Lost!

"Lost!"
Single by Coldplay
from the album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
Released 10 November 2008
Format Digital download, promo CD
Genre Alternative rock
Length 3:55
Label Parlophone, Capitol
Writer(s) Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, Chris Martin
Producer Coldplay, Brian Eno, Markus Dravs
Coldplay singles chronology
"Viva la Vida"
(2008)		 "Lost!"
(2008)		 "Lovers in Japan"
(2008)
Alternate cover
Lost! promo single, pt. 2 cover
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends track listing
  1. "Life in Technicolor"
  2. "Cemeteries of London"
  3. "Lost!"
  4. "42"
  5. "Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love"
  6. "Yes"
  7. "Viva la Vida"
  8. "Violet Hill"
  9. "Strawberry Swing"
  10. "Death and All His Friends"
Music video
"Lost!" at YouTube

"Lost!" is a song by the English alternative rock band Coldplay. The band co-produced it with Brian Eno and Markus Dravs for their fourth album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. Several official versions of the song exist, including vocalist Chris Martin's separate recording with a piano accompaniment, and a version that features American rapper Jay-Z.

The song was released on 10 November 2008 as the third official single (fourth overall) off the album to generally positive critical reviews. A live version was released via iTunes following a performance of the band and Jay-Z at the 2009 Grammy Awards, spurring high digital sales and giving "Lost!" a new peak at number 40 in the United States. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number 54 due to no physical release.

The accompanying music video to the single features a live performance of the band in the United States. Coldplay launched a contest through their website, in which fans submitted self-made music videos. The winning entries were posted on the band's website.

Canadian singer Lights has covered the song.[1]

Contents

Writing and composition

According to drummer Will Champion in a fan mailout, "Lost!" had been developed long before they began recording tracks for Coldplay's fourth studio album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, and was not getting completed. The track was created from scratch: "I was starting to get into using a particular drum programming programme. I was messing around with that and I built this beat up from scratch. ... Then Chris overheard it and played 'Lost!' over the top of it."[2]

"Lost!" was one of the earliest songs the band worked on for the album. Coldplay revealed that "Sing", a track off English alternative rock band Blur's 1991 debut album Leisure, was a source of inspiration in having provided a starting point for writing "Lost!". While in Detroit, Michigan, for a concert tour, the band was listening to "Sing" in their dressing room. Once they went on stage for a soundcheck, they thought of writing a song based from it.[3] According to guitarist Jonny Buckland, "We recorded some of it in a church up the road that's now a studio. In a huge room with a piano and organ going at the same time."[4] In an interview with The Sun, Martin said, "The line in this song 'Just because I'm losing doesn't mean I'm lost' is what the whole record came out of because we were feeling down at the end of the last tour. That line arrived and it was, 'OK, that's how we kinda feel. We know we can improve."[5] The ensuing track evolved in different versions.[3]

The song's musicscape features a church organ riff, tribal drum-circle groove, and minimal handclaps. Towards the end of the track, it builds into a "rhythmically soaring, Edge-like" guitar solo.[6][7] Coldplay's use of "exotic" instruments[8] for majority of tracks in the album, including "Lost!", was a result of a goal in wanting to present their songs differently, something "which have never been heard" in previous releases.[9] In a review Alex Denney of The Guardian, he described the music of "Lost!" as "tabla-assisted gospel-hop".[10] Kitty Empire of The Guardian wrote in a review that "Lost!", "a great organ-driven tune, alive with handclaps and foot-stomps", is the most obvious homage to Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire among other tracks off the album.[11]

According to Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly magazine, the lyrics to "Lost!" are "a lament about spiritual bereftness".[12] Rolling Stone magazine's Will Hermes interpreted the lyrics as about "holding on against the odds that has the breathtaking loft" of "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For",[6] a song off Irish band U2's 1987 album The Joshua Tree. The chorus to the lyrics is noted by Ian Youngs of BBC "a typical Chris Martin chorus that mixes insecurity with determination".[13]

Song versions

The following songs are different variations of "Lost!":

Release and reception

"Lost!" was released as a promotional CD single in September 2008. On 10 November 2008, Coldplay officially released a four-track digital EP of "Lost!",[2][17] confirming the song's status as a single.

