The song developed from a
riff which Sheeran had on his phone for a year. Sheeran first recorded the track with producer
Benny Blanco, who was also credited as co-writer under his real name, Benjamin Levin. Sheeran recorded it again with
Rick Rubin. The two producers produced the final cut. "Don't" is an
R&B song with a "
blue-eyed soul hymn". The lyrics consist of three verses, about which Sheeran elaborated: "The first verse is the setup, the second explains the situation, and the third is the outcome, with a chorus in between each." A lyrical screed, it alludes a short-lived relationship Sheeran had with another singer. He sings: "For me and her, we make money the same way/ Four cities, two planes in the same day." Sheeran scorned the former girl for having sex with another guy, and used an expletive in the line "Don't fuck with my love". But since the release of "Don't", he has remained silent about the subject of the song. On 31 October 2015,
Fuse posted an interview in which Sheeran says, "'Don't' is just a song that's close to the bone and definitely opened up a door that I probably shouldn't have opened up. [...] I just won't say who it's about because... I mean everyone, everyone fucking knows anyway. But like I just won't say who it's about cause it's quite a negative song." It has been rumored to be about English singer
Ellie Goulding, but Goulding has denied these rumors and stated that she and Sheeran were never in a relationship. == Release and reception ==