenced artist, touching upon dance music and ambient synth pop. With her unique soprano warble and knack for writing catchy yet emotionally earnest songs, Goulding, much like her predecessors Kate Bush and Imogen Heap, stands at the forefront of contemporary mainstream music and arty, independent-minded pop.

Born in Hereford, England, she later moved to the country's east coast to study drama at the University of Kent. Goulding had developed a love for folk music as a teenager, and her time at university also exposed her to electronica. After two years, she took a break from her studies and moved to West London, where she pursued a career as an alternative singer/songwriter and befriended producers like Starsmith and Frankmusik, who gave her songs an electro-pop twist. In 2009, Goulding began building an audience via the Internet, where early tracks like "Starry Eyed" and a cover of Sam Sparro's "Black & Gold" were posted on tastemaking MP3 blogs such as Discodust. Goulding soon graduated from the blogosphere to print media, gaining praise from mainstream publications like The Guardian and fielding offers from record labels. She ultimately signed a major-label deal with Polydor Records and began making preparations to release her debut album. In the meantime, she penned songs for Diana Vickers, Gabriella Climi, and others.

During the final weeks of 2009, Goulding topped the BBC's Sound of 2010, a poll conducted by British music critics and industry insiders to identify new talent. Building on that momentum, she released Lights -- a sparkling debut album that splashed Goulding's vocal flutter across a landscape of acoustic and synthesized instruments -- in March 2010. Lights topped the U.K. charts during its first week and spun off "Starry Eyed" as a Top Five single (it also charted well in Ireland and New Zealand). Later that year, the album was re-released as Bright Lights, featuring seven new recordings (including a cover of Elton John's "Your Song," which peaked at number two).

In 2012, Goulding returned with her sophomore album, Halcyon, which showcased an even more sonically adventurous, electro-pop-infused sound. In 2013, a deluxe reissue featuring ten extra songs was released; entitled Halcyon Days, it acted as a supplement to the original release. Two of its new songs, "Burn" and "How Long Will I Love You," were among her biggest hits. The following year, she was featured on Calvin Harris' Top Ten U.K. hit "Outside," participated in Band Aid 30's update of "Do They Know It's Christmas?," and entered the U.K. Top Ten once more with "Beating Heart," a song released on the soundtrack for Divergent. Another soundtrack single, "Love Me Like You Do," added to the success of Fifty Shades of Grey in 2015.

That same year, Goulding released her third studio album, Delirium, which featured collaborations with Max Martin, Greg Kurstin, and others. The pop-leaning Delirium included the single "On My Mind" and peaked at number three on the U.S. and U.K. charts. Goulding returned in 2017 on "First Time," a collaboration with electronic producer Kygo.

In 2018, Goulding joined Tap Management after almost a decade with First Access Management.[107] She appeared on a collaboration with Sean Paul on his Mad Love the Prequel EP titled "Bad Love", released on 29 June 2018.[108]

Goulding collaborated with Diplo and Swae Lee on the single "Close to Me", which was released on 24 October 2018.[109] On 1 January 2019, The Guardian reported that she has been working on her fourth album, set to release in the same year.[110] On 1 March, she released the next single "Flux".[111] She said regarding the album, "It's very much written by me".[112]

On 12 April 2019, Goulding released the single "Sixteen".[113] Goulding said of the single, "...That age was such a pivotal year for me in many ways and this song is so close to my heart. It takes me back to the reckless days of being a teenager and I hope it reminds us all about the innocence of youth."[114]

Goulding released "Hate Me" with American rapper Juice Wrld on 26 June 2019.[115][116] It was premiered by Zane Lowe as his 'World Record' on Beats 1.[117] In July, Goulding stated that her next material to be released would be the songs "Woman I Am" and "Start".[118] In November, she released her rendition of Joni Mitchell's Christmas song "River", which topped the UK Singles Chart, becoming her third UK number one single and the last UK number one song of the 2010s.[119]

On 13 March 2020, Goulding released the new single "Worry About Me" which was created in-collaboration with Blackbear.[120] In a radio interview with Heart the same month, she revealed that the album "kind of comes in two parts", adding that "the first side is something written entirely by me which was fun and I wrote most of it in New York when I was living there a few years back. I play the guitar and I play the bass and piano and then I'm singing a lot of vocals. It's very classically influenced because I love classical music. There's a lot going on, it's a big soundscape and one big film. The second half is my kind of alter ego songs."[121] On 21 May she released single "Power" and on 30 June single "Slow Grenade" with Lauv.