The song has been well-received by critics. Will Hermes of Rolling Stone magazine noted "Lost!" as "probably" the "album's most sublime pop moment".[6] NME's critic Mark Beaumont had the same view of Hermes, complimenting, "It's not until ['Lost!'] – all church organ funkiness, stomporific handclap rhythms and Chris pouting like a preacher in a jacuzzi full of strippers – that [Viva la Vida] really hits its stride."[18] Chris Jones of BBC writes, "... 'Lost!' seems to sport bongos in its mix, yet it's the plaintive voice with its vague sense of regret, the lifts from minor key piano forays into vast, pumping rock and also a strident optimism that people are going to come here for."[19] Ryan Dombal of Pitchfork Media had the same sentiment: "Thanks to a bubbling bit of exotic percussion that wouldn't sound out of place on Peter Gabriel's latter-day LPs, 'Lost!' is transformed from Just Another Coldplay Song into a uniquely alluring smash and live staple for years to come."[8] An article in The Guardian lambasted "Lost!": "This song is a deflated balloon, or, put another way, a used empty condom. He has, I think, merged visual, audio and textual into a kind of polysensory jam; no part of it works without the other two."[20]

"Lost!" charted in some countries during the week of the album being released and due to high digital sales, despite not officially being a single at the time. It has charted most notably the United Kingdom where it peaked at number 54 in the UK Singles Chart and in the United States where it debuted at number 94 on the Billboard Hot 100. The single has peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks.[21] Its UK peak made the single Coldplay's first to fail to chart in the UK Top 40 although considering the fact that it was not physically released.

Buoyed by the band's success at the 2009 Grammy Awards, a live Grammy performance of the single featuring Jay-Z was released exclusively to iTunes, spurring digital download sales. As a result, "Lost!" achieved a new peak position on the Billboard Hot 100, re-entering at number 40.[22] Billboard called the collaboration a "gloomy instrumentation with a series of drums and claps that perfectly fits the lyrical content of the song and makes the transition from Martin's singing to Jay's rapping seem effortless." [23] This makes "Lost!" Coldplay's fifth career Top 40 hit on the chart to date, and their third from Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends.

Music video

Screenshot from the video showing Chris Martin

The music video to "Lost!" was officially released on Coldplay's website on 26 September 2008.[24] It features a live performance of the song at United Center in Chicago, Illinois.[25] The video was filmed and directed by Mat Whitecross.[2] According to Luke Lewis of NME, the video is a tribute to U2's tour documentary Rattle and Hum.[26] An alternative version was released for "Lost+". This video is the same as the original but with the camera angles slightly altered, primarily to show a screen on stage which features Jay-Z whose performance was added digitally.[25]

Coldplay launched a contest in October 2008 in which fans submitted homemade music videos for the "Lost?" acoustic version.[27] Open to all fans worldwide, the competition closed on 1 December 2008.[28] All members of the band picked the finalists and judged the winning entries on 5 December.[29] The winner was awarded a pair of "ultra-VIP" tickets to the band's show in O2 arena in London in December 2008, and it included backstage passes.[27] The winning video was announced on the 8 December 2008, with the winner being Paul O'Brien for a "Wonderful blend of Claymation and Computer Graphics". O'Brien's video and the runner up, made by Martin Buzora, are featured on Coldplay's official website.[30]

Track listing

Digital download (EP)
  1. "Lost!" – 3:55
  2. "Lost?" – 3:42
  3. "Lost@" (live at United Center, Chicago) – 3:55
  4. "Lost+" (feat. Jay-Z) – 4:16
3-track promotional CD
  1. "Lost!" (album version) – 3:58
  2. "Lost?" (acoustic version) – 3:42
  3. "Lost-" (instrumental version) – 3:59
2-track promotional CD
  1. "Lost+" (with Jay-Z) – 4:18
  2. "Lost@" (live at United Center, Chicago) – 3:57

Chart

Chart (2008) Peak
position
Austrian Singles Chart 65
Canada Hot 100[31] 55
Belgian Flanders Singles Chart[31] 34
Belgian Wallonie Singles Chart[31] 16
Dutch Top 40[31] 15
Norwegian Top 20[31] 8
Swedish Singles Chart[31] 21
Swiss Singles Top 100[31] 53
UK Singles Chart[31] 54
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[32] 40
U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks[21] 10
U.S. Billboard Triple A[33] 1
U.S. Billboard Pop 100[21] 44

