A Sky Full of Stars

Lore & Background

The band co-wrote and co-produced the song with Avicii and received production assistance from Paul Epworth, Daniel Green and Rik Simpson. It was recorded at the Bakery and the Beehive in North London, England. Upon its release, "A Sky Full of Stars" garnered mostly positive reviews from music critics and charted inside the top 10 in over 16 countries such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and United States. A music video for the song was directed by Mat Whitecross and was released on 19 June 2014. The single peaked at number one in Italy, Israel, Luxembourg, Portugal, Lebanon, and the Walloon region of Belgium. It also topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart. It was nominated for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 57th Grammy Awards.

Reader's Guide

Composition: "A Sky Full of Stars" marks the band's first dance track, being outlined as an EDM track with house influences. 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 Em7–Cmaj9–G–Bm with a tempo of 125 beats per minute, and the vocals span from A3 to G5. The track has been described as "[falling] in line with the synth-heavy soundscapes of 'Midnight', but with more danceable flavor".

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). Recording: "A Sky Full of Stars" was recorded during the sessions for the band's sixth studio album, at their purpose-built studios the Bakery and the Beehive in North London, England. The studios were both originally constructed for work on their two previous studio albums, 2008's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends and 2011's Mylo Xyloto.

Swedish record producer Avicii was invited by the band to collaborate on "A Sky Full of Stars". In addition to producing the track, he was also asked by lead singer Chris Martin to play and record the piano parts. However, Martin later stated in a BBC Radio 1 interview with Zane Lowe that he felt that he had "cheated" on the band by asking Avicii to play the piano instead of playing it himself. Release: On 2 May 2014, "A Sky Full of Stars" was released early through Ghost Stories on the iTunes Store worldwide and on Spotify.

On 5 May, the single was released at Google Play store in Australia. On 26 June, Coldplay announced the A Sky Full of Stars EP, which features the radio edit of the song and three bonus tracks from the Target version of Ghost Stories: "All Your Friends", the title track "Ghost Story" and "O (Reprise)". The extended play was then released on 29 June worldwide, with exception of the United States, given that those songs are already available through their exclusive deluxe edition, although in 2021, the EP was made available in the United States on all streaming platforms. Packaging: The single art for "A Sky Full of Stars" was etched by UK-based, Czech etching artist Mila Fürstová.