Everyday Life | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 22 November 2019 | |||
Recorded | 2018–2019 | |||
Studio |
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Length | 53:36 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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Coldplay chronology | ||||
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Singles from Everyday Life | ||||
Everyday Life is the eighth studio album by British rock band Coldplay. It was released on 22 November 2019 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and Atlantic Records in the United States. It is a double album released as a single CD, with the first half titled Sunrise and the other Sunset. [2] The release coincided with Coldplay: Everyday Life – Live in Jordan, in which performances of each half of the album were live streamed from the Amman Citadel in Jordan, at sunrise and sunset, respectively. [3] Many returning producers and collaborators joined the band's efforts including Rik Simpson, Dan Green, Bill Rahko, Davide Rossi, and Emily Lazar. [4] [5]
Speculation about the album's existence persisted since their previous record, A Head Full of Dreams , as rumours circulated that Coldplay would disband. [6] It is the first album by the band to feature profanity (on the tracks "Trouble in Town", "Arabesque" and "Guns") and is also their second studio album, after Ghost Stories (2014), not to be supported by a major worldwide tour. [7]
Everyday Life received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised its experimental direction, the shift to politically charged lyrics, and varied song styles in contrast to their old roots with albums like Parachutes and Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends . However, others felt that the album lacked thematic consistency. [8] [9] Commercially, Everyday Life earned the band their eighth consecutive number-one album on the UK Albums Chart and their seventh top-ten album on the Billboard 200 in the US.
The album was supported by four overall singles: "Orphans" and "Arabesque" in October 2019, "Everyday Life" in November 2019 and "Champion of the World" in February 2020. [10] [11] At the 63rd Grammy Awards the album garnered two nominations: Best Recording Package and Album of the Year, marking the band's second nomination in the latter category and their first since Viva la Vida. [12]
Some tracks from Everyday Life have roots in 2009, a decade earlier; as producer Dan Green explains: "We actually started this album just before Mylo Xyloto in 2009, there were songs from this record that had been around since then which just didn't seem to fit on other albums. The single 'Arabesque' was one of those." [13] Rik Simpson, another longtime member of the production team, stated that this album differed in recording style compared to previous records because three members of the band lived in the UK while lead singer Chris Martin lived in the US. The band hoped to travel somewhere to inspire the global sounds of Everyday Life rather than be restricted to a single studio. Therefore, Dan Green created a mobile studio, inspired from jam sessions during their previous world tour, to be set up in various international locations. They include but are not limited to: Villa Tombolino in Tuscany, the Woodshed studios in Los Angeles, The Bakery and Beehive studios in London, and a studio in Johannesburg, South Africa. Travelling around the globe is reflected in the experimental mix of genre influences present on the record including classical, afrobeat, jazz-fusion, etc. [14] [15] The album was one of the first non-reissue albums to be mixed using Dolby Atmos technology, with the Atmos version made available on Amazon Music, Tidal and Apple Music. [16]
Everyday Life is a considerable shift in musical experimentation compared to the band's previous albums, with critics deeming it their most experimental release. [17] Its release marks Coldplay's first studio double album, with the halves titled Sunrise and Sunset respectively (similarly to X&Y , which is split into an "X" half and a "Y" half, despite being a single album). The album includes a 30-second field recording of clock tower bells ringing the Westminster Quarters melody and spread across 8 tracks, entitled "God = Love", which serves as an interlude for each side of the album. The track titles spell the name of this section and are revealed when the CD is loaded into a computer. [18]
When compared to previous albums released by the band, the lyrics make a stark contrast: even though it still showcases many themes of positivity, equality, unity, hope, legacy, the importance of emotions, and humanity, it also includes racism, police brutality, gun control, loss and pain, plus references of war in terrorism-inflicted countries. The song "Trouble in Town" includes a sample from a 2013 incident involving racially-motivated profiling and harassment of a man by a Philadelphia police officer, [19] it is the first Coldplay song to feature profanity (although it is the police officer in the sound recording who uses profanity rather than the track's lyrics), along with "Arabesque" and "Guns" (which both feature profanity in their actual lyrics). Martin described the album saying that:
"Every day is great and every day is terrible … Everyday Life is our reaction to the perceived negativity that’s everywhere. And there is a lot of trouble, but there’s also so much positivity and so much great life happening. So in a way, it’s just trying to make sense of things, saying what we feel and what we see."
