"Champion of the World" is a song by Coldplay from their eighth studio album, Everyday Life (2019). It is the seventh track on the second side of the album, Sunset, and was originally made available on streaming on 20 November 2019 — along with "Daddy" — and as a promotional single in the United States on 24 February 2020, with an official music video being released the following day.
On 16 March 2020, a live version of the song performed at NPR's Tiny Desk was officially released on streaming services.
Recording and composition[]
Will Champion revealed that "Champion of the World" was very important during the Everyday Life sessions, acting as “a cornerstone, a foundation for the album”. He said it was one of the longest to record because the band “tried lots of different things, adding lots and taking lots away”, until they came back to its essential bare-bones. At last, he stated, “The thing that we always thought about is that we want to try and make it an underdog anthem, that's what we set out to do and hopefully we succeeded.”[1]
In 97.9X WBSX's Uninterrupted Disruption track by track, Chris Martin mentioned the song is both sorts of about himself and about the late Honduran man Don Agustín López Pacheco, who, despite being disabled by polio, spent most of his life making his own helicopter out of scrapped metal and old bits of wood for 50 years. Although it did not ever fly, he never gave up believing it could, eventually.[2] Agustín's story also inspired another track on the album, "When I Need a Friend", featured on the Sunrise side.
The song was partly written by late Scottish singer Scott Hutchison, from the bands Frightened Rabbit and Owl John, who came up with the first bit of the riff and some of the chords from Owl John's song, "Los Angeles, Be Kind". When it was first made available for streaming, Chris posted a note on the band's social media, stating, “I want to acknowledge Scott Hutchison from Owl John, on the song "Champion of the World". He had a song called "Los Angeles, Be Kind", which I love. When I first heard it, I thought it was going to go one way; but it went another. Anyway "Champion of the World" is the song that came from following the other path, and that's why Scott is a co-writer on this song.”[3]
Reimagined version[]
On 21 February 2020, an alternative acoustic version of the song called "Champion of the World (Reimagined)" was released on Coldplay's thirteenth EP Coldplay: Reimagined, along with two other Reimagined versions from Everyday Life, "BrokEn" and "Cry Cry Cry".
Lyrics[]
[Intro: "Otuto Nke Chukwu"]
Gi nwa nke chukwu, gini ka ina ekwu
N'ihi ihe nile
Nke chukwu mere
[Verse 1: Chris Martin]
I tried my best to be just like
The other boys in school
I tried my best to get it right
And died at every duel
This mountainside is suicide
This dream will never work
Still the sign upon my headstone write,
"A champion of the world"
[Interlude]
Oh oh-oh
Oh oh-oh-oh oh oh
[Verse 2: Chris Martin]
I tried my best to stay alight
Fly like a firework
I tried my best at taking flight
But my rocket ship reversed
Oh, referee, don't stop the fight
Everyone can see I'm hurt
But I'll stand before conquistadors
Till I'm champion of the world
[Chorus: Chris Martin, Will Champion, Chris & Will]
(When I sail) And when I sail
I'm sailing west
(Know I might fail) Knowing I might fail
But still I'm hoping for the best
(In my dreams) And in my dreams
Onto my chest
She'll pin the colours and say
"I wandered the whole wide world but
Baby, you're the best"
[Interlude: Chris Martin]
Lo lo-lo-lo lo oh
Ee-yo-ee-yo-ee-yo-ee-yeah
Lo lo-lo-lo lo
[Outro: Chris Martin & Will Champion]
So I'm flying on my bicycle
Heading upwards from the Earth
I am jumping with no parachute
Out into the universe
I have E.T. on my bicycle
Because giving up won't work
Now I'm riding on my rocketship
And I'm champion of the world
Music video[]
On 25 February 2020, a music video was made available on the band's official YouTube channel. It was filmed in Los Angeles and was directed by French director Cloé Bailly, who stated “The video is about this magic power that kids have to switch off from reality and jump into their own world.”[4]
The video depicts Chris as a little schoolboy, who gets bullied at school, berated by his angry parents, and ostracised by everyone around him — but finds solace through music and imagination. At the end of the clip, he blasts off into outer-space where his fellow bandmates, Jonny, Will and Guy, are performing. He joins them as the song ends.[5][6]
Coldplay - Champion Of The World (Official Video)
Lyric video[]
Coldplay - Champion Of The World (Lyric Video)
Animated lyric video[]
On 5 March 2020, an animated lyric video was released exclusively on the band's Facebook stories. It was produced by Impossible Brief and directed by James Zwadlo.[7] Phil Harvey said the song was “crying out” for an animated lyric video, which made him contact James to developed it.
Coldplay - Champion Of The World (Official Lyric Video)
Official audio[]
Champion Of The World
Critical reception[]
In a ranking of the band's entire discography, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the release of Parachutes, NME positively wrote: “The one-two riff of the introduction sounds like a mature, perfectly sturdy traditional Coldplay offering, but ‘Champion of the World’ pays tribute to and samples Owl John's ‘Los Angeles, Be Kind’ in its backbone. Frivolous lyrics, of a kid doing battle with the other boys in school, referees, rocket ships and fireworks (and his love for E.T.) cut through the earthier instrumentation, giving this a nostalgic, wistful feel.”[8]
Trivia[]
- Will jokingly said the song has “an obviously great title”, due to his surname on it.
- "Champion of the World" starts with the outro of "بنی آدم", "Otuto Nke Chukwu", performed by Harcourt Whyte.
- The song also references Steven Spielberg's 1982 American science fiction film, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
References[]
- ↑ https://youtu.be/WxwxHBrCbeQ
- ↑ https://soundcloud.com/user-907163010/everydaylifetrackbytrack
- ↑ https://www.coldplay.com/listen-to-champion-of-the-world/
- ↑ https://www.coldplay.com/champion-of-the-world-video-out-now/
- ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/coldplay-champion-of-the-world-video-957490/
- ↑ https://www.nme.com/news/music/new-coldplay-video-champion-of-the-world-watch-2614380
- ↑ https://www.coldplay.com/champion-of-the-world-lyric-video/
- ↑ https://www.nme.com/features/every-coldplay-song-ranked-in-order-of-greatness-2704676