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We Pray

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"We Pray"
Standard version cover[a]
Single by Coldplay featuring Little Simz, Burna Boy, Elyanna and Tini
from the album Moon Music
Language
  • English
  • Arabic
  • Spanish
Released23 August 2024 (2024-08-23)
Recorded2023–2024[1]
GenreAlternative hip hop[2]
Length3:53
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Max Martin
  • Daniel Green
  • Michael Ilbert
  • Ilya
  • Bill Rahko
Coldplay singles chronology
"Feels Like I'm Falling in Love"
(2024) 		"We Pray"
(2024) 		"All My Love"
(2024)
Little Simz singles chronology
"Satellite Business 2.0"
(2024) 		"We Pray"
(2024)
Burna Boy singles chronology
"Higher"
(2024) 		"We Pray"
(2024)
Elyanna singles chronology
"Wala Ghalta"
(2024) 		"We Pray"
(2024)
Tini singles chronology
"Agua"
(2024) 		"We Pray"
(2024)

"We Pray" (stylised in all caps) is a song by British rock band Coldplay featuring English rapper Little Simz, Nigerian singer Burna Boy, Palestinian-Chilean musician Elyanna and Argentine singer Tini. It was released on 23 August 2024, through Parlophone in the United Kingdom and Atlantic Records in the United States, as the second single from their tenth studio album, Moon Music.[3] Spanish and Arabic versions, featuring Tini and Elyanna as the only guests, were released in September 2024.

The song was met with positive reviews from music critics. Commercially, it reached the top 10 in Croatia, Ireland, Lebanon, and New Zealand, the top 20 in Belgium and the United Kingdom, and the top 40 in Argentina, Austria, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. "We Pray" debuted at number 87 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well, becoming Little Simz, Elyanna and Tini's first entry on the chart.[4] Coldplay performed the song on their Music of the Spheres World Tour and on Saturday Night Live.

Background and release

[edit]

Following the live debut of the song with Little Simz at Coldplay's Glastonbury Festival set in June 2024, Variety reported that Burna Boy "has a verse" while Elyanna "assisted with vocals". The magazine further wrote that the chorus "prominently" contains the lyrics "and so we pray".[5] Variety and NME stated the song's rumored title as "Supernova"[6] while Vulture speculated it was titled "We Pray".[7] The collaboration was confirmed to be a track from the band's upcoming tenth studio album Moon Music (2024).[6]

On 6 August, the band announced "We Pray" via their social media as the second single from their tenth studio album Moon Music, along with its release date.[8] Shortly after, a 30-second preview of the song—containing "part of [Little Simz's] (verse) and Chris Martin singing the chorus"—was uploaded to their YouTube channel.[9] Another preview of Martin's verses being recorded in the studio was released as well.[10]

"We Pray" was released for download and to streaming services on 23 August 2024.[11] "We Pray" was also issued via 12-inch recycled vinyl and eco CD—a CD majorly made of recycled polycarbonate—formats.[12] The physical release contains four alternative versions of the song, including separate versions featuring Tini's guest vocals in Spanish and Elyanna's in Arabic, and an exclusive live rendition of the Glastonbury performance.[13][14] The version featuring Tini was released digitally and for streaming on 6 September,[15] followed by Elyanna's on 20 September.[16] A special titled Coldplay x Tini: an Argentine Connection was released on Argentine streaming service Flow; it details the relationship of the band with its Argentine fans, collaborating with Tini, and the artists' performance of the song in Dublin on Colplay's tour.[17][18]

Composition and recording

[edit]

"We Pray" is an alternative hip hop song,[2] comprising "hip-hop beat[s] [...] auditory layers composed of percussion loops, bass hits, and ad-libs".[19] Its lyrical themes revolve around "prayer, religion, love, and freedom" and "[address] the worldwide grievances and injustices surrounding these themes".[19]

In an interview, Martin described how the song came about: "In Taiwan, in the middle of the night, I woke up and the song was in my head, and I don't know where it came from. So the sound of it sort of dictated itself and that's all. I just sort of followed the road map that it said".[1] He stated that the song is "about all of these conflicts and people that hate each other. We're all praying for the same things, and we'd probably all get along if you just sat down long enough. I think that was the field into which it landed, and then it felt very natural". Regarding the inclusion of collaborators from four different regions and cultures, Martin said it "felt like it's a song about different types of people, so we should have different types of people singing it".[1]

Martin revealed that he invited Tini to be part of the song after he had "dreamed that [he] was outside a theater in Argentina and Tini was singing inside. That melody [he] heard in [his] dream was the perfect ending for 'We Pray'".[20] Tini revealed that she recorded her parts for the song in April 2023, which she had teased at the time of recording; she described Martin as an artist "[she] admire[s] so much".[21]

Critical reception

[edit]

Aaron Williams from Uproxx praised the song as an "operatic, epic-sounding anthem that finds [Coldplay and guest artists] reflecting on their hopes for the future and fears of the present, manifesting greatness amid adversity".[14] Writing for HotNewHipHop, Elias Andrews appreciated the collaborative nature of the song, set on "a warbling bass line underneath and a massive string section".[22] Ranking "We Pray" as one of the week's best releases, the New Zealand Listener called it "a life affirming chunk of memorable, lyrically catch-all pop which touches a lot of musical bases".[23]