— Chris Martin, BBC Radio 1's Future Sounds interview October 24, 2019
On 13 October 2019, black-and-white posters featuring the band teasing the album, and the date "22 November 1919" appeared in various cities around the world, including São Paulo, Berlin, Hong Kong and Sydney. [20] On 19 October, a video teaser featuring the same theme was also released. [21] [22] Two days later, several fans began receiving typewritten notes from the band in the mail. [23]
dear friends / my typing isn't very good i'm sorry / I and we hope wherever you are you're ok / for the last 100 years or thereabouts we have been working on a thing called Everyday Life / in the classifieds you might write 'double album for sale, one very careful owner' / one half is called 'sunrise', the other 'sunset' / it comes out 22 november / it is sort of how we feel about things / we send much love to you from hibernation /سلام و حب / chris, jonny, guy and Will Champion, esq.
— Coldplay, in a typewritten note to their fans
On 23 October, the track listing was announced by the band in the advertising sections of several newspapers around the world. This included the North Wales Daily Post , where guitarist Jonny Buckland "once had a holiday job". [24] The 19 November edition of the New Zealand newspaper Otago Daily Times featured advertisements containing lyrics to the tracks from the album. [25] The artwork for the album was created by Argentine artist Pilar Zeta, who worked on the artwork for the band's previous album A Head Full of Dreams .
The booklet included in the CD, vinyl, and digital download releases of the album feature lyrics for all tracks and credits. In the bifold of the book features a picture of a large billboard with "Music of the Spheres" in large text and "Coldplay coming soon" in the bottom left corner, teasing their following album Music of the Spheres. The poster also features a preliminary version of the album's artwork, the Map of the Spheres. [26] [27]
During an online press conference on 1 November, Coldplay announced they would perform Everyday Life in two shows at the Amman Citadel in Jordan, on 22 November, the release date of the album. [28] The first show showcased the band performing the first half of the album Sunrise at 4:00 a.m. GMT, and the second show featured the performance of Sunset at 2:00 p.m. GMT. [29] The shows, which were livestreamed on YouTube, marked the band's first ever performances in the country. Both shows were promoted and advertised as YouTube Originals. The two shows were performed without an audience, but the following night the band performed their first public show at the Citadel. [30] On 18 November, the band announced a one-off show at the London Natural History Museum on 25 November, with proceeds from the show to be donated to an environmental charity. However, the band announced that they would not play a world tour to promote the album until they had addressed concerns regarding travel and the environmental impact of the shows. [31] After taking two years to craft a sustainability plan for touring, Coldplay embark on the Music of the Spheres World Tour in March 2022 in support of their following albums, Music of the Spheres and Moon Music . The tour incorporated songs from Everyday Life into the set list.
