Princess of China
The song was written by band members Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, and Chris Martin, with additional composition by Brian Eno and a sample from "Takk..." performed by Sigur Rós.The song's accompanying music video, directed by Adria Petty and Alan Bibby, was filmed in March 2012 in Los Angeles and released on 2 June 2012.[1] In an interview with MTV News Martin confirmed that the "Princess of China" is the band's favourite song on the album because of how it differs from their previous efforts in terms of genre and musical direction.[2] When asked if fans would unite and react favourably to the song, Martin expressed that he was not concerned with how it would be received, and noted that Rihanna is always pushing the boundaries of the music industry.[4] On 21 September 2011, reports surfaced online that Will Champion, who plays the drums in the band, had expressed interest in singing the lyrics that were ultimately delegated to Rihanna."[5] "Princess of China" premiered on Dutch radio on 16 October 2011 and was later uploaded to the band's official VEVO account on YouTube, but it was removed by their record label, EMI.As noted by Amy Sciarretto of Popcrush, it features a "moody" and heavy synth throughout the duration of the song, which resembles Depeche Mode's intro to It's No Good."[16] Robbie Daw of Idolator praised the collaboration, writing "the marriage of Chris Martin and [Rihanna]'s vocals is a solid one", but noted that he was not sure what to expect.[14] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph reviewed the song favourably, and labelled the collaboration as "effective", writing "the richly textured backing bringing out interesting nuances in her sweet but tough vocal, but it is the very English soulfulness of Martin himself that really adds depth to Coldplay.[22] The single re-entered the US Billboard Hot 100 on 11 February 2012 at number 98, following the announcement that Rihanna and Coldplay are set to perform the song together at the 54th Grammy Awards.[41][42] The tour version of the video shows Rihanna wearing two different costumes and golden nail guards as she performs a choreography with her arms in front of a background with colorful effects.It contains visual references to various Chinese wuxia films, including Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and Zhang Yimou's Hero, House of Flying Daggers and Curse of the Golden Flower.The video closes on scenes of Chris Martin seated on a throne watching Rihanna dance with a red coloured drape surrounded by female dancers kneeling down and men beating the drums.[39][46] Coldplay and Rihanna performed an acoustic version "Princess of China" for the first time at the 54th Grammy Awards, held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Princess of China (One Thousand and One Nights)SingleColdplayRihannaMylo XylotoStudioThe Bakery and The BeehiveElectropopelectronic rockParlophoneCapitolSongwriter(s)Guy BerrymanJonny BucklandWill ChampionChris MartinBrian EnoProducer(s)Markus DravsRik SimpsonCharlie BrownHurts Like HeavenTake CareYouTubeBarbadianTakk...Sigur Rósmusic criticsBillboard Hot 100UK Singles Chart54th Grammy AwardsStaples CenterLos AngelesMTV Newsdigital downloadIt's No GoodfalsettoThe Huffington PostSony/ATV Music Publishingtime signatureA minorchord progressionViva la VidaTaio CruzRolling StoneIdolatorNeil McCormickThe Daily TelegraphBillboardHot 100Hot Digital SongsPop SongsCanadian Hot 100We Found LoveTalk That TalkCalvin HarrisPink FridayNicki MinajCheers (Drink to That)Finnish Singles ChartAdria PettyMylo Xyloto TourChineseAng LeeCrouching Tiger, Hidden DragonZhang YimouHouse of Flying DaggersCurse of the Golden FlowerParadiseStade De Franceclosing ceremony2012 Summer ParalympicsOlympic StadiumLondonInvisible MenTiëstoelectronic drumsKuk HarrellDavide RossiSpike StentBob LudwigTappin GoftonHi-HatÖ3 Austria Top 40Ultratop 50TopHitRádio – Top 100TracklistenFinland's Official ListSingle Top 40Rádiós Top 40Media ForestDutch Top 40Billboard Ingles AirplayRecorded Music NZVG-listaScotlandRádio Top 100PROMUSICAESchweizer HitparadeUK SinglesPop AirplayCertified unitsIFPI DanmarkAMPROFONContemporary hit radioList of UK top-ten singles in 2012EMI RecordsMTV UKViacomAssociated Newspapers LtdThe IndependentApple MusicToronto StarThe GuardianDigital SpyEntertainment WeeklyHuffPostBuzz MediaChart-TrackIrish Recorded Music AssociationMedia Control ChartsTwitterDiscogsARIA Top 50 SinglesLes classement single