Èkó

"Èkó"
General information
Artist	Coldplay
Released	22 November 2019
Studio	Los Angeles
Genre	Folk
Length	2:37
Labels
Songwriter(s)	Guy Berryman Jonny Buckland Will Champion Chris Martin
Producer(s)	Rik Simpson Daniel Green Bill Rahko
Album	Everyday Life
Everyday Life track listing
"Orphans"
"Èkó"
"Cry Cry Cry"

"Èkó" is a song by Coldplay from their eighth studio album, Everyday Life (2019). It is the third track on the second side of the album, Sunset. The song features backing vocals by Nigerian singer Tiwa Savage.

Background

Chris Martin told the song is about a made up character called Joseph, who could be himself or someone else, who leaves the country in order to try to make in the city. In addition, he also said, "[...] Cities are tough, and lonely, and amazing, and uplifting, and all sort of things rolled into one. And this is the song "Èkó" about that."

Will Champion revealed it was one that Chris spent some time recording in Los Angeles before showing it to the rest of the band on the studio.

Composition

The track is composed of a guitar and piano play by Chris and Jonny. It was described as "a quietly folksy offering that rethinks Biblical stories", while Will called it as being "very evocative", reminding him of the African Savanna and its big, expansive plains, yet still intimate for him.

Nigerian singer, songwritter and actress Tiwa Savage provides backing vocals for the song. She was born in Lagos Island (Ìsàlẹ̀ Èkó, in Yoruba language) and had previously worked with the band (under the pseudonym Los Unidades) on the song "Voodoo".

Etymology

The song title stands for the local name of Lagos, a city in the south-western region of Nigeria in Africa.

Lyrics

[Intro]
Ah-hmm

[Verse 1: Chris Martin]
Joseph rode in on a beam of light
Stray dogs to welcome him, fights, corrugate cathedrals
The sight of the pilgrims going nowhere in millions of cars

[Verse 2: Chris Martin]
Lagos a dream in the distance
From promises he'd made behind
Where there was no harvest
But he missed the sky and its circus
And countless, the stars

[Chorus: Chris Martin]
In Africa
The rivers are perfectly deep
And beautifully wide
In Africa
The mothers will sing you to sleep
And say, "It's alright, child
It's alright"

[Bridge]
Yeah
Ah-hmm
Ah-hmm

[Chorus: Chris Martin and Tiwa Savage, Chris Martin]
In Africa
We dance in the water and hold
Each other so tight
In Africa
The mothers will sing you to sleep
And say, "It's alright, child
It's alright"

[Verse 3: Chris Martin]
Joseph rode in on a beam of light
And dreamed of his queen by his side
There'll be a beautiful sunset
And you'll be a beautiful bride

Official audios

Coldplay - Èkó (Lyric Video)

Èkó

Critical reception

Clash Magazine praised the song's sounding and melody, saying "[...] Ignoring the strange lyrics of African pride that a white man has seemed to take on [it] showcases a soft, acoustic melody that is only enhanced by the beautiful harmony between him and Tiwa Savage."

The Native Magazine praised its production and Tiwa's backing vocals, stating: "The folky mix of guitars and piano harmonies Simpson, Green and Rahko produce for the track listens like a lullaby and Simon's lyrics follow a similarly sleep-inducing narrative as he describes Africa [...]. It takes extra attention to catch Tiwa Savage's soft cooing in the background, but it's worth it to hear her on the slow-burning ballad that celebrates the serene beauty in Africa."