"Higher Power" is a song by Britishrock bandColdplay from their ninth studio album,Music of the Spheres (2021).[2][3] It was released as the lead single on 7 May 2021. The song was written by all band members, Federico Vindver and Denise Carite, with production byMax Martin,[4]Oscar Holter and Bill Rahko.[5] It received generally positive reviews frommusic critics and was nominated forBest Pop Duo/Group Performance at the64th Annual Grammy Awards.[6]PPL ranked "Higher Power" as the fifth-most played song of the year across British radio and television, the highest position for a band on their chart.[7]
During an interview with Mark Savage ofBBC News, lead vocalistChris Martin, said that the song just dropped out the sky:
"I came up with the title first, but struggled to find the melody and lyrics to go with it. Then one day I was staying in this place and the sink was very resonant. And so I started hitting the sink [to make] this beat... and then I went to the piano keyboard, and the song just landed in one go".[8]
He also explained that "the song is about trying to find the astronaut in all of us, the person that can do amazing things".[9] The singer later toldZoe Ball that the track had intergalactic origins, saying: "We've been trying to imagine what music might sound like on other planets, and try to imagine being those other acts, so we're not thinking of ourselves as being the band Coldplay from England", he explained.[10]
The song was produced byMax Martin, who the band called "a true wonder of the universe".[11] During its first stages, the song was recorded at Hansa Studios, in Berlin, Germany. Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, Martin sent material regularly to the rest of the band, who were working together with Max Martin, but he later joined the group, and most of the track was recorded during this time, later being properly recorded at MixStar Studios, in Virginia Beach, Virginia.[12]
On 23 April 2021, a post from an account titled 'Alien Radio FM' on social media released a set of coordinates (51°30'24.6"N 0°08'34.4"W) that led toGreen Park in Piccadilly, London.[13][14] The post included a photo of an advertisement at these coordinates with unknown bright neon purple characters set to a blue background. The characters were quickly decoded by fan sites and said "Coldplay Higher Power May Seven". Similar posts would follow, which all teased the lead single, "Higher Power".[15]
On 29 April 2021, Coldplay confirmed on their social media its title and release date, on 7 May.[11][16] On 20 July 2021, the band officially announced their ninth studio albumMusic of the Spheres, revealing that "Higher Power" would be the second song on the album's tracklist. The announcement also stated that an album track, entitled "Coloratura", would be released on 23 July, while the official second single will come out in September.[17]
An audio visualizer for "Higher Power", which was directed by Paul Dugdale, premiered on Coldplay'sYouTube channel at 12:01a.m.BST on 7 May 2021, coinciding with the single's release.[18][19] Shot five days before the single's release,[20] It features the band performing on an empty lot as alienholograms dance to the tune.[21] Branded as a form of "extraterrestrial transmission", the band previewed the video to FrenchEuropean Space Agency astronautThomas Pesquet aboard theInternational Space Station prior to its public release.[22][23] On 19 May, an official lyric video directed by Pilar Zeta and Victor Scorrano was released.[24]
Two weeks later, Coldplay confirmed on their social media that the official version, which was directed byDave Meyers, would be released on 8 June 2021.[25] The official video was revealed to be the first as part of a three-part "melodic orbit", entitledMusic of the Spheres, which was, at the time of release, rumoured to be the title of their ninth album. The phrase also refers to the intro track used in the official video, as well as during theLive at Worthy Farm livestream and their performance atBBC Radio 1's Big Weekend.[26] The video waschoreographed bySeoul-based Kim Boram, and features members of his dance troupe, Ambiguous Dance Company.[27][28]
On the music video,Chris Martin finds himself on a fictional post-apocalyptic planet named "Kaotica" and explores the planet's cities, where he finds animal and bug-like robots, giant holograms, and dances with a group of alien-like holograms. Their heads are instantly covered with blades and they hover in the air, giving Chris a powerful energy, and the rest of Coldplay members (Will Champion,Guy Berryman,Jonny Buckland) appear. It allows him to run in a higher speed and to fly intoouter space.
"Higher Power" received generally positive reviews from music critics. Ella Kemp fromNME rated the song 4/5 stars and noted that it "takes everything Chris Martin and co. have learned from a lifetime of dreaming and finally launches their talent into outer space – literally. 'Higher Power' is best appreciated through the sheer force of the melody, giving you the rush of hurtling into the atmosphere [...]. For a band so often shackled by their emotional transparency, [the song] is an exciting leap forward".[9] Halle Kiefer fromVulture noted similarities withSteve Winwood's "Higher Love", while also complimenting the song by saying that "[in] comparison, 'Higher Power' wins out by a few hundred kilometers".[22] The track was nominated forBest Pop Duo/Group Performance at the64th Annual Grammy Awards on 23 November 2021,[6]
^"Top 100 Brasil" (in Brazilian Portuguese).Crowley Broadcast Analysis. Retrieved26 April 2021.Note: In "SEMANA REFERÊNCIA" select 21 June 2021 - 25 June 2021. To access the full Top 100, click on "VER TOP 100 COMPLETO" and enter your name and email. Then enter the code you received by email.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 26. týden 2021 in the date selector. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 19. týden 2021 in the date selector. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 30. týden 2021 in the date selector. Retrieved 2 August 2021.
^"ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic.Note: Select 19. týden 2021 in the date selector. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
