Track 02 - Higher Power | Music of the Spheres

[Captain Crieff]

Also I agree Jonny's guitar shouldn't have been buried in the mix in the studio version goddammit whose idea was that?? I just want to talk 

[Bauk]

I can't believe the amount of interviews especially Chris and Jonny have done, and in every interview they keep being to thoughtful and nice. Chris is always noticing someone's art in the background, tattoo on an arm, etc. and being so polite. I can't imagine I would be able to answer the same questions for a million times in such a way! Not being able to travel must be a relief for them though, so they can just work through these interviews much more efficient. 

First I wanted to watch every interview, but I'm not sure I will finish the whole list, since there are so many? And also because most of the questions are the same, so we can already predict the answers. But still, they alwasy manage to put a smile upon my face with their good mood ?

[HowCouldIForget]

I can't listen to the live version. I can't. It'll dim my view of the studio version big time. I remember hearing the live version of Everglow and I'm like who the HELL took Jonny out of this song? Why do they hate my love of his guitar so? ?

[the_escapist]

I am a total ignorant on music production but it seems to me that they thought that allowing Jonny's guitar to be heard was going to decrease impact of Guy's base. So they decided to give priority to the base.

[HowCouldIForget]

1 hour ago, the_escapist said:

I am a total ignorant on music production but it seems to me that they thought that allowing Jonny's guitar to be heard was going to decrease impact of Guy's base. So they decided to give priority to the base.

That's fair. I guess I never thought of it like that. I think you're right that Guy's bass has been much more prominent on recent albums whereas pre-MX I barely noticed it, period. Maybe on Clocks and Low but that's all that's coming to mind. I know where my preference lies but I dont know. I'm sure there's a political and personal calculus to all of this we don't know about. 

[nvdmm]

Jonny's magic work on American Idol breathes so much life into the song. It's a million times better and I actually liked the version they played. What on earth were they thinking with the studio version?!

[TheBigBadBono]

1 minute ago, nvdmm said:

Jonny's magic work on American Idol breathes so much life into the song. It's a million times better and I actually liked the version they played. What on earth were they thinking with the studio version?!

It's so confusing - the song's clearly a million times better with the guitar so I don't know why he was so obscured and underutilised.

[HowCouldIForget]

8 minutes ago, nvdmm said:

Jonny's magic work on American Idol breathes so much life into the song. It's a million times better and I actually liked the version they played. What on earth were they thinking with the studio version?!

Following what was said above, maybe Guy has just been given preference recently. I feel like Jonny is the least outspoken in the band, so maybe he hears his guitar being tuned out and he's like "they're doing it again" but doesn't say anything. I don't know. It's clear Coldplay isn't going for a rock sound much anymore, even as good as EL was. I really wonder if they'll split one day and Jonny will have something to say about all of this. Coldplay is my favorite band but I can only imagine what kind of amazing stuff we'd get from him on a solo album. I cant imagine what incredible guitar riffs they're rejecting altogether.

Edited May 10, 2021 by HowCouldIForget

[nvdmm]

 

30 minutes ago, HowCouldIForget said:

Following what was said above, maybe Guy has just been given preference recently. I feel like Jonny is the least outspoken in the band, so maybe he hears his guitar being tuned out and he's like "they're doing it again" but doesn't say anything. I don't know. It's clear Coldplay isn't going for a rock sound much anymore, even as good as EL was. I really wonder if they'll split one day and Jonny will have something to say about all of this. Coldplay is my favorite band but I can only imagine what kind of amazing stuff we'd get from him on a solo album. I cant imagine what incredible guitar riffs they're rejecting altogether.

While what Chris says about not giving a fuck about what people think is true, they're very much aware of the opinions of their core fan base, specifically here and on reddit. And people have been overwhelmingly surprised at just how epic that performance was. It wasn't just Jonny either; both Will and Guy also upped the ante. 

I hope the positive reaction sends a message and they act on it immediately. They still have a tonne of time left to finish the album.