According to Martin, the album "doesn't really have singles and was never meant to. We had to pull a song off it". [32] "Orphans" and "Arabesque" were released as a double lead on 24 October 2019, during the Annie Mac show on BBC Radio 1. [33] [34] On the next day, a music video for "Orphans" came out. [35] Its companion piece, "Arabesque", however, does not have one. "Everyday Life" was then launched as a promotional single on 3 November. [36] Its music video premiered on 9 December and the song was sent to United Kingdom and Italy's contemporary hit radio in the following weeks. [37] Two days before the album's release, a music video for "Daddy" and a lyric video for "Champion of the World" were made available, [38] the latter impacted radio stations across the United States as a promotional single on 25 February 2020. [39] The "Cry Cry Cry" music video, which was co-directed by Dakota Johnson, was released on 14 February. [40] The "Trouble in Town" video came out on 12 March. [41]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 6.8/10 [42] |
Metacritic | 73/100 [43] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [44] |
The A.V. Club | B− [45] |
The Daily Telegraph | [46] |
Entertainment Weekly | B+ [47] |
The Guardian | [9] |
The Independent | [48] |
NME | [15] |
Pitchfork | 6.8/10 [49] |
Rolling Stone | [50] |
The Times | [51] |
Everyday Life received generally positive reviews from critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album has an average score of 73 out of 100 based on 26 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", becoming the band's second highest-scored album on the website, behind A Rush of Blood to the Head . [43] Writing for The Daily Telegraph , Neil McCormick acclaimed the album's experimentation, stating that Everyday Life "feels organic, analogue and playful as Coldplay dip into different musical genres", and further highlighted Martin's "golden gift for melody, almost simplistically direct lyrics and emotive crooning". [46] Chris DeVille of Stereogum considered that the use of multiple genres worked "more often than not", and commended the band's "more nuanced" exploration of social issues, concluding that it was a "truly great album". [8] In her review for NME , Charlotte Krol claimed that the record "is proof that Coldplay are more adventurous than they're often given credit for", although some of its songs are "sometimes more exciting in theory than in practice". [15]
Other reviewers were less enthusiastic about the album's experimentation. Although The Guardian 's Alexis Petridis considered it a "laudable intention", he found the album "wildly uneven" and was critical of the "lyrical vagueness" of various songs dealing with "sociopolitical matters", but complimented "a couple of acoustic tracks with genuine emotional heft". [9] In the same vein, Adam White of The Independent described the album as a "valiant, if flawed, attempt to break from tradition" and a "fascinating, occasionally brilliant curio", but considered that the band were "still very much figuring out how to respond to a world that has become meaner, dirtier and crueller", nevertheless considering the effort admirable. [48] Ludovic Hunter-Tilney of the Financial Times found the album "platitudinising", but considered Martin's songwriting "more focused than usual"; he additionally noted the album's "quirky production" and balancing of "contradictory urges to play it safe and take a risk". [52]
Publisher | Listicle | Rank | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
AllMusic | Year in Review – Best of 2019 | Placed | [53] |
GQ Italy | The Best Foreign Albums of 2019 | Placed | [54] |
La Repubblica | The Best 30 Foreign Albums of 2019 | Placed | [55] |
Los 40 | The 30 Best Albums of 2019 | 14 | [56] |
Muzikalia | Best International Albums of 2019 | 26 | [57] |
NME | Albums of the Year 2019 | 43 | [58] |
Panorama | The 20 Best International Albums of 2019 | 14 | [59] |
Rolling Stone | The 50 Best Albums of 2019 | 28 | [60] |
The Times | The 30 Best Albums of 2019 | Placed | [61] |
Yahoo! | Jen Kucsak's Best Albums of 2019 | 9 | [62] |
Year | Award ceremony | Category | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | Broadcast Digital Awards | Best Sports or Live Event Coverage [a] | Nominated | [63] |
2021 | Grammy Awards | Album of the Year | Nominated | [64] |
Best Recording Package [b] | Nominated | [65] |
Everyday Life debuted at number-one on the UK Albums Chart with 80,974 units sold, becoming Coldplay's eighth consecutive studio album to achieve the feat and the third-fastest selling record of the year in the United Kingdom, behind Ed Sheeran's No.6 Collaborations Project and Lewis Capaldi's Divinely Uninspired to a Hellish Extent. [66] It debuted number seven on the United States' Billboard 200 with 48,000 equivalent units, including 36,000 pure album sales. [67] According to the IFPI, the album sold 740,000 pure copies around the world in 2019, making it the 11th biggest record of the year. [68] The release also made Coldplay the seventh most successful group of said period. [68]
Coldplay's songwriting members are Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin. [69]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Sunrise" |
| Rossi | 2:31 |
2. | "Church" |
|
| 3:50 |
3. | "Trouble in Town" | Coldplay |
| 4:38 |
4. | "Broken" | Coldplay |
| 2:30 |
5. | "Daddy" | Coldplay |
| 4:58 |
6. | "WOTW / POTP" | Coldplay |
| 1:16 |
7. | "Arabesque" |
|
| 5:40 |
8. | "When I Need a Friend" | Coldplay |
| 2:35 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Guns" | Coldplay |
