"Let Somebody Go" is a song by British rock band Coldplay and American singer Selena Gomez, recorded for the band's ninth studio album, Music of the Spheres. It was produced by Max Martin, Oscar Holter, Rik Simpson, Daniel Green and Bill Rahko, with additional production by Metro Boomin. Parlophone released the track as the third single from Music of the Spheres on 7 February 2022 on digital download and streaming platforms. Because the album was nominated for Album Of The Year at 65th Annual Grammy Awards, Selena Gomez received a second nomination as a featured artist thanks to her contribution on that project.
Writing and production Creative director Phil Harvey stated both him and Martin have been fans of Gomez, commenting she has a "unique, evocative and mysterious" tone. He initially tried to persuade the band to include the song in their eighth album Everyday Life (2019). Meanwhile, Martin noted "she's an angel" and her voice is in what he "would call 'the Rihanna bag' which are voices that are gifts to humanity". Bassist Guy Berryman explained the collaboration:
They finished the track together in April 2021. The song features lyrics written by Apple Martin, daughter of frontman Chris Martin and Gwyneth Paltrow; the father stated that Apple "gave me this amazing chord that I'd never thought of. So she's on there".
Music video A space-themed lyric video featuring animated handwritten lyrics was released on 15 October 2021. The video was directed by Pilar Zeta and Victor Scorrano and depicts Calypso, one of the celestial bodies in the fictional solar system The Spheres. A music video directed by Dave Meyers was announced on 3 February 2022, and was released on 7 February 2022. The music video was filmed in October 2021.
Live performances "Let Somebody Go" was first performed live on The Late Late Show with James Corden by Coldplay and Selena Gomez on the show's 18 October 2021 episode. On 2 February 2022, Chris Martin performed a solo version of the song on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. On 1 November 2022, Coldplay performed the song together with Argentine singer Tini, at Estadio River Plate during their Music of the Spheres World Tour. On 4 October 2023, Coldplay & Selena Gomez performed the song at the Rose Bowl.
Critical reception "Let Somebody Go" received positive reviews by most critics, who considered it a highlight for the album. Jon Dolan from Rolling Stone called it a "soft-focus study in post-breakup solemnity that's got more warmth and grace than most artists' crushed-out valentines". The track was also named one of the best songs of the year by Aftonbladet (#24), as they cited it as a "delicious music with only one signal: Chris Martin's habit of writing howling and presumptuous arena signs". Similarly, Cosmopolitan included it on their "55 Best Songs of 2021" list at number 21 and mentioned the collaboration was "unexpectedly awesome". The New York Post, on the other hand, ranked "Let Somebody Go" as the fifth worst song of 2021, considering it the anti-"Yellow".
Accolades +Awards and nominations for "Let Somebody Go"YearOrganizationCategoryResult2022 NRJ Music Award International Video of the Year People's Choice Awards The Music Video RTHK International Pop Poll Awards Top 10 International Gold Songs 2023 Art Directors Guild Awards Short Format: Webseries or Music Video (François Audouy)
Personnel Coldplay Guy Berryman – bass Jonny Buckland – guitar Will Champion – drums Chris Martin – vocals, keyboards, acoustic guitar
Additional musicians Selena Gomez – vocals
Technical personnel Max Martin – programming, production Oscar Holter – programming, production Rik Simpson – additional production Jon Hopkins – production Daniel Green – production Bill Rahko – production
Charts + Weekly chart performance for "Let Somebody Go" Chart (2021–2023) Peakposition Australia (ARIA) 66 Italy Airplay (EarOne) 29 Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard) 19 Lithuania (AGATA) 40 Mexico Airplay (Billboard) 42 Mexico Ingles Airplay (Billboard) 8Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)21 New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) 4 San Marino (SMRRTV Top 50) 21 Slovakia (Singles Digitál Top 100) 53 South Africa (RISA) 70 South Korea (Gaon) 95 South Korea Download (Gaon) 94
Certifications
Release history +Release dates and formats for "Let Somebody Go"CountryDateFormatVersionLabelVarious 7 February 2022OriginalItaly 11 February 2022 Radio airplay WarnerUnited States 14 February 2022 Adult contemporary radio AtlanticVarious 4 March 2022Single 11 March 2022 Kygo remix 18 March 2022 Piano 15 April 2022 Ofenbach remix
References