Let Somebody Go

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"Let Somebody Go"
Let Somebody Go.jpeg
Single by Coldplay and Selena Gomez
from the album Music of the Spheres
Released7 February 2022
Recorded2019–2021
Genre
Length4:01
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Coldplay singles chronology
"My Universe"
(2021) 		"Let Somebody Go"
(2022) 		"People of the Pride"
(2022)
Selena Gomez singles chronology
"999"
(2021) 		"Let Somebody Go"
(2022)
Music video
"Let Somebody Go" on YouTube

"Let Somebody Go" is a song by British rock band Coldplay and American singer Selena Gomez, recorded for the band's ninth studio album, Music of the Spheres. The song was produced by Max Martin, Oscar Holter, Rik Simpson, Daniel Green, and Bill Rahko, and co-produced by Metro Boomin. The song was released for digital download and streaming through Parlophone as the third single from Music of the Spheres on 7 February 2022.

Writing and production[]

Creative director Phil Harvey stated both him and Martin have been fans of Gomez, commenting she has a "unique, evocative and mysterious" tone.[1] He initially tried to persuade the band to include the song in their eighth album Everyday Life (2019).[2] Meanwhile, Martin noted "she's an angel" and her voice is in what he "would call 'the Rihanna bag' which are voices that are gifts to humanity".[3] Bassist Guy Berryman explained the collaboration:[4]

"This is just a really lovely ballad. And quite early on we realized it needed a female counterpart to the vocal." He added, "And we were very grateful that when we asked Selena to sing on it, she loved the song and was happy to do so. Collaborations in general are something that we've done more of recently. We never really used to do it before. When we were younger, we kind of locked ourselves in a room and felt we had to prove everything ourselves. But I think as time has gone on, it's become more interesting for us to work with other people from different parts of the world, different genres. It just adds color and character to the music".

They finished the track together in April 2021. Martin credited his daughter Apple in the writing, saying she "gave me this amazing chord that I'd never thought of. So she's on there".[5]

Music video[]

A space-themed lyric video featuring animated handwritten lyrics was released on 15 October 2021. The video was directed by Pilar Zeta and Victor Scorrano and depicts Calypso, one of the celestial bodies in the fictional solar system The Spheres.[6] A music video directed by Dave Meyers was announced on 3 February 2022, and was released on 7 February 2022.[7] The music video was filmed in October 2021.

Live performances[]

"Let Somebody Go" was first performed live on The Late Late Show with James Corden by Coldplay and Selena Gomez on the show's 18 October 2021 episode.[8] On 2 February 2022, Chris Martin performed a solo version of the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.[9]

Critical reception[]

"Let Somebody Go" was considered by most critics as a highlight for the album. Jon Dolan from Rolling Stone called it a "soft-focus study in post-breakup solemnity that's got more warmth and grace than most artists' crushed-out valentines".[10] The track was also named one of the best songs of the year by Aftonbladet, citing it as a "delicious music with only one signal: Chris Martin's habit of writing howling and presumptuous arena signs",[11] and Cosmopolitan, which considered the collaboration "unexpectedly awesome".[12]

Personnel[]

Coldplay
Additional musicians
Technical personnel

Charts[]

Weekly chart performance for "Let Somebody Go"
Chart (2021–2022) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[13] 66
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[14] 69
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[15] 45
Czech Republic (Singles Digitál Top 100)[16] 78
France (SNEP)[17] 115
Germany (Official German Charts)[18] 74
Global 200 (Billboard)[19] 32
Hungary (Single Top 40)[20] 34
Ireland (IRMA)[21] 25
Lithuania (AGATA)[22] 40
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[23] 53
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[24] 4
Norway (VG-lista)[25] 19
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[26] 26
Portugal (AFP)[27] 44
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[28] 99
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[29] 53
South Africa (RISA)[30] 70
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[31] 98
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[32] 28
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[33] 27
UK Singles (OCC)[34] 24
US Billboard Hot 100[35] 91
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[36] 34
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[37] 9

Release history[]

Country Date Format Label Ref.
Various 7 February 2022
Parlophone [38]
Italy 11 February 2022 Contemporary hit radio Warner [39]
United States 14 February 2022 Adult contemporary radio Atlantic [40]

References[]

  1. ^ "Chris and I in particular have been big Selena Gomez fans for the longest time. She has such a unique, evocative, mysterious voice. Phil". Twitter. 19 October 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ^ "Phil Harvey - Alien Radio On Stationhead". Coldplaying. 20 October 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ^ "Chris Martin Shares Why Coldplay Wanted to Work With Selena Gomez & More". On Air With Ryan Seacrest. 14 October 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  4. ^ Bailey, Alyssa (2021-10-15). "Selena Gomez and Coldplay's 'Let Somebody Go' Has Brutal Lyrics About Heartbreak". Elle. Retrieved 2022-02-07.
  5. ^ "Coldplay's music gets galactic: Band experiment with waves of airy melodies for 'Music of the Spheres'". The Economic Times. October 14, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  6. ^ "Coldplay, Selena Gomez - Let Somebody Go Video". Contact Music. October 15, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ^ Sky Hulton, Anna (February 4, 2022). "Coldplay's duet with Selena Gomez is coming sooner than we thought