A Sky Full of Stars
| "A Sky Full of Stars" | ||||
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| Single by Coldplay | ||||
| from the album Ghost Stories | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | 2 May 2014 | |||
| Recorded | 2013–2014 | |||
| Studio | The Bakery and The Beehive (London, England) | |||
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| Songwriter(s) | ||||
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| Coldplay singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "A Sky Full of Stars" on YouTube | ||||
"A Sky Full of Stars" is an EDM song written by the British rock band Coldplay featuring Swedish DJ Avicii in 2014. The song is the band's first EDM track from their sixth studio album Ghost Stories (2014). The song is centered around the piano, with electronic music coming in between verses. It also appears in Sing 2, sung by Johnny the Gorilla. The song was released as the second single on 2 May 2014.
Composition
"A Sky Full of Stars" marks the band's first dance track, being outlined as an EDM track with house influences.[1][2] A piano-centric song which is written in the key of G♭ major, the track opens as a piano ballad, with progressive house-influenced electronic music that plays out in between verses. The song follows a chord progression of E♭m7– C♭maj9 –G♭–B♭m7 with a tempo of 125 beats per minute,[3] and the vocals span from A♭3 to G♭5. The track has been described as "[falling] in line with the synth-heavy soundscapes of 'Midnight', but with more danceable flavor".[4] The song's repeating chord sequence and varied melody was inspired by the work of American pop singer Katy Perry and Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" (1991).[5]
Reception
Most critics enjoyed the song and gave it positive reviews. The song reached #1 on the charts in the United States, Portugal, Luxembourg, Italy, Israel and Belgium. One day after it's release on ITunes, it had sold 121,690 copies worldwide.[6] The song was also Coldplay's third top ten hit on the Billboard Hot 100. It was played in the 2020 Democratic Convention in honor of Joe Biden's son, Beau Biden.
References
- ↑ Bertok, Nina (19 May 2014). "Coldplay – Ghost Stories". musicOMH. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ↑ Kristobak, Ryan (29 April 2014). "Coldplay's 'A Sky Full Of Stars' Teams The Band With Avicii". The Huffington Post. AOL. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ↑ Coldplay (2014-08-17). "Coldplay "A Sky Full of Stars" Sheet Music – Download & Print". M.musicnotes.com. Retrieved 2025-06-05.
- ↑ Terry, Josh (29 April 2014). "Listen: Coldplay's new song "A Sky Full Of Stars", produced by Avicii". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ↑ Blistein, Jon (18 November 2014). "Chris Martin: Nirvana, Katy Perry, EDM Inspired 'Sky Full of Stars'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 June 2025.
- ↑ "Biggest Selling iTunes Artists within last 24 hours - Kings of A&". kingsofar.com. Retrieved 21 January 2015.