Track 02 - Higher Power | Music of the Spheres

[Gideon_Mx]

Funny to see people compare Higher Power with songs like Birds or Hurts Like Heaven, because those songs are actually very different to be completely honest here. The only thing that this song does have in common is the rhythm maybe. It's around the same tempo as HLH (Birds is much faster). But there are no clear similarities. HP has a different feel to it. Birds is a fast (nearly semi-acoustic) song with a prominent role for the electric guitar. The very upbeat Hurts Like Heaven has got a lot of guitar(riffs) too but it's got a more electronic sound to it.

While higher Power sounds like a spacey poprock track that makes you feel like you're travelling through space around the planets and it might have some Asian vibes as well. Yes, it's a fast song and upbeat, just like HLH (or Birds). Yet is completely something else. IMO it's totally different from any other song Coldplay have ever made which is a really good thing!

The intro of Higher Power is very interesting and sounding good. Didn't see it coming!  It seems that quite a few are also a big fan of the bridge apparently. It just feels like they added this part just to fill the song. In my opinion it also has the worst lyrics of the entire song.

And as a fan Jonny (my favourite member) and his guitar work, of course I wanted to see a bit more of Jonny's unique riffs or maybe even a guitar solo. Especially when hearing  it for the very first time, I felt like something was missing. Like many of you. The truth is that if each song had a solo it would lose its magic. But there is actually a bit more Jonny in this song than you might have thought initially.   There are those one-note-riffs during the verses and are actually quite noticeable, if you pay attention to it, especially in the 1st verse.

We mustn't forget about Will in this song. Because his backing vocals are so good and luckily quite audible at some points! I really love Will's work on this song. It's just good, it goes together very well with Guy's basslines, and it sounds different from any other Coldplay drumbeat.

Edited May 7, 2021 by Gideon_Mx

[I ran away]

1 hour ago, Gideon_Mx said:

The intro of Higher Power is very interesting and sounding good. Didn't see it coming!

It seems that quite a few are also a big fan of the bridge apparently. It just feels like they added this part just to fill the song. In my opinion it also has the worst lyrics of the entire song.

Amen to that!

[Doomotron]

Perhaps the real song was the friends we made along the way.

[Gideon_Mx]

By the way, Higher Power is ''just the single'' after all. There will certainly be more interesting and maybe more guitar driven songs that could surprise us on the next Coldplay record. Higher Power is definitely not a generic pop song. It's more of an experimental song with pop-rock feel to it. It sounds as if they are trying to experiment with different styles of music (Asian influence, 80s etc) which is really nice.

It's not their best song ever but that doesn't mean it isn't a good song. Higher Power is a good song and a really great single! I love the atmosphere of the whole thing. The choruses are really great! And there is a lot of variety.

The last chorus + outro is maybe my favourite part of the whole song, when everything comes together with the beautiful (backing) vocals by the choir, Will's backing vocals and also Jonny's guitar a bit louder finally, and with Chris' higher vocals! A really positive thing about Higher Power is that the song itself looks much longer because there is so much happening in those 3:20 minutes!!! And Max Martin has also done a great job mixing it. You can also just feel that the band enjoyed making/writing this song   It's so full of joy, epic, full of happiness and it is uplifting.

Edited May 7, 2021 by Gideon_Mx

[Gideon_Mx]

14 hours ago, Captain Crieff said:

First of all, you might have read the official lyrics by now but in case you haven't, he doesn't sing "just go ahead and kill me", the lyric is "drocer nekorb a ekil mi", I'm like a broken record backwards so none of what you're describing is going on there, luckily.

 

13 hours ago, IcebatofvalikinRRBZ8 said:

It’s actually I’m Like A Broken Record backwards. However the words: I’m Like and Record aren’t pronounced correctly, I guess that’s part of being a broken record as well.

Really??? How do you all know that? Did they tell about it in an interview (I haven't watched any of the interviews yet)?

[the_escapist]

Someone who sings in the song is also enjoying its recent release! ?

