Hymn for the Weekend explained

Hymn for the Weekend
Cover:Coldplay, Hymn for the Weekend, Artwork.jpg
Border:yes
Type:single
Artist:Coldplay
Album:A Head Full of Dreams
Released:25 January 2016
Recorded:2015
Genre:
Chronology:Coldplay
Prev Title:Adventure of a Lifetime
Prev Year:2015
Next Title:Up&Up
Next Year:2016

"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 (Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, and Chris Martin), 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.[1]

"Hymn for the Weekend" reached number six on the UK Singles Chart and also reached the top twenty in countries such as Switzerland, Ireland, France, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Italy and Spain. In the US, with the Seeb remix, the song reached number 25 on the US Billboard Hot 100.[2] A music video for the song was released on 29 January 2016 and features Coldplay in various cities in India, with Beyoncé performing in some scenes. It also featured Indian Bollywood actress Sonam Kapoor in a brief role.

Background

The song was debuted on Annie Mac's BBC radio show on 30 November 2015. According to Berryman, lead singer Chris Martin originally wanted the song to be a party song with the lyrics "drinks on me, drinks on me", but his bandmates didn't think that would go well with their fans. Martin's longtime friend Beyoncé was asked to sing on the song, and she accepted the request.[3]

Martin corroborated Berryman's story about the band protesting him singing, "Drinks on me, drinks on me" in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. According to Martin, the original kernel was that he "was listening to Flo Rida or something", and he thought, "it's such a shame that Coldplay could never have one of those late-night club songs, like "Turn Down for What". I thought I'd like to have a song called 'Drinks on Me' where you sit on the side of a club and buy everyone drinks because you're so fucking cool," Martin recalled. "I was chuckling about that, when this melody came, 'drinks on me, drinks on me', then the rest of the song came out. I presented it to the rest of the band and they said, 'We love this song, but there's no way you can sing "drinks on me."' So that changed into 'drink from me' and the idea of having an angelic person in your life. Then that turned into asking Beyoncé to sing on it."[4]

Composition

"Hymn for the Weekend" is written in the key of C minor set in a time signature at a moderate tempo of 90 beats per minute.[5]

Critical reception

"Hymn for the Weekend" received generally positive reviews from critics. Jody Rosen of Billboard called it "the album's grooviest".[6] Helen Brown of The Daily Telegraph wrote: "Beyoncé makes more of her appearance on 'Hymn for the Weekend', bringing her chunky harmonies and no-nonsense brass section to a peppy little excursion into indie R&B which opens with a paradisiacal fanfare and finds Martin dropping out of his falsetto autopilot into a more raw voice".[7] Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe wrote "it's with the third track, 'Hymn for the Weekend', that the album truly lifts off on the wings of an angelic choir (including Beyoncé), a swaggering piano, and a euphoric, lightly funky track bolstering Martin's exclamations of feeling high."[8]

In a mixed review, Carl Williot of Idolator wrote, "The Beyoncé-assisted 'Hymn for the Weekend' almost equals (the album's) energy, but it lacks the drama of 'Princess of China'", adding, that as a track featuring Beyoncé "you'd expect a show-stopping moment." He concluded "the guys sound like total goobers trying to do the club swagger thing, like a drunk dad doing the rap dance du jour at a wedding".[9] 3voor12 ranked it among the best songs of the year.[10]

Music video

According to The Times of India, the music video was shot in October 2015 at various Indian cities including Worli Village, Mumbai, and Kolkata. The fort showcased at the start and in between is Fort Vasai in Vasai, Mumbai. Scenes were also shot at the Maratha Mandir theatre, which is known for showcasing a single film, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, for over 22 consecutive years. The video is themed on the Indian festival of Holi and was filmed by Ben Mor, being released on 29 January 2016.[11] [12] It features Beyoncé and Indian actress Sonam Kapoor.[13] With 2.67 billion views on YouTube, "Hymn for the Weekend" is Coldplay's most-viewed video and the second-most featuring the band, behind the Chainsmokers' lyric video for "Something Just Like This". Luminate Data reported the song "had the most total combined audio and video streams globally in 2022",[14] with 35.9 million views coming from Canada, and 434.5 million from the United States.[15]

In other media

See also: List of cover versions of Coldplay songs. On 22 November 2016, the song was made available as downloadable content for the music video game Rock Band 4.

