Hymn for the Weekend
2016 single by Coldplay
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Hymn for the Weekend" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It was released on 25 January 2016 as the second single from the band’s seventh studio album, A Head Full of Dreams (2015). Blending elements of pop, alternative rock, and R&B, the track marked a stylistic shift towards a more vibrant sound. The song received overall positive reviews from music critics and achieved commercial success worldwide, reaching the top ten in multiple countries. Its music video, filmed in various locations across India, attracted attention for its colourful imagery and sparked discussions surrounding cultural representation.[2]
| "Hymn for the Weekend" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Single by Coldplay | ||||
| from the album A Head Full of Dreams | ||||
| Released | 25 January 2016 | |||
| Recorded | 2015 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers |
| |||
| Coldplay singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Hymn for the Weekend" on YouTube | ||||
"Hymn for the Weekend" reached number six on the UK Singles Chart and also reached the top twenty in countries such as Switzerland, Ireland, France, Sweden, Austria, Belgium, Italy and Spain. In the US, with the Seeb remix, the song reached number 25 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in October 2016.[3] A music video for the song was released on 29 January 2016 and features Coldplay in various cities in India, with Beyoncé performing in some scenes. It also featured Indian actress Sonam Kapoor in a brief role.
Background
The song was debuted on Annie Mac's BBC radio show on 30 November 2015. According to Berryman, lead singer Chris Martin originally wanted the song to be a party song with the lyrics "drinks on me, drinks on me", but his bandmates didn't think that would go well with their fans. Martin's longtime friend Beyoncé was asked to sing on the song, and she accepted the request.[4]
Martin corroborated Berryman's story about the band protesting him singing, "Drinks on me, drinks on me" in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. According to Martin, the original kernel was that he "was listening to Flo Rida or something", and he thought, "it's such a shame that Coldplay could never have one of those late-night club songs, like 'Turn Down for What'. I thought I'd like to have a song called 'Drinks on Me' where you sit on the side of a club and buy everyone drinks because you're so fucking cool," Martin recalled. "I was chuckling about that, when this melody came, 'drinks on me, drinks on me', then the rest of the song came out. I presented it to the rest of the band and they said, 'We love this song, but there's no way you can sing "drinks on me".' So that changed into 'drink from me' and the idea of having an angelic person in your life. Then that turned into asking Beyoncé to sing on it."[5]
Composition
"Hymn for the Weekend" is written in the key of C minor set in a 4
4 time signature at a moderate tempo of 90 beats per minute.[6]
Music video
According to The Times of India, the music video was shot in October 2015 at various Indian cities including Worli Village, Mumbai, and Kolkata. The fort showcased at the start and in between is Fort Vasai in Vasai, Mumbai. Scenes were also shot at the Maratha Mandir theatre, which is known for showcasing a single film, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, for over 22 years. The video is themed after the Holi festival and was directed by Ben Mor, being released on 29 January 2016.[7][8] It features Beyoncé and Sonam Kapoor.[9]
Critical reception
"Hymn for the Weekend" received generally positive reviews from critics. Jody Rosen of Billboard called it "the album's grooviest".[10] Helen Brown of The Daily Telegraph wrote: "Beyoncé makes more of her appearance on 'Hymn for the Weekend', bringing her chunky harmonies and no-nonsense brass section to a peppy little excursion into indie R&B which opens with a paradisiacal fanfare and finds Martin dropping out of his falsetto autopilot into a more raw voice".[1] Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe wrote "it's with the third track, 'Hymn for the Weekend', that the album truly lifts off on the wings of an angelic choir (including Beyoncé), a swaggering piano, and a euphoric, lightly funky track bolstering Martin's exclamations of feeling high."[11]
In a mixed review, Carl Williot of Idolator wrote, "The Beyoncé-assisted 'Hymn for the Weekend' almost equals (the album's) energy, but it lacks the drama of 'Princess of China'", adding, that as a track featuring Beyoncé "you'd expect a show-stopping moment." He concluded "the guys sound like total goobers trying to do the club swagger thing, like a drunk dad doing the rap dance du jour at a wedding".[12] 3voor12 ranked it among the best songs of the year.[13]
Commercial performance
With over 2.67 billion views on YouTube, "Hymn for the Weekend" is Coldplay's most-viewed music video and the second-most overall, behind the lyric video for "Something Just Like This". Luminate reported the song "had the most total combined audio and video streams globally in 2022",[14] with 35.9 million views coming from Canada,[14] and 434.5 million from the United States.[15] In 2024, PPL ranked it as the band's sixth-most played song across radio and television in the United Kingdom.[16]
In other media
The song was made available as downloadable content for Rock Band 4.[17]
Live performance
The song was performed for the first time during the 2016 Brit Awards on 24 February 2016.[18][19]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hymn for the Weekend" | 4:18 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hymn for the Weekend" (Radio Edit) | 4:00 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Hymn for the Weekend" (Alan Walker Remix) | 3:50 |
Credits and personnel
Credits are adapted from A Head Full of Dreams liner notes.[22]
Coldplay
- Guy Berryman – bass guitar
- Jonny Buckland – electric guitar, backing vocals
- Will Champion – drums, drum pad, percussion, backing vocals
- Chris Martin – lead vocals, piano
Additional musicians
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Monthly charts
Year-end charts
|
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[113] | 8× Platinum | 560,000‡ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria)[114] | Gold | 15,000‡ |
| Belgium (BRMA)[115] | Platinum | 20,000‡ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[116] | 3× Platinum | 240,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[117] | 3× Platinum | 270,000‡ |
| France | — | 55,700[a] |
| Germany (BVMI)[119] | 2× Platinum | 800,000‡ |
| Italy (FIMI)[120] | 8× Platinum | 400,000‡ |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[121] | 4× Platinum | 120,000‡ |
| Poland (ZPAV)[122] | Diamond | 100,000‡ |
| Portugal (AFP)[123] | 4× Platinum | 80,000‡ |
| Spain (Promusicae)[124] | 4× Platinum | 240,000‡ |
| Sweden (GLF)[125] | Platinum | 40,000‡ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[126] | 2× Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[127] | 4× Platinum | 2,400,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[128] | 5× Platinum | 5,000,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Region | Date | Format | Version | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | 25 January 2016 | Digital download | Seeb remix | Parlophone | [20] |
| Italy | 5 February 2016 | Contemporary hit radio | Original | Warner | [129] |
| United States | 26 April 2016 | Atlantic | [130] |
Cover versions
In 2026, Italian composer Giacomo Bucci released an orchestral version of "Hymn for the Weekend" on his album Mainstream Overtures.[131]