Goulding released her fourth studio album, Brightest Blue, on 17 July 2020. Originally scheduled for 5 June 2020, the album's release was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The album debuted at the top of the UK Album Chart, becoming Goulding's third album to do so,[122] as well as at No. 2 in Scotland.[123] It reached the top 10 in Ireland[124] as well as the top 40 in over ten countries including Australia, Germany and the United States.

Goulding announced on an Instagram Q&A that she would be releasing new music which was not part of the Brightest Blue era at the end of January 2021.[125] On 21 January, she released a collaboration with electronic duo Silk City, titled "New Love".[126] On 30 September, Goulding performed "Anything Could Happen" as part of the opening ceremony for Expo 2020, held in Dubai.[127]

On 19 June 2022, Goulding performed at Rock in Rio in Lisbon, Portugal. After the concert, she announced that she would be releasing new music in July. The following day, she blacked out all her social media profiles.[128] Back in July 2021, during an interview with Joe Wicks, she described the forthcoming album as "a dance record. It's electronic pop, a dance thing from outer space".[129] On 4 July 2022, she announced the release of "Easy Lover" featuring Big Sean, which was released on 15 July.[130] The single did not enter the UK Singles Top 100, but peaked at number 31 on the UK Singles Downloads Chart Top 100.[131] It was followed by "All by Myself", a collaboration between Goulding and producers Alok and Sigala, on 7 October.[132] Goulding released the single "Let It Die" along with its video on 19 October and announced the same day that her fifth studio album Higher Than Heaven would be released on 3 February 2023.[133][134]

On 22 March 2023, Goulding released the single "By The End Of The Night".[135][136]

Winner
Ellie Goulding Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Let's call it a day, babe
I think I know what you're trying to say
Honey, it's fair play
Why try to win when I know I've lost?
We don't have to spell it
I think I know what you're trying to say
Just 'cause I think this could break me
It doesn't mean that it will at all

Love to the lovers
Hate to the haters
Love to you, babe
Do what you have to

What a shame
What a loss
The winner takes
She takes it all
What a shame
What a loss
But I can see why
'Cause she's beautiful
What a defeat
To say the least
But thank God
The love is free
And maybe it's good for you
It's good for me

Let's call it a day, babe
I think I know what you're trying to say
And honey you're so right
There's so much to lose, but so much to learn
Let's call it a maybe
But we both know you're already gone
And just because it feels like I'm breaking
It doesn't mean I will fall apart

Love to the lovers
Hate to the haters
Love to you, babe
Do what you have to

What a shame
What a loss
The winner takes
She takes it all
What a shame
What a loss
But I can see why
'Cause she's beautiful
What a defeat
To say the least
But thank God
The love is free
And maybe it's good for you
It's good for me

Love to you, babe
Love to the lovers
Hate to the haters
Love to you, babe
Do what you have to
Do what you have to

What a shame
What a loss
The winner takes
She takes it all
What a shame
What a loss
But I can see why
'Cause she's beautiful
What a defeat
To say the least
But thank God
The love is free

And maybe it's good for you
It's good for me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of the song Winner by Ellie Goulding describe the end of a relationship. The singer acknowledges that the other person has moved on and there is nothing to be gained by trying to win them back. It is a bitter pill to swallow but she knows it's time to call it a day. The chorus repeats the line "the winner takes it all" conveying that someone has won someone else's heart, and while it is a shame and a loss, the love was always free. The song is alluding to the idea that sometimes love is not enough to keep a relationship together, and it is best to let go and move on.

The song's lyrics urge the listener to choose between being a lover or a hater. It also suggests that sometimes it is better to let go of someone for their own good as well as yours. The sentiment that "the love was free" gives the listener a sense of closure, and that the break up was not about blame but a realization that it is time to move on. The lyrics underline the fact that winning in love is not about competition, but about being together, loving and respecting each other.

Line by Line Meaning

Let's call it a day, babe
Let's end this relationship.

I think I know what you're trying to say
I understand that you want to break up with me.

Honey, it's fair play
It's okay, we both had our chance.

Why try to win when I know I've lost?
There's no point in competing when I know the relationship is over.

We don't have to spell it
We don't need to discuss it further.

Just 'cause I think this could break me
Although I feel hurt by the break-up,

It doesn't mean that it will at all
I know I can move on from this.

Love to the lovers
I send love to those in happy relationships.

Hate to the haters
I have negative feelings for those who are critical or spiteful.

Love to you, babe
Despite the break-up, I still have love for you.

Do what you have to
You should do what's best for you.