Live performance

The song was performed for the first time during the 2016 Brit Awards on 24 February 2016.[16] [17]

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from A Head Full of Dreams liner notes.[18]

Coldplay

Additional musicians

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2016–2024)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Argentina (Monitor Latino)[19] 12
Ecuador (National-Report)[20] 13
Greece Digital Songs (Billboard)[21] 3
Greece International (IFPI)[22] 18
Iceland (RÚV)[23] 1
Italy Airplay (EarOne)[24] 1
Lebanon (The Official Lebanese Top 20)[25] 1
Mexico (Billboard Ingles Airplay)[26] 4
Malaysia (Billboard)[27] 15
Malaysia International (RIM)[28] 12
New Zealand Heatseekers (RMNZ)[29] 3
Serbia (Radiomonitor)[30] 5
Singapore (RIAS)[31] 5
Slovenia (SloTop50)[32] 10

Year-end charts

Chart (2016)! scope="col"
Position
Argentina (Monitor Latino)[33] 26
Australia (ARIA)[34] 79
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[35] 23
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[36] 24
Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia)[37] 3
Brazil (Brasil Hot 100)[38] 66
CIS (Tophit)[39] 10
Denmark (Tracklisten)[40] 30
France (SNEP)[41] 12
Germany (Official German Charts)[42] 28
Hungary (Rádiós Top 40)[43] 74
Hungary (Single Top 40)[44] 15
Iceland (Plötutíóindi)[45] 2
Israel (Media Forest)[46] 2
Italy (FIMI)[47] 4
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[48] 51
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[49] 20
Poland (ZPAV)[50] 2
Russia Airplay (Tophit)[51] 6
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[52] 11
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[53] 9
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[54] 8
Ukraine Airplay (Tophit)[55] 61
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[56] 21
US Billboard Hot 100[57] 73
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[58] 26
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[59] 7
Chart (2017)Position
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[60] 104
France (SNEP)[61] 159
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[62] 97
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[63] 36

Release history

CountryDateFormatVersionLabel
Italy5 February 2016Contemporary hit radioOriginalWarner[64]
Various25 January 2016Digital downloadSeeb RemixParlophone
United States26 April 2016Contemporary hit radioOriginalAtlantic[65]