[CP-EST]

I'm not really a music expert or a professional sound guy, but there could be a few reasons why they hide the guitar in studio mix. For example, they intentionally let mixing and mastering reflect the current music scene, where there guitar is quite hidden sadly. Also I think they kind of aim the songs sound different for wider audience, so people would notice it more. People who aren't superfans would go "oh, kind of sounds like every other Coldplay song with this colourful guitar melody". In this case they sacrifice guitar in studio version to let the other elements get attention. Also I think they try a bit to confront the audience, be bold and not be afraid to make song unexpectedly synth orientated in studio version. Lastly, I think they know that their songs in live always sound better and have more energy, so letting different elements shine in live performance will make people surprised and have a bigger "wow effect"

I think both studio and live mixes are actually really well done, but the live mix really lets the band shine. In studio version you might not even get the feeling of band playing. In live performance all of them shine, but Jonny definitely stands out more.

Anyway, it definitely would be interesting to hear some comments about it from their sound guys or any top level sound guys. 

Edited May 10, 2021 by CP-EST

[Coeurli]

5 hours ago, nvdmm said:

 

While what Chris says about not giving a fuck about what people think is true, they're very much aware of the opinions of their core fan base, specifically here and on reddit. And people have been overwhelmingly surprised at just how epic that performance was. It wasn't just Jonny either; both Will and Guy also upped the ante. 

I hope the positive reaction sends a message and they act on it immediately. They still have a tonne of time left to finish the album.

Chris does not know fans' opinions, like at all. He's actually said that in one of the release day interviews. The rest of the band sometimes get filtered updates from Phil who I assume gets them from other folks.... So, no, I don't think they are necessarily very aware of the opinion of their core fanbase either on here or on reddit. I assume they lurk every once in a while to test the waters, but that's just a theory. And they do not take fans' opinions into account to make their music (thankfully)!

5 hours ago, CP-EST said:

I'm not really a music expert or a professional sound guy, but there could be a few reasons why they hide the guitar in studio mix. For example, they intentionally let mixing and mastering reflect the current music scene, where there guitar is quite hidden sadly. Also I think they kind of aim the songs sound different for wider audience, so people would notice it more. People who aren't superfans would go "oh, kind of sounds like every other Coldplay song with this colourful guitar melody". In this case they sacrifice guitar in studio version to let the other elements get attention. Also I think they try a bit to confront the audience, be bold and not be afraid to make song unexpectedly synth orientated in studio version. Lastly, I think they know that their songs in live always sound better and have more energy, so letting different elements shine in live performance will make people surprised and have a bigger "wow effect"

I think both studio and live mixes are actually really well done, but the live mix really lets the band shine. In studio version you might not even get the feeling of band playing. In live performance all of them shine, but Jonny definitely stands out more.

Anyway, it definitely would be interesting to hear some comments about it from their sound guys or any top level sound guys. 

Great points!!!

I do agree with most people here that Jonny's part is so cool, the studio version could have benefited from it perhaps, or could have been even better. That being said, it's a great point that they're trying to be bolder than before in terms of what the song is supposed to sound like. That's actually what they keep saying over and over again in the Higher Power interviews. They keep saying that they went where the song led them. If you're looking for an underlying meaning, I think that explains their deliberate choice to tune down the guitar a bit, and have a different version for Live performances. I'm not opposed to it at all - IF we eventually get a proper release of that live performance cause it's just dreamy  

[LisaFeehily]

I suppose no matter what they release there'll always be people who love it and people who don't. Comments on here and on Youtube seem to be very mixed. 

I also preferred the live version. There's something beautiful about actually being able to hear all band members. I'm still not sure if I love the synths in the chorus. Chris's vocals were next level!! 

I'd be curious to know who exactly they consider to be their core fan base these days. regardless, they clearly wanted to go big with this song and land a hit, so working with Max Martin makes sense as does the 80s sound. I checked out Max's track record and saw many, many extremely popular songs but honestly not many that I'd say I love. Normally, I do enjoy a lot of mainstream songs as well as 80s music so maybe it's something about his style, it definitely is when I compare HP live vs the recorded version. 

It's hard to predict which songs will be successful and which ones won't. Bruno Mars for example just ignored all the trends and created something completely different and it took off. 

 

[Gideon_Mx]

It's just for the radio and the wider audience! I love both versions so much. The official audio is just so well mixed and is nice to hear on the radio while the live version gives the song this energy boost and you get blown away by the amazing and unique riffs by our Jonny. Actually, it's also quite fun that the original's so different from the live version(s). If Jonny's guitar on the record were exactly like what it sounds like during live performances, it wouldn't have such a ''wow effect'' and wouldn't be THAT exciting anymore!

