“Higher Power” by Coldplay

This is perhaps as close as we’re ever going to get to a gospel song being dropped by a mainstream act like Coldplay. What that means is here we have a musical piece with a, shall we say religious premise. But considering how everything is worded, it takes a bit of imaginative decipherment to definitively derive that meaning from it.

What is a “Higher Power”?

For starters, the term “higher power” connotes a reference to God or what have you – a divine entity or force. 

Verse 1

And in the first verse it does read as if that is what Chris Martin is referring to. The narrator presents himself as your quintessential “broken” man who is unable to lift himself from the grips of depression. But then he receives a message on a “heavenly phone”, i.e. from On High. 

And that message is that he should “hold tight” and not give up. And then, as we get to the chorus, under such an interpretation the tune seems to transform into something like a praise song. Here, what it would appear the vocalist is saying is that he desires a relationship with God, i.e. access to the title “higher power”, which will enable him to overcome earthly issues.

Verse 2

Then keeping in line with this same chronology, the second verse would apparently be indicative of the singer’s disposition after receiving said “higher power”. And gone are the thoughts of self-defeat which highlighted the beginning of the track. Instead he is empowered by an ‘electric joy’ that he is experiencing. And on top of celebrating his own immersion in this positive energy, he is likewise able to rejoice that “you” have also found it.

Outro

Then conclusively in the outro, the idea this may all be some type of religious/spiritual experience is driven home, metaphorically, by the singer noting he has ‘been down on his knees’ – i.e. praying – ‘for so long’. That same expression can, perhaps alternatively, be applied to the notion that he was depressed, i.e. feeling low, as aforenoted. 

Ultimately both concepts mean fundamentally the same within the context of this song. And that is at one point the singer felt emotionally needy, if you will, in search of assistance. And that help was ultimately achieved. He was able to achieve this help via a “love song” which “saved” him. And the said love song was bestowed upon the vocalist by the addressee. And of course we know that said “love song” is a synonym for the titular “higher power”.

“Higher Power” has a Confusing Narrative?

Now the reason this narrative may come off as being a bit confusing is because apparently there are two different addressees. In the first verse it would be God, if we may, and in the second a fellow human being, someone who has been saved by His grace like the narrator. 

Then as far as the pre-chorus/chorus goes, the first one would again be directed towards the Most High. So when Martin says “you’ve got a higher power”, he means that literally, as in the “Y” being capitalized. But the second, once again, is directed towards someone like himself. 

So in that case, if it were to be more specific it would read something like ‘you have been blessed with a higher power’. Then the bridge and final chorus can go either way, until we get to the outro, which would apparently be once again addressed to the literal “higher power”.

In Conclusion

Or, at least that’s our theory. There are actually two different addressees on this song, a heavenly and an earthly one, who, to some degree, are interchangeable. It’s actually quite clever when you think about it. But that said, it should also be noted that, according to Chris Martin’s explanation, this is not a praise song per se. Rather it is meant to lead to a notion like within us all lies this “higher power” which, if we are able to access it, “can do amazing things” that we would not be able to accomplish under normal circumstances. 

But all lyrics considered, it would only be accessible via the intervention of an outside Source.

In another interview, Martin referred to the song as one that is about the attempt to unearth “the astronaut” in us.

Accompanying Music Video

The accompanying music video to “Higher Power” was directed by Paul Dugdale. Both the clip and the song “premiered… in space”. What the means is that the first person all of this was played for, on its release date, was Thomas Pesquet. 

And as at the time Pesquet, a Frenchman who has been an astronaut for over 10 years, is concurrently onboard the orbiting International Space Station.

Facts about “Higher Power”

Two Swedish musicians, Oscar Holter and Max Martin, co-produced this song, with the latter arguably being the top producer of the day. And that day, in terms of when this track was released, was on 7 May 2021.

Another notable producer, Bill Rahko (from Madison, Wisconsin), also contributed to the production of this track.

There are seven writers of this song overall. In addition to Coldplay members, we have the following:

• Federico Vindver
• Denise Carite
• Max Martin

And just to note, this is the first time Coldplay has worked with Max Martin. Chris and Martin originally met for the first time a few years ago at a concert starring Rihanna.

Coldplay’s first live rendering of this song occurred on 9 May 2021 via American Idol, on an episode dedicated to the band. The band later performed it when they opened their hometown’s Brit Awards on 11 May 2021.

Coldplay

Coldplay, a group from London itself, is one of the most-successful British rock bands of the 21^st century. In fact they rank amongst the best-selling artists in global history, having sold around 100,000,000 records as at the writing of this post in mid-2021.

Interesting to note is that every single studio album they have dropped thus far, beginning with 2000’s “Parachutes” and leading to 2019’s “Everyday Life”, with six coming in-between, has managed to top the UK Singles Chart. And their best-seller to date was actually their sophomore album, “A Rush of Blood to the Head” (2002), which not only went decuple-platinum in the UK but also quadruple-platinum in the States, selling in the range of 15,000,000 copies overall.