Notes and References

  1. News: Coldplay and Beyoncé's video for 'Hymn for the Weekend' Is Not Cultural Appropriation but Cultural Appreciation. 20 December 2021 . Huffington Post.
  2. Web site: An Interview With Seeb, The Duo That Can Remix Any Song Into A Hit. Hugh. McIntyre. . 31 August 2017. 21 April 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180421234202/https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2016/09/23/an-interview-with-seeb-the-duo-that-can-make-any-song-a-hit/#45a207c262d8. live.
  3. Hear Coldplay, Beyoncé's Clubby, Dreamlike 'Hymn for the Weekend'. Grow. Kory. 30 November 2015. Rolling Stone. 31 August 2017. 15 November 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171115205001/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/hear-coldplay-beyonces-clubby-dreamlike-hymn-for-the-weekend-20151130. live.
  4. Hear Beyonce on Coldplay's 'Hymn for the Weekend' Preview. Platon. Adelle. 24 November 2015. Billboard. 24 December 2015. 16 June 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200616151904/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/6777012/coldplay-beyonce-hymn-for-the-weekend-snippet. live.
  5. Web site: Coldplay "Hymn for the Weekend" Sheet Music in C Minor . musicnotes.com . 23 December 2015 . 25 July 2017 . 13 September 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170913181330/http://www.musicnotes.com/sheetmusic/mtd.asp?ppn=MN0159572 . live .
  6. Coldplay, A Head Full of Dreams, Billboard review. Billboard. 4 December 2015. 4 December 2015. Rosen. Jody. 6 December 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20151206092320/http://www.billboard.com/articles/review/6785592/coldplay-a-head-full-of-dreams-album-review. live.
  7. News: Coldplay, A Head Full of Dreams, album review: 'Coldplay get their groove back with Beyoncé' . . 3 December 2015 . 4 December 2015 . Brown . Helen . 4 December 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151204060018/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/coldplay-a-head-full-of-dreams-album-review-coldplay-get-their-g/ . live .
  8. News: 'Dreams' come true for joyous Coldplay. Rodman. Sarah. 2 December 2015. 2 February 2016. The Boston Globe. 15 February 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160215205434/https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2015/12/02/album-review-coldplay-head-full-dreams/Vh30SEtLQyV9v5ITr61V6I/story.html. live.
  9. Web site: Coldplay's 'A Head Full Of Dreams': Review – Idolator. Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on Idolator.com. 4 December 2015.
  10. Web site: 16 December 2016 . De Staat's Make the Call Is 3voor12 Song Van Het Jaar 2016 . De Staat's Make The Call Is 3voor12 Song of the Year 2016 . live . https://archive.today/20240109024950/https://3voor12.vpro.nl/artikelen/overzicht/2016/song16/Top-100.html . 9 January 2024 . 9 January 2024 . 3voor12.
  11. Web site: Ben Mor – Instagram. Instagram. 29 January 2016. 24 July 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180724215738/https://www.instagram.com/p/BBGXbEzEYPv/. live.
  12. Web site: Black Dog Films – Instagram. https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/s/instagram/BBGgH5lvi8Y . 26 December 2021 . registration. Instagram. 29 January 2016.
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  14. Web site: 11 January 2023 . Canada 2022: Luminate Year-End Music Report . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230112131632/https://luminatedata.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Luminate_Canada-YearEndReport_2022_FINAL.pdf . 12 January 2023 . 12 January 2023 . Luminate.
  15. Web site: 11 January 2023 . United States 2022: Luminate Year-End Music Report . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230112135914/https://luminatedata.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Luminate_US-YearEndReport_2022_FINAL.pdf . 12 January 2023 . 12 January 2023 . Luminate .
  16. Coldplay brings 'Hymn for the Weekend' to the 2016 Brit Awards. Billboard. 17 March 2016. 12 February 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200212111203/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/6889478/coldplay-hymn-for-the-weekend-brit-awards-2016. live.
  17. Web site: Coldplay - Hymn For The Weekend (Live at The BRIT Awards 2016). 24 February 2016 . YouTube. 26 March 2016. 24 March 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160324120815/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jgIMEk19JM. live.
  18. Coldplay. A Head Full of Dream. 2015. booklet. Parlophone. 1053933969.
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  26. Coldplay Chart History (Mexico Ingles Airplay) . . 24 May 2021.
  27. Coldplay Chart History (Malaysia Songs). Billboard. 5 December 2023.
  28. Web site: TOP 20 Most Streamed International Singles In Malaysia Week 20 (12/05/2023-18/05/2023). RIM. 27 May 2023. 27 May 2023. Facebook.
  29. Web site: NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart. Recorded Music NZ. 25 March 2016. 31 March 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180331175207/https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/singles?chart=4211. live.
  30. Web site: Serbia - Radio airplay chart (Settimana 19.2016). RadioAirplay. it. August 18, 2020. 22 September 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200922183407/http://radioairplay.fm/classifiche-musicali/classifiche/serbia/radio-airplay/19-2016/. live.
  31. Web site: RIAS Top Charts Week 5 (26 Jan - 1 Feb 2024). RIAS. 6 February 2024. 6 February 2024. https://archive.today/20240206113709/https://www.rias.org.sg/rias-top-charts/.
  32. Web site: SloTop50 – Slovenian official singles chart. slotop50.si. 26 August 2018. 2 April 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190402131209/https://www.slotop50.si/Glasbene-lestvice/Tedenske-lestvice/?year=2016&week=14. live.
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  64. Release date in Italian to contemporary hit radio:
  65. Web site: Top 40/M Future Releases. All Access Music Group. https://web.archive.org/web/20160420075014/http://www.allaccess.com/top40-mainstream/future-releases. 20 April 2016. live . 26 April 2016.

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