Live performances

[edit]

Coldplay debuted the song during their Glastonbury Festival set on 29 June 2024.[6] Little Simz and Elyanna joined them onstage, while short clips of Burna Boy's verses were screened in the background.[24] The first performance with all collaborators was held at Coldplay's first Croke Park, Dublin show of their tour on 29 August 2024.[25] At Croke Park, Tini debuted her Spanish-language version of the track, ahead of its 6 September release.[26] A day before, however, they reunited to perform the track and record a music video, surrounded by fans, at Grafton Street.[25] As the musical guest of the 5 October 2024 episode of Saturday Night Live, Coldplay performed Moon Music's third single "All My Love", followed by "We Pray" with Tini and Elyanna "as colorful neon visuals flashed in the background".[27]

An intimiate Sirius XM concert was held on October 7 to promote the album, at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn, wherein the band performed "We Pray" with Elyanna and Tini to an audience of "600-or-so" people.[28] It aired on Coldplay's Sirius XM radio station and Alt Nation.[29] The day after, the three acts performed the song again on Today.[30]

Track listing

[edit]
Digital download and streaming track listing
No.TitleLength
1."We Pray"3:53
CD and 12" track listing
No.TitleLength
1."We Pray" (album version)3:54
2."We Pray" (Tini version)3:53
3."We Pray" (Elyanna version)3:53
4."We Pray" (? version)3:53
5."We Pray" (live at Glastonbury Festival 2024)4:20

Notes

  • The "?" version features a blank second verse "for your own inspiration", according to the band.[31] It was released on streaming platforms under the "Be Our Guest" subtitle.

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the CD single liner notes.[32]

Band members

Additional personnel

  • Bill Rahko – producer, programmer
  • Daniel Green – producer, programmer, synthesiser
  • Ilya Salmanzadeh – producer, keyboards, percussion, programmer
  • Max Martin – producer, percussion, piano
  • Michael Ilbert – producer, mixer
  • Randy Merrill – masterer
  • Davide Rossi – string arranger

Additional vocals

Strings

  • Bruce White
  • Bryony James
  • Charles Jenson
  • Ellie Stanford
  • Emma Owens
  • Hetty Snell
  • James Douglas
  • Jenny Sacha
  • Jessie Ann Richardson
  • Jordan Bergmans
  • Kerenza Peacock
  • Martyn Jackson
  • Meghan Cassidy
  • Michael Trainor
  • Miles Brett
  • Natalia Bonner
  • Natalie Klouda
  • Patrick Kiernan
  • Richard Pryce
  • Rosie Danvers
  • Sarah Sexton
  • Stephen Morris
  • Tony Woollard
  • Victoria Harrild
  • Zahra Benyounes

Engineers

  • Bill Rahko
  • Daniel Green
  • Jake Jackson
  • Jed Rimell
  • Michael Ilbert
  • Rebecca Horden

Assistant engineers

  • Ashley Poh
  • Bella Corich
  • Bryant Tan
  • Eric Eylands
  • Francesca Edwards
  • Gianluca Massimo
  • Jed Rimell
  • Leonard Soosay
  • Maxx Iwamasa
  • Miguel Lara
  • Niamh O'Sullivan
  • Rennie Gomes
  • Tomas Crow
  • Wil Jones

Additional engineer

  • Tate McDowell

Charts

[edit]

Release history

[edit]
Release dates and formats for "We Pray"
Region Date Format Version Label Ref.
Italy 23 August 2024 Radio airplay Standard Warner [84]
Various
[85]
6 September 2024
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 Tini [12]
20 September 2024 Elyanna

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Tini's version of the cover features the same artwork, but in a blue colour instead of black, while Elyanna's version is pink.

References

[edit]
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  2. ^ a b "Coldplay – We Pray, Lyrics and Meaning: Unpacking the Words Behind This Ensemble Hit". Magnetic. 29 August 2024. Archived from the original on 9 September 2024. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  3. ^ Chelosky, Danielle (23 August 2024). "Coldplay, Burna Boy, Little Simz, Elyanna, & Tini Share New Song "We Pray": Listen". Stereogum. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  4. ^ Zellner, Xander (15 October 2024). "Hot 100 First-Timers: Little Simz, Elyanna & Tini Debut with Coldplay Collab We Pray". Billboard. Archived from the original on 16 October 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  5. ^ Shafer, Ellise (29 June 2024). "Michael J. Fox Joins Coldplay on Guitar During Glastonbury Headlining Set, Little Simz Makes Appearance to Debut New Song". Variety. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
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  8. ^ England, Adam (6 August 2024). "Coldplay announce new single 'We Pray' featuring Little Simz, Burna Boy and more". NME. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  9. ^ Skinner, Tom (7 August 2024). "Here's a snippet of Coldplay's new single 'We Pray' featuring Little Simz". NME. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
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