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The Hardest Part (Coldplay song)

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"The Hardest Part"
Single by Coldplay
from the album X&Y
B-side"How You See the World" (Live from Earls Court)
Released3 April 2006 (2006-04-03)
GenrePop rock
Length4:25
LabelParlophone
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Coldplay singles chronology
"Talk"
(2005) 		"The Hardest Part"
(2006) 		"Violet Hill"
(2008)
Music video
"The Hardest Part" on YouTube

"The Hardest Part" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It was written by all four members of the band for their third album, X&Y. A piano-based ballad song, it begins with a piano melody, followed with electric guitar lines, that accompanies slow-tempo drumming.

It was released on 3 April 2006 as the fourth and final single from X&Y. The song was released as a radio-only song on United Kingdom radio stations. It appeared on the United States Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart and peaked at number 37, making it Coldplay's first appearance on that chart and helping establish moderate success at AC radio for future singles like "Viva la Vida", "Paradise", and "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall". "The Hardest Part" also charted in Australia, Italy and New Zealand.

The song was well received by critics. The track was complimented for its musical style. Regional singles were released in Canada, Europe, and Australia; a different version was released in Taiwan. Promo singles were released for the UK and US. The international version of the single was made available in the UK on 19 June 2006.

Production and composition

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The previous single from X&Y, "Talk", was a tribute to the German band Kraftwerk; similarly, "The Hardest Part" was intended by Coldplay to acknowledge American band R.E.M.[1][2] When asked why the song paid a tribute to R.E.M.'s lead singer, Michael Stipe, Chris Martin said: "I've lost all respect for fame, but I haven't lost all respect for respect. So the one great thing about being famous is that I get to meet people who I respect. Our relationship is akin to a dog and its master. I'll always look up to him."[1] The band felt the track resembled R.E.M.'s 1991 single, "Losing My Religion".[3][4] "The Hardest Part" was left out of the album track list when the band sent an early version of X&Y to their record label, Parlophone,[3] but was included when the album was finalised.[5][6]

Release and reception

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Coldplay released "The Hardest Part" in the US and UK on 3 April 2006 and in Japan on 24 May as the fourth single from X&Y.[3][7] The single was pressed with a B-side, "How You See the World", recorded live at Earls Court.[3] The international version of the single was made available in the UK on 19 June 2006.[3] Regional singles were released for Canada, Europe, Australia, and a different version for Taiwan.[3] Promotional singles were released in the UK and US.[3] The track peaked at number 37 on Billboard's Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart.[8] Although the song did not chart on the UK Singles Chart, as the song was released as a radio-only song, the single peaked on the Italian charts on 11 May 2006 at number 19 and spent a week in the chart.[9] Afterward, the song peaked on the New Zealand Singles Chart at number 28 on 28 August 2006.[10] A live piano version of "The Hardest Part", paired with the Prospekt's March track "Postcards from Far Away", appeared on Coldplay's 2009 live album LeftRightLeftRightLeft.[11]

Critics were positive towards the song. In the Entertainment Weekly review of the album, music contributor David Browne wrote that the song "is imbued with the sense of regret and letting go that we've heard from the band before, but with added musical muscle."[12] Michael Hubbard of MusicOMH wrote: "'A Message' and 'The Hardest Part' sound like companion pieces, both big songs."[13] Critic Kelefa Sanneh of Rolling Stone noted that the song gets "less catchy as it goes along".[14] Adrien Begrand from PopMatters wrote that "The Hardest Part" is a "pleasant slice of R.E.M. style pop."[15] Cameron Adams of the Herald Sun reported that the song sounded "like the Smiths meets REM."[16] David Cheal of The Daily Telegraph noted, "...'The Hardest Part' is lovely, straightforward, instantly accessible pop-rock".[17]

Music video

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The music video for "The Hardest Part" was shot on 3 March 2006 in St. Petersburg, Florida. The video uses footage from the television series Attitudes, which aired on the Lifetime television network from 1985 to 1992. The video is digitally enhanced to appear as though Coldplay is performing the music alongside the act appearing on stage.[18] American actress Linda Dano, who played Felicia Gallant on the US soap opera Another World, is also featured.[18] The dancers on the stage are 84-year-old Barbara Moseley and 25-year-old Gene Spencer, whose performance was actually filmed in 1990.[19] The music video was directed by Mary Wigmore.[3]

