Coloratura (song)

"Coloratura" is a song by British rock band Coldplay from their ninth studio album, Music of the Spheres. It was released on 23 July 2021 as a promotional single in anticipation for the record, being also its closing track.^[2] Produced by Max Martin, Oscar Holter and Bill Rahko,^[3] the song is the longest ever released by the band, running at 10 minutes and 18 seconds.^[4]

"Coloratura"
Promotional single by Coldplay
from the album Music of the Spheres
Released	23 July 2021 (2021-07-23)
Recorded	2019–2021
Genre	Space rock[1] progressive rock[1]
Length	10:18
Label	Parlophone Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	Guy Berryman Jonny Buckland Will Champion Chris Martin Max Martin Paris Strother John Metcalfe Davide Rossi
Producer(s)	Max Martin Oscar Holter Bill Rahko
Lyric video
"Coloratura" on YouTube

Background

On 20 July 2021, Coldplay announced through their social media that a new album, Music of the Spheres, would be released by the end of the year. In the same statement, they mentioned the closing track was going to be released in three days, while the follow-up single for "Higher Power" would be arriving in September.^[3] A lyric video was published along with the song; it was directed by Pilar Zeta and Victor Scorrano, featuring the fictional nebula named after the song.^[5]

Critical reception

"Coloratura" has received universal acclaim from critics. Matt Doria from NME praised the track for "echoing the rhapsodic prog-rock vibes of Pink Floyd circa Dark Side of the Moon" and also noted how it marks "an ambitious step into uncharted territory for Coldplay, though not eschewing too far from [their] standard fare".^[6] Writing for Rolling Stone, Daniel Kreps described the song as a "space epic" and a "multi-suite voyage into the cosmos, with Chris Martin namechecking celestial bodies [...] along his journey to the stars".^[3]

Will Hodgkinson of The Times considered it a "forward-thinking vision of a melodic utopia with shades of Pink Floyd at their most hopeful".^[7] Jeremy Levine of PopMatters praised the track for taking "plenty of structural risks that allow it to achieve a surprising level of intimacy. It's still a little lyrically over-the-top, but the variations in tone, as well as the climactic use of the band's retro instrumentation, leave us with a flicker of Coldplay's brilliance".^[8] AllMusic's Neil Z. Yeung commented that "while they typically end their albums on a grand, uplifting note, ["Coloratura"] takes the prize for ambition and sheer beauty".^[9]

Ella Kemp, writing for Rolling Stone UK, said that the song "might be the most dazzling thing Coldplay have ever done, a sprawling Pink Floyd-esque experiment which pays off infinitely".^[10] Ahad Sanwari from V magazine praised the band by noting that "[they] clearly mastered the art of creating a specific atmosphere and mood throughout their music".^[11] The track was also listed among the best songs of the year by Dansende Beren,^[12] RadioEins,^[13] and Tonspion.^[14]

Personnel

Personnel adapted from Parlophone UK presented to YouTube.^[15]

Coldplay

• Chris Martin – lead vocals, piano, acoustic guitar
• Jonny Buckland – guitar, keyboards
• Guy Berryman – bass
• Will Champion – drums, percussion, backing vocals

Additional personnel

• Davide Rossi – strings
• John Metcalfe – strings
• Jon Hopkins – keyboards
• Max Martin – additional keyboards, drum programmer, additional vocals, producer
• Bill Rahko – theremin, producer
• Dan Green – programmer
• Oscar Holter – keyboards, drum programmer, producer
• Cherif Hashizume – additional programmer
• Paris Strother – synthesizer
• Rik Simpson – additional keyboards, additional vocals
• Randy Merrill – masterer

Charts

Chart performance for "Coloratura"

Chart (2021)	Peak position
UK Singles Download Chart (OCC)[16]	65
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[17]	34

References

1. "Coldplay discover Pink Floyd, share 10 minute prog rock single Coloratura". Louder. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
2. "Coldplay Drop 10-Minute Space Epic Coloratura". Rolling Stone. 22 July 2021. Archived from the original on 18 July 2022. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
3. "Coldplay Drop 10-Minute Space Epic 'Coloratura'". Rolling Stone. 22 July 2021. Archived from the original on 22 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
4. "Time Is an Illusion on Coldplay's Ten-Minute Album Closer, 'Coloratura'". Vulture. 22 July 2021. Archived from the original on 23 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
5. "Coldplay – Coloratura (Official Lyric Video)". 22 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021 – via YouTube.
6. "Coldplay Shoot for the Stars With Their Cinematic New Track 'Coloratura'". NME. 23 July 2021. Archived from the original on 23 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
7. Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (13 October 2021). "Coldplay are at their happiest and clappiest on Music of the Spheres". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 15 October 2021. Retrieved 13 October 2021.
8. Levine, Jeremy (20 October 2021). "COLDPLAY DON'T REACH THE HEART ON AMBITIOUS 'MUSIC OF THE SPHERES'". PopMatters. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
9. Yeung, Neil Z. "Music of the Spheres – Coldplay". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
10. Kemp, Ella (October–November 2021). "Coldplay Keep Their Magic Formula". Rolling Stone UK. No. 1. p. 170.
11. "V's New Music Round-Up". V Magazine. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
12. "De 101 Beste Singles Van 2021" [The 101 Best Singles of 2021]. Dansende Beren (in Dutch). 28 December 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2022.
13. "Die RadioEins Hörercharts – Die 100 Besten Songs des Jahres 2021". RadioEins. 2021. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
14. "Die 200 Songs des Jahres 2021" [The 200 Songs of 2021]. Tonspion (in German). 11 December 2021. Retrieved 14 December 2021.
15. Coloratura, 22 July 2021, retrieved 1 September 2021
16. "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100 – 30 July 2021 – 05 August 2021". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
17. "Coldplay Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 3 August 2021.