The True Meaning Behind Let Somebody Go By Coldplay X Selena Gomez
Coldplay's newest album, "Music of the Spheres," was released on October 15. The record was highly anticipated, not just due to the band's own massive following, but because the album featured artists like Selena Gomez and K-pop icons BTS. Since "Music of the Spheres" dropped, Coldplay has been doing press for their new album and upcoming world tour, which kicks off in 2022.
Part of that press included hosting a week-long music residency on "The Late Late Show with James Corden." On the show, Coldplay performed their single "Human Heart," as well as their new track, "Let Somebody Go" — live with Selena Gomez.
In addition to their music residency, the band recently released the accompanying lyric video for the somber song. Yet, the visual does more than just showcase the words to the tune — it hints at the personal meaning behind the song, as the lyrics in the video are handwritten by both Martin and Gomez. But if you have been too busy soaking up the album to look at the lyrics, keep reading to find out the meaning behind "Let Somebody Go."
According to Chris Martin, loving someone is letting them go
"Love is only equal to the pain," Chris Martin and Selena Gomez sing together on their slow ballad, "Let Somebody Go."
The track is understated with EDM-inspired beats as Martin and Gomez open up about the reality of relationships. As Martin and Gomez sing on "Let Somebody Go," sometimes love is not enough for a relationship. "We had a kind of love / I thought that it would never end," Martin croons. "You gave everything this golden glow / Now turn off all the stars 'cause this I know / That it hurts like so / To let somebody go."
As Martin revealed on "On Air With Ryan Seacrest," Coldplay chose to add Selena Gomez to the song because her voice is "a gift to humanity." While Martin knew the song was good, he knew it would be even better if the song could represent both sides of the story — which is why Coldplay asked Gomez to collaborate on the song. With Gomez, as the two sing, the two vantage points of a breakup become imminently clear.
Chris Martin gushes that Selena Gomez brought 'color and character' to the song
"When you love somebody / Got to let somebody know." It's these crushing lyrics in the bridge that put into words a truth that can be hard to admit to yourself let alone a significant other: that going separate ways is best. But as Chris Martin and Selena Gomez sing in "Let Somebody Go," if you truly love someone, you only let them go if you love them.
When Coldplay spoke with Apple Music, they added that Gomez brought the "color and character" the song needed. So as the two artists sing from both sides of a breakup, whichever point of view you come from, you relate to the deeper meaning. Not to mention that the two artists have dealt with high-profile breakups of their own, like Gomez's with Justin Bieber and Martin's "conscious uncoupling" with ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow.
As the song slows to a close, Martin ends by saying, "But you're still with me now, I know / (Let somebody, let somebody go)." The last lyrics tie a not so neat bow around the tug and pull of relationships and how letting someone you love go is never an easy decision — even if it is the best one.