Let Somebody Go
single
CoverLet Somebody Go.jpeg
ArtistColdplay and Selena Gomez
AlbumMusic of the Spheres
Released7 February 2022
Recorded2019–2021
Genre
Length
  • (single version)
  • (album version)
  • (piano version)
  • (Kygo remix)
  • (Ofenbach remix)
Label
Writer
Producer
ChronologyColdplay
Prev year2021
Next year2024

"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. It was produced by Max Martin, Oscar Holter, Rik Simpson, Daniel Green and Bill Rahko, with additional production by Metro Boomin. Parlophone released the track as the third single from Music of the Spheres on 7 February 2022 on digital download and streaming platforms. Because the album was nominated for Album Of The Year at 65th Annual Grammy Awards, Selena Gomez received a second nomination as a featured artist thanks to her contribution on that project.

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. The song features lyrics written by Apple Martin, daughter of frontman Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow; the father stated that Apple "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] On 1 November 2022, Coldplay performed the song together with Argentine singer Tini, at Estadio River Plate during their Music of the Spheres World Tour.[10] On 4 October 2023, Coldplay & Selena Gomez performed the song at the Rose Bowl.

Critical reception

"Let Somebody Go" received positive reviews by most critics, who considered it 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".[11] The track was also named one of the best songs of the year by Aftonbladet (#24), as they cited it as a "delicious music with only one signal: Chris Martin's habit of writing howling and presumptuous arena signs".[12] Similarly, Cosmopolitan included it on their "55 Best Songs of 2021" list at number 21 and mentioned the collaboration was "unexpectedly awesome".[13] The New York Post, on the other hand, ranked "Let Somebody Go" as the fifth worst song of 2021, considering it the anti-"Yellow".[14]

Accolades

Awards and nominations for "Let Somebody Go"
YearOrganizationCategoryResultRef.
2022NRJ Music AwardInternational Video of the Year[15]
People's Choice AwardsThe Music Video[16]
RTHK International Pop Poll AwardsTop 10 International Gold Songs[17]
2023Art Directors Guild AwardsShort Format: Webseries or Music Video (François Audouy)[18]

Personnel

Coldplay
Additional musicians
Technical personnel

Charts

Weekly chart performance for "Let Somebody Go"
Chart (2021–2023)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[19]66
Italy Airplay (EarOne)[20]29
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard)[21]19
Lithuania (AGATA)[22]40
Mexico Airplay (Billboard)[23]42
Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard)[24]8
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[25]21
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[26]4
San Marino (SMRRTV Top 50)[27]21
Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100)[28]53
South Africa (RISA)[29]70
South Korea BGM (Gaon)[30]95
South Korea Download (Gaon)[31]94

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Let Somebody Go"
CountryDateFormatVersionLabelRef.
Various7 February 2022Digital download · streamingOriginalParlophone · Atlantic[32]
Italy11 February 2022Radio airplayWarner[33]
United States14 February 2022Adult contemporary radioAtlantic[34]
Various4 March 2022Digital download · streamingSingleParlophone · Atlantic[35]
11 March 2022Kygo remix[36]
18 March 2022Piano[37]
15 April 2022Ofenbach remix[38]