Track listings

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European, Australian, and Japanese CD single[20][21]
No.TitleLength
1."The Hardest Part"4:25
2."How You See the World" (live from Earls Court)4:16
UK 7-inch vinyl (The Singles 1999–2006)[22]
No.TitleLength
1."The Hardest Part"4:25
2."Pour Me" (live at the Hollywood Bowl)5:01

Personnel

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  • Chris Martin – vocals, piano, acoustic guitar, synthesizer
  • Guy Berryman – bass guitar
  • Jonny Buckland – electric guitars
  • Will Champion – drums, backing vocals

Charts

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Weekly chart performance for "The Hardest Part"
Chart (2006) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[23] 40
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[24] 48
Canada Hot AC Top 40 (Radio & Records)[25] 6
CIS (TopHit)[26] 138
Italy (FIMI)[27] 19
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[28] 25
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[29] 39
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[30] 28
Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[31] 15
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[32] 44
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[33] 56
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[34] 20
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[35] 37

References

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  1. ^ a b Scaggs, Austin (11 August 2005). "Coldplay's Quiet Storm". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 13 October 2008.
  2. ^ Willman, Chris (27 March 2005). "Summer Music Preview: Coldplay". Entertainment Weekly.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Coldplay Ezine: Issue 17" (PDF). Coldplay.com. April 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 February 2007. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
  4. ^ "World Exclusive: Coldplay". Q. June 2005.
  5. ^ McLean, Craig (28 May 2005). "The importance of being earnest". The Guardian. Retrieved 17 November 2008.
  6. ^ Cohen, Jonathan (4 April 2005). "Coldplay Finalizes New Album Track List". Billboard. Retrieved 12 November 2008.
  7. ^ "ザ・ハーデスト・パート | コールドプレイ" [The Hardest Part | Coldplay] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  8. ^ "Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
  9. ^ "Coldplay — The Hardest Part". Italian Charts. 11 May 2006. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
  10. ^ "Coldplay — The Hardest Part". New Zealand Charts. 11 August 2006. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
  11. ^ Kreps, Daniel (1 May 2009). "Coldplay Reward Fans With Free Live LP "LeftRightLeftRightLeft"". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 3 May 2009. Retrieved 21 May 2009.
  12. ^ Browne, David (13 June 2005). "X&Y (2005)". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 11 July 2007. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
  13. ^ Hubbard, Michael (6 June 2005). "Coldplay — X&Y". MusicOMH. Archived from the original on 5 December 2006. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
  14. ^ Sanneh, Kelefa (16 June 2005). "Coldplay: X&Y". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 19 September 2008. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
  15. ^ Begrand, Adrien (6 June 2005). "Coldplay: X&Y". PopMatters. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
  16. ^ Adams, Cameron (2 June 2005). "'play it again". Herald Sun. Australia: 105.
  17. ^ Cheal, David (4 June 2005). "CDs of the Week". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Coldplay — The Hardest Part". Virgin Media. 10 April 2006. Retrieved 6 January 2009.
  19. ^ YouTube: Barbara, 84 and Spencer, 25 in a beautiful acrobatic dance routine.
  20. ^ The Hardest Part (European & Australian CD single liner notes). Coldplay. Parlophone. 2006. 0946 363242 2 7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^ The Hardest Part (Japanese CD single liner notes). Coldplay. Parlophone. 2006. TOCP-40189.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  22. ^ The Singles 1999–2006 (UK box compilation liner notes). Coldplay. Parlophone. 2007. 388 3247.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  23. ^ "Coldplay – The Hardest Part". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  24. ^ "Coldplay – The Hardest Part" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  25. ^ "R&R Canada Hot AC Top 40" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1661. 9 June 2006. p. 51. Retrieved 20 June 2024.
  26. ^ Coldplay — The Hardest Part. TopHit. Retrieved 5 October 2021.
  27. ^ "Coldplay – The Hardest Part". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  28. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 22, 2006" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  29. ^ "Coldplay – The Hardest Part" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  30. ^ "Coldplay – The Hardest Part". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  31. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 200635 into search. Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  32. ^ "Coldplay – The Hardest Part". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  33. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 May 2022.
  34. ^ "Coldplay Chart History (Adult Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  35. ^ "Coldplay Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
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