Edited May 11, 2021 by Gideon_Mx

[dxm3557]

Well, since people are talking about the lack of Jonny's guitar on the song, I posted this on Reddit and Discord, maybe this will be a nice place to post it as well.

"Hey everyone! A couple days I posted the studio version of Higher Power with Jonny's live guitar included on it. But, as that file was named, it was just an initial test, I was looking for some feedbacks and I just spent the last day trying to improve and mix it better, since I found some bits of the test version a little distracting and too over the top. I highed up Jonny way too much lol 

Anyways, now it's better mixed, equalized, and, hey, we have Jonny now properly on the song!! Again, the guitar parts are included on the verses and the bridge. Hope you enjoy!"

https://drive.google.com/file/d/187YXixo_X7Q4O1IjfhEElGFSNtBGf4G2/view?usp=drivesdk

[I ran away]

8 hours ago, Gideon_Mx said:

If Jonny's guitar on the record were exactly like what it sounds like during live performances, it wouldn't have such a ''wow effect'' and wouldn't be THAT exciting anymore!

Sorry, but I don't get that reasoning. No one makes a song purposefully worse in the studion version (which will forever and always be the definitive, standard version of that song, like it or not) so that people are surprised that it sounds better live.

[Strawberry Swinger]

What a terrible song in every aspect. I can't stand it. It is embarrassing. 
Loved Everyday Life and I just knew the next thing would be shit. Hope I am wrong when it comes to the album... But I doubt it.

[Strawberry Swinger]

On 5/7/2021 at 3:36 PM, Eskapist said:

Well, I wouldn't want Coldplay to release a second Everyday Life 2 years after because i needed something more joyful and bright to be honest haha.

 

I think Higher Power is a better pop-lead single than Orphans and AOAL. ETIAW is still top 1 to me but i really like it so far. 

Yet you don't seem to mind that they are releasing Mylo Xyloto 3.

 

[nvdmm]

1 hour ago, I ran away said:

Sorry, but I don't get that reasoning. No one makes a song purposefully worse in the studion version (which will forever and always be the definitive, standard version of that song, like it or not) so that people are surprised that it sounds better live.

Yeah it's reminiscent of some of the reasoning people provided here during VLV/MX/AHFOD! "They put Viva la Vida on the album to get people's attention. They don't want to be remembered by Viva la Vida". Well that didn't age well!

[CP-EST]

1 hour ago, I ran away said:

9 hours ago, Gideon_Mx said:

If Jonny's guitar on the record were exactly like what it sounds like during live performances, it wouldn't have such a ''wow effect'' and wouldn't be THAT exciting anymore!

Sorry, but I don't get that reasoning. No one makes a song purposefully worse in the studio version (which will forever and always be the definitive, standard version of that song, like it or not) so that people are surprised that it sounds better live.

Maybe there is too much emphasis on what is worse or better. I think it's about what sounds good in different circumstances. As controversial as it sounds, I now think that studio version wouldn't benefit from the heavy guitar very much and they made right choice to go all in with synths. Heavy guitar is actually overwhelming to listen when you consider this song for what this song is aiming for - being a synth pop song. In live version though you see them perform and totally rock the song and the guitar has its place there. And they seem to know 100% that Jonny has some amazing guitar stuff in this song, but they are confident enough to leave that for live performance where it has more space for this.

I say it again, the studio version has elements and arrangements which are better than most people actually think at first and being less guitar heavy is doing it a favor. 

[Strawberry Swinger]

6 minutes ago, nvdmm said:

Yeah it's reminiscent of some of the reasoning people provided here during VLV/MX/AHFOD! "They put Viva la Vida on the album to get people's attention. They don't want to be remembered by Viva la Vida". Well that didn't age well!

Viva la Vida is a bloody masterpiece, especially compared to this garbage we have today. 

[Strawberry Swinger]

3 minutes ago, CP-EST said:

Maybe there is too much emphasis on what is worse or better. I think it's about what sounds good in different circumstances. As controversial as it sounds, I now think that studio version wouldn't benefit from the heavy guitar very much and they made right choice to go all in with synths. Heavy guitar is actually overwhelming to listen when you consider this song for what this song is aiming for - being a synth pop song. In live version though you see them perform and totally rock the song and the guitar has its place there. And they seem to know 100% that Jonny has some amazing guitar stuff in this song, but they are confident enough to leave that for live performance where it has more space for this.

