Kaleidoscope

"Kaleidoscope"
General information
Featured Artists	Coleman Barks, Barack Obama
Genre	Spoken word Psychedelic ballad
Length	1:51
Labels
Producer(s)	Rik Simpson Stargate
Album	A Head Full of Dreams
A Head Full of Dreams track listing
Fun
"Kaleidoscope"
Army of One

"Kaleidoscope" is a song by Coldplay from their seventh studio album, A Head Full of Dreams. It is the seventh track of the album and features vocal guest by Coleman Barks and a sample of Barack Obama singing "Amazing Grace".

Background

During the final stages of his 10-year marriage to actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Chris Martin revealed he was feeling depressed and overwhelmed, along with an increasing insecurity about the music he was making at the time. At some point, a friend gave him some books, including a volume by the 13th-century Persian poet Rumi. One of his poems, called The Guest House, helped Chris to get through the tough period around his divorce. In an interview for Rolling Stone, he stated: "It kind of changed my life. It says that everything that happens to you is OK. The idea is to accept what happens to you and not run away from anything — and trust that things will blossom and become colorful." Rumi's poem was then incorporated on the album track, "Kaleidoscope".

Composition

The song was described as "a psychedelic spoken-word" accompanied by a "tranquil atmospheric" lofty piano-led instrumental. It contain parts of the poem The Guest House written by Rumi and recited by American poet Coleman Barks, a popular interpreter of Rumi and translater of his works. "Kaleidoscope" also contains elements of the Christian hymn "Amazing Grace", originally written by John Newton, and sung by former president of the United States Barack Obama at Clementa C. Pinckney's funeral, an American politician and pastor who was one of the victims in the South Carolina church terrorist shooting in June of 2015. About Obama's involvement, Chris said, "We have a tiny clip of the President singing "Amazing Grace" at that church, because of the historical significance of what he did and also that song being about, 'I'm lost but now I'm found.'" Coldplay asked for permission and both the White House and Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church conceded for the recording's use.

The regular and the classical piano throughout the song are both played by Georgian concert pianist Khatia Buniatishvili.

Lyrics

[Verse: Coleman Barks]
This being human is a guest house
Every morning a new arrival
A joy, a depression, a meanness
Some momentary awareness comes
As an unexpected visitor
Welcome and entertain them all!
Be grateful for whoever comes
Because each has been sent as a guide

[Outro: Barack Obama]
...Now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see

Official audio

Kaleidoscope

Critical reception

Adam Silverstein from Digital Spy praised the song's message, however, with the exception of the Obama's clip. He wrote, "It's an encouraging message of optimism in the face of the darkest of powers. It doesn't really need the sample of Barack Obama singing 'Amazing Grace' in the fading background, although it's worth it for bragging rights alone." In a ranking of the band's entire discography, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the release of Parachutes, NME praised the track's tranquility, crediting it for Barks reading. They added: "Lullaby piano chords swirl around the spoken words – it's much more special than a purely transitional piece."

Trivia

• During the A Head Full of Dreams Tour, the poem was fully incorporated on also album track "Colour Spectrum", which already have a brief sample of the song, originally. The one played live in particular is an extended version of the song, with additional verses of the poem being read, and was played while the band switched from stage A to C.

• The song title was used to name the band's next EP after the album release, Kaleidoscope EP.