Hurts Like Heaven

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"Hurts Like Heaven"
Single by Coldplay
from the album Mylo Xyloto
Released 27 July 2012
Format
Recorded 2010
Genre
Length 4:02 (album version)
4:20 (Single edit)
3:58 (US Radio edit)
3:02 (EU Radio edit)
Label Parlophone
Writer(s)
Producer(s)
Coldplay singles chronology
"Up with the Birds" / "U.F.O."
(2012)		 "Hurts Like Heaven"
(2012)		 "Up in Flames"
(2012)
Music video
"Hurts Like Heaven" on YouTube

"Hurts Like Heaven" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It was written by all members of the band and producer Brian Eno for Coldplay's fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto. The song was released as the album's sixth overall single on 27 July 2012.

Background

In an interview with The Independent, lead singer Chris Martin stated that guitarist Jonny Buckland was largely involved in the creation of "Hurts Like Heaven", saying of the song: "'Hurts Like Heaven' is all Jonny. It only has two chords. The songs are group-y, it's guitar-y. Jonny is coming out of his cocoon. We're just trying some risky things."[4]

Reviews of the song have noted that the song contains signs of influences of the other artists; in their preview of Mylo Xyloto, Q noted that "the melodies, like the title, are a nod to the '80s heroes they so successfully channeled on A Rush of Blood to the Head, The Cure and Echo and the Bunnymen's influence looming large as Chris Martin sings like he's in a hurry [...] the chorus [...] is as upliftingly bittersweet as Robert Smith and co's best pop songs, whilst the "whoa oh oh" bridge provides the record's first stadium-singalong moment." Reviews from both Rolling Stone[5] and The A.V. Club have drawn comparisons to dance-punk band LCD Soundsystem, with the latter calling the song "a driving homage" to the band.[6]

Music video

The music video for "Hurts Like Heaven" was announced at the 2012 San Diego Comic-Con International convention. Coldplay posted a 30 second teaser trailer on Twitter on the evening of 5 October 2012. It was later released on 8 October 2012. The clip, who does not feature the band, is a comic book style animation set on a futuristic dystopian storyline and it's the animated version of the first number of the Mylo Xyloto comics. Directed by Mark Osborne with illustrations by Alejandro Fuentes, the video contains flashes of neons, the band's trademark over the course of Mylo Xyloto's promotions.

Aiko and Lela drawing sparks over the "silencers" posters along a street of "Silencia".

The story is set in the world of "Silencia" ruled by a dictator: Major Minus, who wants to take colors and sounds off the streets and controls the population through propaganda (like posters on the walls that invite people to be silent) and his army of "silencers". The video follows Aiko and Lela, two "sparkers" (people who are able to use energy to draw bright and colorful graffiti on the walls), who, with other "sparkers", light up the streets of "Silencia" escaping from the "silencers" who eventually catch and arrest them.[7][8]

Critical reception

"Hurts Like Heaven" received generally positive reviews from critics. Will Hermes of Rolling Stone published a favourable review of "Hurts Like Heaven"; giving the track 3 and a half stars out of 5, he praised the song's "outstanding guitar asides", noting that the song's word rush "occasionally recalled LCD Soundsystem's 'All My Friends'".[5] In his review of Mylo Xyloto, Ian Cohen of Pitchfork Media called the song "a remarkably aerodynamic piece of all-purpose inspirational rock that never gets too pushy even with [Chris] Martin's meaningful/meaningless proclamations."[9] Josh Modell of The A.V. Club also reviewed the song positively, calling it a "nice kick in the formula", calling the band "expert formula-repeaters."[6] Mikael Wood of Spin wrote that the song "rides a zippy new-wave groove that justifies its Cure-conjuring title".[10] Andy Gill of The Independent wrote that the song "opens proceedings at a peak, the twinkly demeanour of its bustling pop layered with disparate guitar lines".[11]

Live performances

Recorded in 2010, the song was first performed at the 2011 Rock Im Park festival in Nuremberg, Germany on 4 June 2011.[12] It acts as an opener on both Mylo Xyloto and its corresponding tour, played immediately after the album's title track, "Mylo Xyloto", a 42-second instrumental that segues into "Hurts Like Heaven".

Remixes

An official remix by Kat Krazy has been unveiled on 28 December 2012[13][14]

Track listings

iTunes single
No. Title Length
1. "Hurts Like Heaven"   3:58
7" Picture disc
No. Title Length
1. "Hurts Like Heaven" (Edit) 3:17
2. "Us Against the World" (From Live 2012) 3:52
European promotional CD single
No. Title Length
1. "Hurts Like Heaven" (Radio Edit) 3:02
2. "Hurts Like Heaven" (Album Version) 4:23
3. "Hurts Like Heaven" (Instrumental) 4:22

Chart performance

Upon the release of Mylo Xyloto, "Hurts Like Heaven" charted in two territories. The song debuted at number 21 on the South Korea Gaon International Chart for the issue dated 23 October 2011.[15] It also debuted at number 157 on the UK Singles Chart for the issue dated 5 November 2011.[16]

Chart (2011/2012) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[17] 8
Belgium (Ultratip Wallonia)[18] 9
South Korea Gaon International Chart[15] 21
UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[16] 157
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[19] 27

Release history

Region Date Format Label
Germany[20] 27 July 2012 Digital download EMI
United States[21][22][23] 30 July 2012 Parlophone
6 August 2012 Adult album alternative radio Capitol Records
7 August 2012 Modern rock radio
Australia[24] 24 September 2012 Contemporary hit radio Parlophone
United Kingdom[25] 20 April 2013 7"

References

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  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/music/news/a410733/coldplay-tease-video-for-new-single-hurts-like-heaven-watch.html
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Coldplay – Hurts Like Heaven" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  18. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Coldplay – Hurts Like Heaven" (in French). Ultratip.
  19. ↑ http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat#/column/chartbeat/chart-highlights-mariah-carey-returns-to-1007863982.story
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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