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.
  2. ^ "Phil Harvey - Alien Radio On Stationhead". Coldplaying. 20 October 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  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 (15 October 2021). "Selena Gomez and Coldplay's 'Let Somebody Go' Has Brutal Lyrics About Heartbreak". Elle. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  5. ^ "Coldplay's music gets galactic: Band experiment with waves of airy melodies for 'Music of the Spheres'". The Economic Times. 14 October 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Coldplay, Selena Gomez - Let Somebody Go Video". Contact Music. 15 October 2021. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  7. ^ Sky Hulton, Anna (4 February 2022). "Coldplay's duet with Selena Gomez is coming sooner than we thought 🙌". Planet Radio. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  8. ^ Zemler, Emily (19 October 2021). "Watch Coldplay, Selena Gomez Showcase 'Let Somebody Go' on 'Corden'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  9. ^ "Coldplay & Selena Gomez collaborative single coming on Monday". WRMF. 3 February 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2022. Coldplay recently performed the song without Selena on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
  10. ^ Villa, Lucas (1 November 2022). "Tini Sang 'Let Somebody Go' With Coldplay During The Band's Tour Stop In Argentina". Uproxx. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  11. ^ Dolan, Jon (15 October 2021). "Coldplay Travel to Space and Redeem Humanity (Again) on 'Music of the Spheres'". Rolling Stone. Archived 16 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  12. ^ "50 Bästa Låtarna 2021" [50 Best Songs of 2021]. Aftonbladet. 24 December 2021. Archived 30 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  13. ^ "Put These New Releases at the Top of Your 2021 Playlist Immediately". Cosmopolitan. 28 October 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  14. ^ Arnold, Chuck (24 December 2021). "The 5 worst songs of 2021 we hope to never hear again". New York Post. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  15. ^ "NRJ Music Awards 2022, le Palmarès: Bigflo & Oli Triomphent, Angèle et M. Pokora Sacrés" [NRJ Music Awards 2022, the Winners: Bigflo & Oli Triumph, Angèle and M. Pokora Crowned] (in French). Pure Charts. 19 November 2022. Archived 12 August 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 14 March 2026.
  16. ^ "People's Choice Awards: Doctor Strange 2, Don't Worry Darling Take Top Prizes". The Hollywood Reporter. 6 December 2022. Archived 7 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  17. ^ "zh:第三十三屆國際流行音樂大獎" [33rd International Pop Poll Awards] (in Chinese). RTHK. Archived from the original on 6 November 2022. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  18. ^ "Elvis, Babylon, Avatar: The Way of Water Lead Art Directors Guild 2023 Nominations". Variety. 9 January 2023. Archived 13 January 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
  19. ^ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 25 October 2021". The ARIA Report. No. 1651. Australian Recording Industry Association. 25 October 2021. p. 4.
  20. ^ "Earone Airplay - Settimana #8 dal 18/02/2022 al 24/02/2022" (in Italian). Earone. 2 February 2022.
  21. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas" (in Japanese). Billboard Japan. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  22. ^ "2021 42-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 22 October 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  23. ^ "Mexico Airplay (Billboard)". Billboard. 26 March 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  24. ^ "Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard)". Billboard. 26 March 2022. Retrieved 26 March 2022.
  25. ^ "Tipparade-lijst van week 11, 2022" (in dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 19 March 2023.
  26. ^ "NZ Hot Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  27. ^ "Top 50 – Radio San Marino RTV – 21/03/2022" (in Italian). San Marino RTV. 21 March 2024. Archived 21 March 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 5 August 2024.
  28. ^ "ČNS IFPI". IFPI ČR. Note: Select SK SINGLES DIGITAL TOP 100 and insert 202142 into search. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  29. ^ "Local & International Streaming Chart Top 100: Week 42". The Official South African Charts. Recording Industry of South Africa. Archived from the original on 29 October 2021. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  30. ^ "BGM Chart – Week 42 of 2021" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  31. ^ "Download Chart – Week 42 of 2021" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  32. ^ "Let Somebody Go - Single by Coldplay & Selena Gomez". Apple Music (UK). Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  33. ^ "Coldplay X Selena Gomez "Let Somebody Go" | (Radio Date: 11 February 2022)" (in Italian). radiodate.it. Retrieved 10 February 2022.
  34. ^ "Hot Modern AC Future Releases". AllAccess. Archived 31 January 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  35. ^ "Single Version of Let Somebody Go Out Today". Coldplay. 4 March 2022. Archived 20 November 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  36. ^ "Kygo Remix of Let Somebody Go Out Today". Coldplay. 11 March 2022. Archived 20 November 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  37. ^ "Let Somebody Go (Piano Version) Out Today". Coldplay. 18 March 2022. Archived 20 November 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  38. ^ "Let Somebody Go (Ofenbach Remix) – Single by Coldplay & Selena Gomez". Apple Music UK. 15 April 2022. Archived 20 November 2024 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 20 November 2024.