 

Edited May 7, 2021 by the_escapist

[AnaMarie]

3 hours ago, Gideon_Mx said:

Funny to see people compare Higher Power with songs like Birds or Hurts Like Heaven, because those songs are actually very different to be completely honest here. The only thing that this song does have in common is the rhythm maybe. It's around the same tempo as HLH (Birds is much faster). But there are no clear similarities. HP has a different feel to it. Birds is a fast (nearly semi-acoustic) song with a prominent role for the electric guitar. The very upbeat Hurts Like Heaven has got a lot of guitar(riffs) too but it's got a more electronic sound to it.

While higher Power sounds like a spacey poprock track that makes you feel like you're travelling through space around the planets and it might have some Asian vibes as well. Yes, it's a fast song and upbeat, just like HLH (or Birds). Yet is completely something else. IMO it's totally different from any other song Coldplay have ever made which is a really good thing!

The intro of Higher Power is very interesting and sounding good. Didn't see it coming!  It seems that quite a few are also a big fan of the bridge apparently. It just feels like they added this part just to fill the song. In my opinion it also has the worst lyrics of the entire song.

And as a fan Jonny (my favourite member) and his guitar work, of course I wanted to see a bit more of Jonny's unique riffs or maybe even a guitar solo. Especially when hearing  it for the very first time, I felt like something was missing. Like many of you. The truth is that if each song had a solo it would lose its magic. But there is actually a bit more Jonny in this song than you might have thought initially.   There are those one-note-riffs during the verses and are actually quite noticeable, if you pay attention to it, especially in the 1st verse.

We mustn't forget about Will in this song. Because his backing vocals are so good and luckily quite audible at some points! I really love Will's work on this song. It's just good, it goes together very well with Guy's basslines, and it sounds different from any other Coldplay drumbeat.

You wrote down everything I was thinking!!! Couldn’t agree more! ??

[I ran away]

Official instrumental of Higher Power:

 

[Sammoga]

The truth is that I think similar to you, although I expected it to be more like HLH (I mean increase the intensity to break into a great solo) that's probably why I like the ending part and the chorus, makes me want to do skateboarding or parkour, I am also surprised by the choirs, it is the first time that they are not so in the second voice, and that Will sing too, Although I hope that some other member will sing even a song, but I see it difficult if it is not live. And I still don't understand why they call it pop, it sounds more like sythwave to me, even on previous albums, there is still some rock, I definitely think the second single will be the best, and with the album even more, although depending, but I think that with the release of the album, it is possible that I no longer listen to it as much as now (it happens to me with Orphans but with Arabasque things have changed ?)

[harrisonrules]

4 hours ago, I ran away said:

Official instrumental of Higher Power:

 

That bass

[SAU3R]

I’m disappointed tbh… every single song on EL, even the poppier songs Orphans and COTW, was more interesting than Higher Power.. it’s just SO generic. Sure Guys bassline and the last chorus lift it up a bit, but after EL was a real masterpiece imo, I’m disappointed 

Edit: hey everybody btw, my first post on here, I’ve been lurking a while and now decided to join the discussion 

Edited May 8, 2021 by SAU3R

[Coeurli]

Quick charts update from yesterday:

- Climbing on Apple Music US and UK (#23)

- #1 on iTunes Worldwide

- Global Digital Artist ranking: #4 (best selling band)

- And the song is allover Spotify

source : @cponcharts on Twitter

Keep streaming everyone!  

[Captain Crieff]

11 hours ago, Gideon_Mx said:

 

Really??? How do you all know that? Did they tell about it in an interview (I haven't watched any of the interviews yet)?

not sure, I read it somewhere on Twitter I think but yeah, it fits

[42Escapist]

I'm interested to hear how the song sounds when it's played live. The album version of Hurts Like Heaven sounds like more of "synth-pop" song and less of a "rock" song in comparison to the live versions. I like the album version a lot, but the live versions sound more energetic and slightly less electronic. Higher Power could end up being the same way.

[42JTR]

I don't really get why people think the song is so 'generic'. It's catchy yes (we're used to this since the last decade with Coldplay singles) but in my opinion not that generic as most people seem to argue about. Here are some reasons why:

• There are a lot of interesting things happening in the backgrond:
  • Jonny's little guitar riffs and noises (I agree, I wish Jonny would be a little more present or audible, but it works for me. I hope he will be more present during the live performances (like SJLT/Paradise/HLH).
  • The synths are like the best synths they've ever done in a song
  • The drum beats, percussion and tempo changes 
  • Guy's bass, like he's never played it before and which is very present througout the song
  • The alien-ish sounds and voices
  • The Love Choir
• The lyrics are, well, just ''Chris'' lyrics, I've never paid much attention to lyrics anyway. I've come to accept that this just is his way of expressing certain emotions, feelings and relatabilty to the world. And come on ''Look at the stars, look how they shine for you, they were all yellow'' isn't quite deep nor poetic either.