References

  1. ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwhv9kSgYKA
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Coldplay announce new EP". NME. 2008-09-30. http://www.nme.com/news/coldplay/40097. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Montgomery, James (2008-06-09). "Coldplay Give Track-By-Track Tour of Viva La Vida". MTV News. mtv.com. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1589032/20080609/coldplay.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-09-29. 
  4. ↑ "Coldplay: Viva La Vida". Q. 2008-05-15. http://news.q4music.com/2008/05/coldplay_viva_la_vida_1.html. Retrieved 2009-02-28. 
  5. ↑ Swift, Jacqui (2008-06-13). "'Backlash will never go away'". The Sun. http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/sftw/article1284929.ece. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Hermes, Will (2008-06-26). "Coldplay: Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/21236751/review/21256424/viva_la_vida_or_death_and_all_his_friends. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
  7. ↑ Wood, Mikael (2008-06-17). "Coldplay, 'Viva La Vida' (Capitol)". Spin. http://www.spin.com/reviews/coldplay-viva-la-vida-capitol. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Dombal, Ryan (2008-06-16). "Coldplay: Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends". Pitchfork Media. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/51286-viva-la-vida-or-death-and-all-his-friends. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
  9. ↑ Cohen, Jonathan (2008-04-11). "Coldplay Indulges Experimentation On Fourth Album". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc). http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003788558. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
  10. ↑ Denney, Alex (2008-06-15). "Reviews 11-25". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/jun/15/features.musicmonthly. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  11. ↑ Empire, Kitty (2008-06-08). "Nice tunes from nice boys: as you were, Coldplay". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/jun/08/popandrock1. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  12. ↑ Willman, Chris (2008-06-13). "Viva La Vida (2008)". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20206310,00.html. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
  13. ↑ Youngs, Ian (2008-06-06). "Joining Coldplay's musical journey". BBC. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7439967.stm. Retrieved 2009-02-28. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "Coldplay release Jay-Z collaboration and 'Prospekts March' details". NME. 2008-10-08. http://www.nme.com/news/coldplay/40310. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  15. ↑ "Lost+ to make radio debut". 2008-10-15. http://www.coldplay.com/newsdetail.php?id=169&page=80. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Montgomery, James (2008-10-07). "Coldplay, Jay-Z Team Up For 'Lost!' Remix". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1596448/20081007/coldplay.jhtml. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
  17. ↑ "Newsreel: Lost! video". coldplay.com. 2008-09-26. http://www.coldplay.com/newsdetail.php?id=138. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
  18. ↑ Beaumont, Mark (2008-05-30). "Coldplay: Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends". NME. http://www.nme.com/reviews/coldplay/9713. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
  19. ↑ Jones, Chris (2008-06-06). "Coldplay: Viva La Vida Or Death & All His Friends". BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/music/release/2h54/. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
  20. ↑ Sharp, Johnny (2008-12-06). "Hook, line and stinker". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/dec/06/bad-song-lyrics. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 "Artist Chart History - Coldplay". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=401639&model.vnuAlbumId=1140550. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
  22. ↑ Cohen, Jonathan (2009-02-19). "Atlantic Rules Hot 100 With Flo Rida, T.I.". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc). http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/atlantic-rules-hot-100-with-flo-rida-t-i-1003942979.story. Retrieved 2009-02-20. 
  23. ↑ Reed, Shad (November 11, 2008), "Lost+". Billboard. 120 (45):30
  24. ↑ "Lost video". coldplay.com. http://coldplay.com/lostvideo.php. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Kreps, Daniel (2008-11-18). "Coldplay, Jay-Z Premiere New “Lost+” Video". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/11/18/coldplay-jay-z-premiere-new-lost-video/. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
  26. ↑ Lewis, Luke (2008-09-26). "Coldplay Get 'Lost' In New Video". NME. http://www.nme.com/blog/index.php%3Fblog%3D121%26p%3D4937%26more%3D1%26c%3D1. Retrieved 2009-03-13. 
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 "Lost? video competition launches". coldplay.com. 2008-10-16. http://www.coldplay.com/newsdetail.php?id=170&page=80. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
  28. ↑ "More Lost? videos". coldplay.com. 2008-11-18. http://www.coldplay.com/newsdetail.php?id=207&page=40. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
  29. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (2008-10-17). "Coldplay Green Light “Lost?” Video Contest". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2008/10/17/coldplay-green-light-lost-video-contest/. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
  30. ↑ "Lost? video competition". coldplay.com. http://www.coldplay.com/lostcontest.html. Retrieved 2009-01-07. 
  31. ↑ 31.0 31.1 31.2 31.3 31.4 31.5 31.6 31.7 "Coldplay - Lost!". αCharts.us. http://acharts.us/song/36271. Retrieved 2009-03-06. 
  32. ↑ "Atlantic Rules Hot 100 With Flo Rida, T.I.". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/atlantic-rules-hot-100-with-flo-rida-t-i-1003942979.story. Retrieved 11 December 2008. 
  33. ↑ "Triple A: Lost!". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=851&cfgn=Singles&cfn=Triple+A&ci=3103048&cdi=10054106&cid=12%2F06%2F2008. Retrieved 11 December 2008. 

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