White Shadows
"White Shadows" is a song by British alternative rock band Coldplay. It is the third track on their third studio album X&Y (2005) and released as the sixth overall single from the album on 8 June 2007. The song was co-produced by the band and their long-time producer Ken Nelson, while it was engineered by Rich Costey. "White Shadows" also features musical contributions by Brian Eno, who plays synthesizers on the track.[1]
Background
In September 2006, it was announced through a question and answer section on Coldplay's official website that "White Shadows" would be the fifth single released from X&Y in Australia; this would have been the sixth song overall to be released from the album, followed by "The Hardest Part" and "What If".[2] Weeks later, it was reported on the band's official message board that releases of both "White Shadows" and a DVD of a June 2006 performance in Toronto had been cancelled.[2] No reasons were ever given.[2] Although "White Shadows" was not released as a worldwide single, the song was released as a single in Mexico in June 2007 to coincide with the Latin American leg of their Twisted Logic Tour.[3] It subsequently peaked at number 87 on the Mexican Singles Chart.[2] The song was also released to radio in Italy.[2]
Critical reception
"White Shadows" received generally positive reviews from music critics. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly wrote that the line "part of a system I am, I am" from the chorus is a reference to the band's "celestial" sound.[4] Michael Hubbard of MusicOMH assumed that the "system" referred to in the song was "Capitalism ... with fair trade fluffiness attached", commenting that Chris Martin does not write songs for a "specialist audience".[5] Adrien Begrand of PopMatters described "White Shadows" as "terrific" and noted that it "draw[s] slightly from Berlin-era David Bowie".[6]
Personnel
- Chris Martin - Vocals, acoustic guitar
- Jonny Buckland - Electric guitar
- Guy Berryman - Bass guitar, backing vocals
- Will Champion - Drums
- Brian Eno - Synthesizers
Charts
References
External links