| "Strawberry Swing" | ||||
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| Single byColdplay | ||||
| from the albumViva la Vida or Death and All His Friends | ||||
| Released | 14 September 2009 (2009-09-14)[1] | |||
| Recorded | December 2007 | |||
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| "Strawberry Swing" onYouTube | ||||
"Strawberry Swing" is a song by Britishrock bandColdplay. On 14 September 2009, it was released as the fourth and final single from the band's fourth studio album,Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008). The song was written by the members of the band and was produced byMarkus Dravs,Brian Eno,Jon Hopkins andRik Simpson. The track received mostly positive reviews frommusic critics who praised the infectious melody, the vocal performance ofChris Martin and the west-African influences on the track's arrangement and production.
"Strawberry Swing" reached a position of 158 on theUK Singles Chart and reached position 5 on both thePolish Singles Chart and theDutch Tipparade charts. The song received astop-motionmusic video directed byShynola, which was nominated for Breakthrough Video at the2010 MTV Video Music Awards. Coldplay performed the song on their 2008Viva la Vida Tour, and a live version of the song appeared on Coldplay'slive album,LeftRightLeftRightLeft (2009).
The song was performed in the2012 Summer Paralympics closing ceremony, with theBritish Paraorchestra.R&B singer-songwriterFrank Ocean released a cover version of the song on his 2011mixtapeNostalgia, Ultra to positive reviews from critics, and later performed it during his 2012Coachella Music Festival appearance and his 2012Channel Orange tour.
"Strawberry Swing", like much ofViva la Vida, was primarily produced by English record producerBrian Eno.[3] The track was released as the fifth official single fromViva la Vida on 14 September 2009.[4] The song was later part of the international soundtrack to the Brazilian soap operaTempos Modernos in 2009.[5]
Results of a study by the British Academy of Sound Therapy show that "Strawberry Swing" is one of the most psychologically relaxing songs ever recorded. It came in 5th place among surveyed songs behindMarconi Union's "Weightless".[6]
"Strawberry Swing" contains multiple elements ofTouareg,afro-pop andhighlife music, and is largely built around handclaps, plucked, clean guitars, rhythmic cellos and distant organs and keys.[7] Lead singerChris Martin credits much of the track's sound to his time inZimbabwe as an adolescent."My mum comes from Zimbabwe, so I spent a lot of time there. I used to work in a studio [Shed Studios] where people played [highlife, afrobeat]."[7] Martin has also noted English alternative dance bandDelakota's influence on the track, pointing to the 1998 track"The Rock" as specific inspiration.[8]
Alexis Petrdis ofThe Guardian stated the track had "certainly a wider sonic palette on offer", musing that the song contained a "jerkily funky beat and a vaguely African-sounding guitar line",[9] though also noted many of the track's shared traits with Coldplay's previous discography; namely its mid-tempo, echoing guitars, piano ballad-inspired melodies and bittersweet, anthemic, falsetto vocals.[9]
The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics.Stephen Thomas Erlewine ofAllMusic stated that the track, with its light, "gently infectious melody and insistent rhythmic pulse, breaks from the album's appealingly meditative murk".[10] Chris Willman ofEntertainment Weekly described the song as "ebullient", and mused that the track "throws Afrocentric guitar atop one of those Eno/Dravs soundscapes beautifully".[11]Pitchfork Media's Ryan Dombal reported that "the Gabriel connection is also apparent on the spectacular, wide-eyed 'Strawberry Swing', which floats light tribal drums above circular guitars and Martin's idyllic musings."[12] Evan Sawdey ofPopMatters wrote that the guitar playing that populate "Violet Hill" and "Strawberry Swing" sound "like that for the first time in the band's career, Coldplay is actually using the ludicrous studio budget that they're provided with each for release, here indulging in every passing whim and fancy, all while Eno serves as the playground supervisor, the results proving to be as potent as they are varied."[13]IGN's Chad Grischow wrote that the track "blends spectacularly with Martin's calming, 'It's such a perfect day', refrain" and noted that "when the jangling acoustic guitar drifts in near the conclusion, it is the cherry on top of a killer tune".[14]PopMatters included the song on their unranked "Best Singles of 2009" list.[15]