I say it again, the studio version has elements and arrangements which are better than most people actually think at first and being less guitar heavy is doing it a favor. 

No pal, they are not confident. It is rather the opposite. They go with the mainstream, guitar is not seen as appealing with the masses and kids who listen to this kind of music. They are very much trying to fit in, desperately. I wish people were a little bit more realistic with this. 

[TheBigBadBono]

3 minutes ago, Strawberry Swinger said:

Viva la Vida is a bloody masterpiece, especially compared to this garbage we have today. 

Garbage is a bit too strong a word and a bit too much of an overstatement - is it mainstream? Very much so. Is it generic? Sort of, but better than other pop songs nowadays. Is it lazy? Yes. Is it catchy? Yes. Is it one of the worst songs Coldplay have made? Not as bad as some of their other singles. Is it one of the worst songs ever made and deserving of all the hate it gets? Certainly not.

I don't hate the song - don't love it either, but I think we'd benefit from a more positive than a pessimistic mindset. It isn't garbage - it certainly isn't great and isn't as good as their better singles and older songs, but to call it garbage ignores all the good elements the song has.

3 minutes ago, Strawberry Swinger said:

No pal, they are not confident. It is rather the opposite. They go with the mainstream, guitar is not seen as appealing with the masses and kids who listen to this kind of music. They are very much trying to fit in, desperately. I wish people were a little bit more realistic with this. 

Lmao how can you say they're not confident? Have you watched the interviews? Have you seen how much they're promoting it? Yes they're aiming to get the song as much airplay as possible which I don't agree with much, but they seem their most confident since Viva La Vida. I wouldn't call it desperately either. You want people to be more realistic about this but then go on to call the song garbage and make all sorts of stupid assumptions and exaggerations just to show how disappointed you are.

[CP-EST]

2 minutes ago, Strawberry Swinger said:

No pal, they are not confident. It is rather the opposite. They go with the mainstream, guitar is not seen as appealing with the masses and kids who listen to this kind of music. They are very much trying to fit in, desperately. I wish people were a little bit more realistic with this. 

Guitar is not appealing that's right. And also it doesn't have very much unique to offer anymore. You know a lot of rock and metal artists say these days that writing on guitar isn't inspiring anymore, there isn't very much unique coming out of it. So whether it's about fitting in the current music scene or not being inspired by classic rock elements anymore there is no sign of lack of confidence in here. Being inspired by current music scene, writing a song and making it sound like it's supposed to, what's wrong with that?

[Strawberry Swinger]

I can't believe you guys actually believe this song is heartfelt. This is generic trash made for the masses. If you want something genuine from the band, listen to Everyday Life. The album. I rest my case. 

[TheBigBadBono]

9 minutes ago, CP-EST said:

Guitar is not appealing that's right. And also it doesn't have very much unique to offer anymore. You know a lot of rock and metal artists say these days that writing on guitar isn't inspiring anymore, there isn't very much unique coming out of it. So whether it's about fitting in the current music scene or not being inspired by classic rock elements anymore there is no sign of lack of confidence in here. Being inspired by current music scene, writing a song and making it sound like it's supposed to, what's wrong with that?

I disagree somewhat. Guitar isn't appealing but that doesn't mean it doesn't serve a purpose in making a song better. We saw how much better Higher Power became because of the louder guitar effects in the live version. Coldplay have always succeeded commercially and critically (with certain songs) though with guitar parts in their songs - Charlie Brown, A Head Full of Dreams (the song), Hurts Like Heaven, Major Minus, True Love, Up&Up, Trouble in Town, Champion of the World, Church, Every Teardrop, All I Can Think About is You, Everyday Life, Birds, Don't Let it Break Your Heart, etc. I do disapprove of overnegativity and too much bashing but it is disappointing that guitar was underutilized given how good many of their other songs are. But I do agree with nothing being wrong in being inspired by current music - my issue is that this sounds like trend-chasing at times rather than original inspiration. The song's good, but sometimes the issue is what the song was made for.