The Hardest Part (Coldplay song)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"The Hardest Part"

Single by Coldplay
from the album X&Y
B-side(s)	"How You See the World" (live from Earls Court)
Released	3 April 2006 (UK radio) 19 June 2006 (UK import)
Format	Digital, CD
Recorded	2004–2005
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	4:25
Label	Parlophone
Producer(s)	Coldplay, Danton Supple
Chart positions
#8 (Latvia) #25 (Dutch Top 40) #37 (US Adult Contemporary) #42 (Australia) #49 (Peru)
Coldplay singles chronology
"Talk" (2005)	"The Hardest Part" (2006)	"What If" (2006)
X&Y track listing
"Low" (9)	"The Hardest Part" (10)	"Swallowed in the Sea" (11)

"The Hardest Part" is the fourth single from Coldplay's 2005 album, X&Y. The song was released to UK radio and download sites on 3 April 2006 and was released internationally on CD in Europe, Japan, Canada, and Australia in May and June 2006. The international version of the single was made available in the UK on 19 June 2006. In France and the French speaking portions of Belgium and Switzerland "What If" was released instead of "The Hardest Part", and a Belgium commercial CD featured the same B-side, "How You See the World" recorded live at Earls Court.

Like the previous single from X&Y, "Talk", had been a tribute to Kraftwerk, "The Hardest Part" was intended by Coldplay as a stylistic nod to R.E.M.. In fact, according to the band, they felt "The Hardest Part" resembled R.E.M.'s 1991 hit "Losing My Religion" so much that they almost left it off the album.^{[citation needed]}

1 Track listings
- 1.1 In the UK
- 1.2 International 2-track CD
2 Music video
3 Chart Performance
4 External links

[edit] Track listings

[edit] In the UK

Promo CD CDRDJ6687 released in March 2006

"The Hardest Part" - 4:25

12" 12R6687 Live EP originally scheduled to be released 6 April 2006, but later cancelled.

[edit] International 2-track CD

EU CD 00946 3 63243 2 6 released 15 May 2006
Japan CD TOCP-40189 released 24 May 2006
Australia CD 0946 3 63242 2 7 released 13 June 2006

"The Hardest Part" - 4:25
"How You See The World" (live from Earls Court)

[edit] Music video

Video clip

The music video for "The Hardest Part" was shot on 3 March 2006 in St. Petersburg, Florida at a yacht marina. The video is similar to Weezer's video for Buddy Holly, in that it uses a clip from a short-lived 80s program "Attitudes" on the Lifetime network, and has the band digitally inserted. The band essentially plays beside a stage where an 84-year-old lady and her 25-year-old male friend put up an incredible act of athleticism, despite her age. Actress Linda Dano, who played "Felicia Gallant" on the soap opera Another World, is also featured via the Attitudes footage. The video was directed by Mary Wigmore. Another version of the video features a cameo from Chris Martin's father, Anthony Martin, but was never broadcast. It premiered on Wednesday, 22 March at 11:05 p.m. on Channel 4 in the UK.

[edit] Chart Performance

On the U.S., "The Hardest Part" entered Billboard's AC chart, peaking at #37. It's being played on Triple A radio, reaching #18 on the Radio & Records Triple A chart.

In Peru the single was a moderate hit compared to previous singles peaking at #49. ^[1]