| 1:55 |
2. | "Orphans" |
|
| 3:17 |
3. | "Èkó" | Coldplay |
| 2:37 |
4. | "Cry Cry Cry" |
|
| 2:47 |
5. | "Old Friends" | Coldplay |
| 2:26 |
6. | "بنی آدم" |
|
| 3:14 |
7. | "Champion of the World" |
| 4:17 | |
8. | "Everyday Life" |
| 4:18 | |
Total length: | 53:36 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
9. | "Flags" | Coldplay |
| 3:36 |
Total length: | 57:12 |
Notes
Sample credits
Credits adapted from the "Orphans / Arabesque" liner notes. [5]
RecordingColdplay
Additional vocalists
Additional musicians
| ProductionMain
Assistant
Artwork and design
|
Weekly charts
| Monthly charts
Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
France (SNEP) [137] | Platinum | 100,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI) [138] | Platinum | 50,000‡ |
Netherlands (NVPI) [139] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
New Zealand (RMNZ) [140] | Gold | 7,500‡ |
Poland (ZPAV) [141] | Gold | 10,000‡ |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [142] | Gold | 20,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [143] | Gold | 269,011 [c] |
United States | — | 199,000 [d] |
Summaries | ||
Worldwide (IFPI) | — | 740,000 [e] |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format | Label | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Various | 22 November 2019 | Parlophone, Atlantic Records, Warner Music | [146] [147] [148] [149] |
Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey. They are best known for their live performances, having also impacted popular culture through their music, advocacy and achievements.
A Rush of Blood to the Head is the second studio album by British rock band Coldplay. It was released on 26 August 2002 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom, and a day later by Capitol Records in the United States. The album was produced by the band and Ken Nelson, and makes greater use of the electric guitar and piano than the band's debut album, Parachutes (2000).
Parachutes is the debut studio album by British rock band Coldplay. It was released on 10 July 2000 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom. The album was produced by the band and British record producer Ken Nelson, except for one track, "High Speed", which was produced by Chris Allison. Parachutes spawned the singles "Shiver", "Yellow", and "Trouble", with a limited European release of "Don't Panic". The album was also supported by the Parachutes Tour, which saw the band performing 131 shows in their first world tour.
Live 2003 is the first live album by the British rock band Coldplay. It was released on 10 November 2003 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom. However, Capitol Records made it available on 4 November 2003 in the United States, with screenings at select theaters being held a day before as well. Featuring the shows filmed at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion on 21 and 22 July 2003, the album marks the group's second live project after Trouble – Norwegian Live EP (2001).
British rock band Coldplay have released 10 studio albums, 6 live albums, 12 compilation albums, 18 extended plays, 43 singles, 14 promotional singles, and 5 charity singles. According to Parlophone, they have sold over 100 million albums worldwide as of May 2021, making them the most successful group of the 21st century and one of the best-selling artists of all time. Luminate revealed that, in terms of pure sales, they have tallied 18.2 million albums and 33.6 million song downloads in the United States alone as of February 2015. Moreover, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) attributed the rise in British music exports to their success multiple times, adding that it boosted the balance of payments of the United Kingdom.
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, often referred to as simply Viva la Vida, is the fourth studio album by British rock band Coldplay, released on 12 June 2008 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom. "Viva la vida" is a Spanish phrase, translated to English as "live the life" or simply "live life". Lyrically, the album contains references to love, life, death and war.
"Viva la Vida" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It was written by all members of the band for their fourth album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008). The lyrics contain historical and Christian references, and the track is built around a looping string section with a digitally processed piano, while other layers are gradually added.
Prospekt's March is the seventh extended play by British rock band Coldplay and their first since Remixes (2003). It was released on 21 November 2008 in Europe and Japan, later released globally the following week. The EP features several left-over tracks from the Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends studio sessions and was also made available in the album's deluxe edition.
X&Y is the third studio album by British band Coldplay, released on 6 June 2005 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom, and a day later by Capitol Records in the United States. Produced by Coldplay and producer Danton Supple, the album was recorded during a turbulent period for the band, during which their manager and creative director, Phil Harvey, briefly departed. Producer Ken Nelson was originally tasked with producing the record; however, many songs written during his sessions were discarded due to the band's dissatisfaction with them. The album's cover art combines colours and blocks to represent the title in Baudot code.
