"Orphans"
Picture sleeve for (7-inch vinyl) double A-side single
Dual single cover
Single by Coldplay
from the album Everyday Life
Released24 October 2019 (2019-10-24)
Length3:17
LabelParlophone
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Coldplay singles chronology
"Miracles (Someone Special)"
(2017) 		"Orphans" / "Arabesque"
(2019) 		"Higher Power"
(2021)
Music video
"Orphans" on YouTube

"Orphans" is a song by British rock band Coldplay from their eighth studio album Everyday Life. It was released on 24 October 2019, along with the single "Arabesque" and appears on the second side of the album Sunset.[1] The song was written by the band members and produced by The Dream Team.[2][3]

Background and promotion

On 24 October 2019, the band announced the release (on the same day) of the songs "Arabesque" and "Orphans" as a dual release and as the first singles of Everyday Life.[4] About the content of the songs, lead singer Chris Martin said in an interview with BBC Radio 1 that "some of it’s very personal, about real things in my life, and some of it’s about things that I see or we see, and some of it’s about trying to empathise about what other people are going through".[5] On the day of the release, the band set up a timer counting down to the release of the songs.[6]

The subject matter of the song includes the plight of refugees of the Syrian civil war. Martin told the BBC, “It seems to me that one of the things that might help people have a better time is to put themselves in other people’s shoes, whether that’s these kids who have to leave Syria, or who grew up in Baltimore, or whatever it might be. Rather than judging from afar, maybe to think ‘I wonder what it’s like to be there.'” Coldplay donated 10% of the worldwide proceeds from the song to the refugee charity Hopeland.[7]

Recording

The song was recorded last-minute during the mixing of the album Everyday Life, for which it served as one of two lead singles.[8]

Music video

The song's music video, directed by Mat Whitecross,[9] premiered on 25 October 2019.[10] The music video shows the development of the song from its earliest roots, a voice memo by Chris Martin in which the singer is heard talking about the tuning of his guitar before playing what would become the song's main riff, to the fully polished song that was released.[11] The music video won an award at the 2020 MTV VMAs for 'Best Rock' music video.[12]

Reception

3voor12 (61),[13] Billboard (93),[14] and NME (41) included the track on their "Best Songs of 2019" lists.[15]

Live performances

The song was performed live for the first time during NBC's Saturday Night Live on 2 November 2019. In a rehearsal, Martin explained to the dancers who accompanied the band's performance, "This song is about, you see all these pictures of young people like you and a bit older people like us, having to leave their countries and everyone calls them refugees or migrants rather than just people. So we were thinking about, this could be any of us who is in these camps or at the border or whatever. And that's what this song’s about, it's like people like us saying, 'I just want to go home and be normal.'"[16] "Orphans" was later played live on the Annie Mac Show on BBC Radio 1 on 27 November 2019 along with "Arabesque", "Everyday Life", "Lovers in Japan", and "Guns".

Personnel

Credits adapted from the "Orphans / Arabesque" liner notes.[17]

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "Orphans"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[68] Gold 20,000‡
France (SNEP)[69] Gold 100,000‡
Italy (FIMI)[70] Gold 25,000‡
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[71] Gold 30,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[72] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various 24 October 2019
Parlophone [73]
Australia 25 October 2019 Contemporary hit radio
[74]
Italy Warner [75]
United Kingdom Parlophone [76]
2 November 2019 Adult contemporary [77]

References

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  6. ^ Cross, Alan (24 October 2019). "Coldplay has been quietly planting Easter eggs ahead of their new album". ajournalofmusicalthings.com. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
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  9. ^ Ulitski, Rob (6 November 2019). "Coldplay 'Orphans' by Mat Whitecross". Promonews. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
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