Edited May 8, 2021 by 42JTR

[Coeurli]

By the way I didn't see the link here so i'm posting it just in case! 

Here's an example of a playlist that's made to help get these numbers up on Spotify!  

A few rules to follow so that your streams are actually counted by Spotify (they easily assume you're a bot otherwise):

1) Don't loop the playlist [let another song play before starting the playlist again] 2) Skip 3 songs per hour [not Higher Power ofc] 3) Turn off autoplay to avoid random songs popping up [HOME > SETTINGS > PLAYBACK]

You can make your own playlist with other songs as fillers and respect the same rules!

Let's go!  

[Westminster]

Well, at the first few listens i prefered the ending of the song, when all comes together. I still like it a lot,though. 

But now i adore everything until the start of the last chorus (which is great,still!)

Especially the beginning and the verses - you know the feeling listening to a song and feeling really cool and in a fantastic mood, almost Zen. On top of everything. There are only a very few songs that create that. Higher Power is now one of them. Morning Glory (the song) by Oasis is another example. Even though that doesnt mean these songs are all sublime - it's just the feeling they deliver.

Anyone with me on this one?

Edited May 8, 2021 by Westminster

[LisaFeehily]

The launch was super exciting, I really enjoyed watching the interview with Thomas Pesquet.

The song itself is nice, easy to listen to and very upbeat. 

Overall, I'd probably enjoy the song more if it had been mixed differently and without the choir. I find that in some parts of the song the arrangement is kind of drowning out Chris's vocals and the other instruments. It's like a beautiful picture that's been photoshopped a bit too much and has had too many stickers and text added on it. 

It'll be interesting to see how the song will sound when performed live and how the album will compare.

Edited May 11, 2021 by LisaFeehily

[I ran away]

9 hours ago, SAU3R said:

I’m disappointed tbh… every single song on EL, even the poppier songs Orphans and COTW, was more interesting than Higher Power.. it’s just SO generic. Sure Guys bassline and the last chorus lift it up a bit, but after EL was a real masterpiece imo, I’m disappointed 

Edit: hey everybody btw, my first post on here, I’ve been lurking a while and now decided to join the discussion 

Welcome to the forums!

And yeah I absolutely agree with you.

[Coeurli]

Will & Guy confirmed on the interview below that Higher Power was partly recorded in Berlin last year!

I assume the same studio where they performed that one legendary set live on IG!  

 

 

[nvdmm]

I've been listening to 'Flags' and 'Trouble In Town' nonstop to cleanse my soul from this gibberish! 

[deltadon]

Anyone get shipping notification for cd single ? 

[The_Blue_Room]

I'm also a bit disappointed by the song..... When Arabesque was released back in 2019, it was so exciting, like they were finally doing something NEW and interesting, and when Everyday Life came out it was reassurance that they hadn't lost the desire to experiment like back in the VLV days.... meanwhile this feels like a regression back to the dark days of AHFOD

[maeli]

30 minutes ago, deltadon said:

Anyone get shipping notification for cd single ? 

Yes on Tuesday…

[Reflektor!]

Well, I'm loving it. Sure, if you compare it to Arabesque or Violet Hill, it's nowhere near as adventurous or deep, but why would you? That's not what this is trying to be. It's a nocturnal, catchy, love-drunk pop song. And it's a good one. At this stage I'm just accepting that Coldplay have given me so much of my all-time favourite music, they're entitled to go where their hearts lead. Personally, yeah, I'd prefer more Viva and Everyday Life vibes. But they want to do 80's synthwave dance? Go for it. With a song as rich, catchy, vibrant, and fun as this, I'm on-board. 

Excited for more journeys into the inter-galactic pop universe this year. Just take the songs for what they are, and you might enjoy them a  lot more.