Enlist in Ellie Goulding’s ‘Army’

Two weeks ago, Digital Spy announced that Ellie Goulding would be releasing a track called "Army" as the next single from her new album Delirium, following previous single "On My Mind," which she debuted back in September. The BBC charity Children In Need let the news slip when they announced Goulding would be delivering an "exclusive performance of her forthcoming single" at their annual event on November 13.

The official audio of "Army," however, had yet to be released.

That wait is over! The full official audio of "Army" is now available on Goulding's Vevo page, and you can listen above.

Co-written with Savan Kotecha and Ali Payami and boasting a Max Martin production credit, "Army" is a mid-tempo pop affair that falls very comfortably within Goulding's wheelhouse in terms of sound, vocals, and lyrics.

Sonically, "Army" follows a structure similar to that of "Love Me Like You Do," where the verses are significantly more somber than the chorus, which in this case doesn't show its full force until just before the two-minute mark. Once it does, the subject really comes into focus: finding strength in the one you love.

Goulding's repetitions of, "When I'm with you, I'm standing with an army," then become an increasingly motivational anthem of self-empowerment and self-confidence. With this anthem, Goulding takes us to heaven and we are not worthy.

Even if the song is explicitly about a romantic relationship, its sentiments can be applied to non-romantic ones as well, and the track's opening lines prove just that: "I know that I've been messed up / You never let me give up." A true or real relationship isn't about dwelling on someone's missteps; it's about understanding them "like no one can" and proudly joining their "Army" in support.

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