Mylo Xyloto is the fifth studio album by British rock band Coldplay, released on 24 October 2011. The band worked closely with producer Brian Eno following their successful collaboration on Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008), the band's previous album.
Ghost Stories is the sixth studio album by the British rock band Coldplay. It was released on 19 May 2014 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and Atlantic Records in the United States. Co-produced by the group along with Paul Epworth and Mylo Xyloto collaborators Dan Green and Rik Simpson, it was their first album to be distributed by Atlantic in North America, as Coldplay were transferred from Capitol Records in 2013 after Universal Music purchased EMI and all of its assets in the previous year, a transaction which ultimately required the sale of Parlophone to Warner Music.
A Head Full of Dreams is the seventh studio album by British rock band Coldplay, released on 4 December 2015, by Parlophone in the United Kingdom, and by Atlantic Records in the United States. Coldplay recorded the album from early to mid 2015, right after the completion of their previous album Ghost Stories, with a markedly different style and sound from its predecessors. For various songs, Coldplay collaborated with Beyoncé, Noel Gallagher, Tove Lo, Khatia Buniatishvili and Merry Clayton. The album was produced by Rik Simpson and Stargate. The album also features a sample of President Barack Obama singing "Amazing Grace" at Clementa C. Pinckney's funeral on the song "Kaleidoscope".
"Adventure of a Lifetime" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It was released on 6 November 2015 as the lead single from their seventh studio album, A Head Full of Dreams (2015). The track reached number seven on the UK Singles Chart and number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the top 20 in a number of countries, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Switzerland.
"Hymn for the Weekend" is a single by the British rock band Coldplay from their seventh studio album A Head Full of Dreams (2015), featuring uncredited vocals from American singer Beyoncé. It was written by the band's members, while the production was handled by Rik Simpson, Avicii, Digital Divide, and Stargate. An indie R&B track, the single's music video showcases the culture of India.
Everyday Is Christmas is the eighth studio album and first Christmas album by Australian singer-songwriter Sia, released on 17 November 2017 by Atlantic Records and Monkey Puzzle. Her first album with Atlantic, it features original Christmas songs. Initially released with ten tracks in 2017, the album has since been reissued in 2018, 2021, and 2022 with new bonus tracks each time. The lead single, "Santa's Coming for Us", was released on 30 October 2017, and "Snowman" was released as the second on 9 November.
Live in Buenos Aires is the fifth live album by British rock band Coldplay. It was recorded on 14 and 15 November 2017 in La Plata, the final concerts of the A Head Full of Dreams Tour. The release happened on 7 December 2018 along with Live in São Paulo, which was filmed on 7 and 8 November 2017. They are assembled into the band's ninth compilation, The Butterfly Package, a set that also includes the Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams film, a career-spanning documentary directed by Mat Whitecross. This release marked the first time one of the band's concerts was released in full.
"Arabesque" is a song by British rock band Coldplay from their eighth studio album Everyday Life. It was released on 24 October 2019, along with the single "Orphans", and appears on the first side of the album Sunrise. The song features vocals by Belgian singer Stromae, horn sections by Nigerian musician Femi Kuti, and oud contributions from Palestinian group Le Trio Joubran.
"Orphans" is a song by British rock band Coldplay from their eighth studio album Everyday Life. It was released on 24 October 2019, along with the single "Arabesque" and appears on the second side of the album Sunset. The song was written by the band members and produced by The Dream Team.
Music of the Spheres is the ninth studio album by British rock band Coldplay, released on 15 October 2021 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom and Atlantic Records in the United States. The album was produced by Max Martin, who is a new producer to the band's discography. It features guest appearances from Selena Gomez, We Are King, Jacob Collier and BTS, as well as returning contributions from electronic producer Jon Hopkins.
British rock band Coldplay have released 75 music videos, 5 video albums and 6 films, appearing in a wide range of television shows throughout their career as well. They were formed in London by Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, Will Champion and Phil Harvey (management). Before their recording contract with Parlophone in 1999, a music video for "Bigger Stronger" was shot and directed by Mat Whitecross, who ultimately became one of the long-time collaborators of the band. It was followed by the singles "Shiver", "Yellow", "Trouble" and "Don't Panic" from Parachutes (2000), with the third earning a MTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction.
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