A Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay

EDM - "Emotional Dance Music"

Coldplay's A Sky Full of Stars was released on May 2, 2014, as part of their sixth studio album, Ghost Stories. The song is a fan favourite at concerts and explores themes of unconditional love, admiration, and loss.

The cover art for the album also follows a similar path with a pair of angel wings etched onto a night sky scene over an ocean, symbolizing a broken heart.

The track was co-written and co-produced with Swedish DJ Avicii. While the song has a heavy electronic dance vibe, Chris Martin, Coldplay's frontman, stated that it is EDM, and for him, that means "Emotional Dance Music."

Martin revealed that his inspiration from artists like Katy Perry and Nirvana helped bring the song together, specifically in how they used repeated chord sequences to create a compelling groove.

“A Sky Full Of Stars came out about 11:30 at night, and came out in about seven minutes. That song really end up being inspired by EDM, which some people turn their noses up at. But then you go and see an EDM thing, and people are so together, having the best time, I was like, 'f***it, I love this,'" said Martin.

Lyrically:

The song's lyrics paint a vivid picture of overwhelming love, possibly connecting to his 2014 "conscious uncoupling," otherwise known as divorce, with Gwyneth Paltrow.

Martin said in an interview about the lyrics that "I'm not the most poetic of lyricists, but I know what feels right... I know that, at this point in the album, this song needs to be called A Sky Full of Stars because it’s about unconditional love. And I know that during a concert, if we’re playing the entire album, there’ll be a moment where you feel, ‘Okay, I’ve got that out of my system—now let’s go dancing!’"

"'Cause you're a sky, 'cause you're a sky full of stars
I'm gonna give you my heart
'Cause you're a sky, 'cause you're a sky full of stars
'Cause you light up the path"

These lyrics express a deep love for someone and how they make them brighter like a "sky full of stars" could only do. Unless it’s a really cloudy day then this would not be accurate. The phrase "I'm gonna give you my heart" indicates a willingness to open up emotionally and share love. Additionally, "you light up the path" implies this person is the guiding light in their life.

Martin discussed the overall theme of the album Ghost Stories as “an album about heartbreak, but it's not saying that something's broken so you should just give up; it's saying something's broken, so let's work out how to fix it and make it better than it was before.”

“I don't care, go on and tear me apart
I don't care if you do, ooh-ooh, ooh
'Cause in a sky, 'cause in a sky full of stars
I think I saw you”

These lyrics match Martin's theme of working through challenges and show a willingness to face pain or heartbreak to feel wholeness. This idea is similar to Coldplay's song Fix You.

"I wanna die in your arms, oh, oh-oh
'Cause you get lighter the more it gets dark"

The lyrics "I wanna die in your arms" express a powerful love, showing a willingness to face any fate just to stay with that person.

The line "'Cause you get lighter the more it gets dark" uses a metaphor of light and darkness to show that there is hope even in tough times.

The last verse ties everything together with the line, "Such a heavenly view / You're such a heavenly view." The phrase "such a heavenly view" suggests that being with this person feels like looking at something divine or otherworldly. This imagery makes the person seem almost spiritually important, like a god.

"I love that it’s come out of this dark place. It was the last song to be written, and you know I was asking for it for a long time. We've got all these other songs going through this journey, and we need this like a door opening to the sunrise," stated Martin about A Sky Full of Stars. "It's the most important song we've ever had, lyrically, because every time I sing it, I'm like, yeah, that's how I wanna live my life.”