"Daddy" is a song by Coldplay from their eighth studio album, Everyday Life. It is the fifth track on the first side of the album, Sunrise. It was released as a promotional single accompanied by an official music video on November 20, 2019.
Background and composition[]
Chris Martin said the song is very personal and important to his experiences as it is also trying to include other people's experiences on it at the same time. In an interview for Entercom, he explained it is partly about how he feels about himself as a father, who sometimes might be a bit too absent when he is on tour with the band. He added, "It's also a lot to do with certain people in my life their dads have either left or they're not really engaged, and then it also was learning about the criminal justice system and the problem of mass incarceration, which I've been learning about a lot, as well thinking about all those dads who are taken from their kids and kids removed from their dads. And those three things, they really sitting me deep [...]."[1]
In a track by track interview to 97.9X WBSX's Uninterrupted Disruption, Chris revealed its bigger meaning came from reading the book The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness, by Michelle Alexander, and watching the 2016 documentary 13th, by director Ava DuVernay.[2] Will Champion said "Daddy" was one of the earliest songs to come together on the album recording for its elements are quite simple. He explained it is not necessarily an autobiographical song, being just a point of view of a young child, which they tried to portray a story that perhaps many people can relate to.[3]
Jonny Buckland said the song is the "emotional heart" from Everyday Life.
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Daddy, are you out there?
Daddy, won't you come and play?
Daddy, do you not care?
Is there nothing that you wanna say?
[Pre-Chorus]
I know
You're hurting too
But I need you, I do
Daddy, if you're out there
Daddy, all I want to say
[Chorus]
You're so far away
Oh, you're so far away
That's okay, it's okay
I'm okay
[Verse 2]
Daddy, are you out there?
Daddy, why'd you run away?
Daddy, are you okay?
Look, dad, we got the same hair
Daddy, it's my birthday
And all I wanna say
[Chorus]
Is you're so far away
Oh, and you're so far away
That's okay, it's okay
It's okay
[Bridge]
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
(Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh) You're so far away
[Outro]
Won't you come and won't you stay?
Please stay, oh, please stay
Won't you come and won't you stay?
One day, just one day
Music video[]
A music video for "Daddy" was released on November 20, 2019. It was made using stop-motion animation technique, and animated by Aardman Animations and directed by Aardman's Åsa Lucander. It features live action puppetry, digitally painted sets and 2D animation. The music video follows a little girl who is lost at sea, alone in a rowing boat and sailing towards the unknown, symbolising the girl's fragmented memory about her father.[4][5]
On March 12, 2020, the video has won Best Music Video at the British Animation Awards (BAA),[6] as well as two silver statues for Animation and Direction at the Clio Music awards on June 10, 2021.[7]
Coldplay - Daddy (Official Video)
Lyric video[]
Coldplay - Daddy (Lyric Video)
Official audio[]
Daddy
Critical reception[]
American music webzine Spin said it is a "finely constructed ballad from the point of view of a child [...]. This might be Coldplay's most intimate album, but they can’t help going headfirst into sentimentality."[8]
Trivia[]
- Jonny said "Daddy" is song he enjoyed the most playing live during the Everyday Life promotional concerts.
- The song's heartbeat at the start comes directly from the end of "Trouble in Town", although "Broken" purposefully interrupts the segue between the tracks.
- Its end also segues to the next track, "Wonder of the World / Power of the People".
References[]
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubVO1C8-xrc
- ↑ https://soundcloud.com/user-907163010/everydaylifetrackbytrack
- ↑ https://youtu.be/WxwxHBrCbeQ
- ↑ https://www.nme.com/news/music/watch-a-snippet-of-aardman-animations-amazing-animated-coldplay-video-for-new-single-daddy-2574524
- ↑ https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8544278/coldplay-daddy-champion-of-the-world
- ↑ https://www.britishanimationawards.com/winners/coldplay-daddy-2/
- ↑ https://clios.com/music/winners?year=2020&trophy=Silver
- ↑ https://www.spin.com/2019/11/coldplay-everyday-life-review/