The music video for "Strawberry Swing" was directed byShynola and premiered viaBabelgum on 20 July 2009.[1]Odeon Cinemas also screened it before showings ofBrüno andThe Proposal in the United Kingdom on 22 July.[1] Television broadcasts began on 29 July through4Music andChannel 4.[1] The visuals were animated usingstop motion, featuring Chris Martin lying on the ground against animated chalk drawings that tell a surreal story with him as the main character.[1] The story begins with Martin waking up in his house. Once he sees that a woman is being held hostage by a giant squirrel, he turns into a superhero and attempts to save her. Along the way, Martin faces attacks from the squirrel and a giant fish in the ocean.[1] When Martin finally gets to the squirrel's home, he rescues the lady by drawing a nut-shaped bomb that blows the squirrel up in a colorful explosion. The two then fly away into space together and begin to kiss.[1] At the end of the song, the animation stops and Martin gets up off the chalk-colored floor in real speed and walks away.[1] The video was nominated in the Best Animation in a Video category at the UK Music Video Awards 2009.[16] In August 2010, the video was nominated for "Breakthrough Video" at the2010 MTV Video Music Awards.[17]
In September 2009, the originality of the Shynola-directed video was questioned by singer-songwriter Andy J Gallagher; he argued that "Owen Trevor had virtually the same idea at least a year before".[18] In an officialPDF statement, Shynola stated "Having never seen Mr. Trevor's video before, we can categorically deny that his video was any influence on our video. Any similarities are purely coincidental."[19] The PDF also contained image-by-image rebuttals of Gallagher's claims, and added that the video was mainly inspired by the "dreamlike weirdness" ofanimatorWinsor McCay's artwork.[20]
Coldplay performed the song from 2008 to 2010 as part of theirViva la Vida Tour.[21] A performance of the song was featured on theLeftRightLeftRightLeft live album released by Coldplay in 2009.[22] The song was also performed it during their performance at the2012 Summer Paralympics closing ceremony featuring theBritish Paraorchestra.[23] The band also performed the song as a requested song by the audience on theirA Head Full of Dreams Tour andMusic of the Spheres World Tours, at the shows on 11 June 2016 and 25 March 2023, respectively.[24][25]
| "Strawberry Swing" | |
|---|---|
| Song byFrank Ocean | |
| from the albumNostalgia, Ultra | |
| Released | February 16, 2011 (2011-02-16) |
| Recorded | 2010 |
| Length | 3:55 |
| Label | Self-released |
| Songwriters |
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Singer-songwriterFrank Ocean performed analternative R&B cover version of the song on his 2011mixtapeNostalgia, Ultra.[26]AbsolutePunk's Holly Hox called Ocean's version "catchy", musing that it "proves that Ocean's voice is as great as his knack for writing thoughtful pop songs."[27] Connor O'Neill ofThe Miscellany News writes that "there is so much atmosphere you almost melt into it, and he spreads you over an apocalyptic swan song."[28] Music criticRobert Christgau felt that Ocean's cover was superior to the original, stating that it's "where the alienated young R&B pro rewrites the sappy Coldplay single without underplaying its lyricism or, as promised, its nostalgia. 'I've loved the good times here' is a sendoff worthy of the 'dying world' Ocean calls home."[29] Ocean performed his cover of the song during his 2011Nostalgia Ultra tour, and his 2012Channel Orange tour through North America.[30][31]Complex praised his performance, writing that Ocean's "voice sounds as buttery live as it does on record."[32]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Strawberry Swing" | 4:09 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Strawberry Swing" (Radio Edit) | 4:09 |
| 2. | "Strawberry Swing" (Album version) | 4:11 |
| 3. | "Strawberry Swing" (Instrumental) | 4:11 |
Coldplay
Additional Personnel
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Iceland (RÚV)[33] | 2 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[34] | 5 |
| UK Singles Chart[35] | 158 |
| Studio albums | |
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| Visual albums | |
| Mixtapes | |
| Singles | |
| Featured singles | |
| Other songs | |
| Related articles | |
