Something Just Like This
by The Chainsmokers (featuring Coldplay)

Album: Memories… Do Not Open (2017)
Charted: 2 3
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This anthemic tune is a collaboration between the Chainsmokers duo and the British band Coldplay. The dance floor-ready song was premiered with a live performance by both groups at the 2017 BRITS Awards on February 22, 2017.
  • Coldplay's Chris Martin sings of a relationship that doesn't need to be superhumanly perfect:

    I'm not looking for somebody
    With some superhuman gifts
    Some superhero
    Some fairytale bliss
    Just something I can turn to
    Somebody I can kiss


    Though Chris Martin wants to be like mythological greats like Achilles and Hercules and comic superheroes such as Spiderman and Batman, he is well aware he's nothing like them. Fortunately his girl just wants a simple relationship with a straightforward guy.

    Chainsmokers explained: "This is about a relationship that doesn't need to be superhumanly perfect, an ordinary love, a love everyone deserves like the boy on the cover art whose childhood memories are now boxed up."
  • The song was written by the Chainsmokers and Coldplay band members. It was produced by Chainsmokers with frequent collaborator DJ Swivel. The Canadian producer garnered a Grammy award for his work on Beyonce's song "Love On Top," which won in 2013 for best traditional R&B performance.
  • The song's lyric video set a new mark on YouTube for single-day views. The clip was streamed more than 9 million times in its first 24 hours of availability, overtaking the previous record held by Justin Bieber's "What Do You Mean?" lyric video, which was played 8.2 million times in its first day.

    The record was smashed eight months later by the lyric video for Taylor Swift's "Look What You Made Me Do," which garnered more than 19 million views in its first 24 hours.
  • The Chainsmokers are big fans of Chris Martin. Andrew Taggart told NME: "As a songwriter, he nails that hopeful, melancholy feeling that I grew up on."
  • Most of the song was created during the Chainsmokers' first meeting with Chris Martin. They recalled:

    "We found some chords that everyone loved and then Chris plugged a mic into the PA in the studio and freestyled for an hour. This song was the result.

    We've never seen a song written in such a stream of conscious. It's hard to maintain your identity when working with such an established artist but we feel this song is great balance between both us and Coldplay."
  • A live version of the song, recorded in Tokyo in April 2017, was included on Coldplay's Kaleidoscope EP.

Comments: 2

  • Ian Seehorn from GreenevilleWow I am listening to it.
  • Vandy Ayo from Nigeria Wow amazing
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Dwight Twilley

Dwight TwilleySongwriter Interviews

Since his debut single "I'm On Fire" in 1975, Dwight has been providing Spinal-Tap moments and misadventure.

Chris Frantz of Talking Heads

Chris Frantz of Talking HeadsSongwriter Interviews

Talking Heads drummer Chris Frantz on where the term "new wave" originated, the story of "Naive Melody," and why they never recorded another cover song after "Take Me To The River."

Little Richard

Little RichardFact or Fiction

Was Long Tall Sally a cross-dresser? Did he really set his piano on fire? See if you know the real stories about one of rock's greatest innovators.

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song Titles

Spot The Real Red Hot Chili Peppers Song TitlesMusic Quiz

The Red Hot Chili Peppers have some rather unusual song titles - see if you can spot the real ones.

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")

Director Wes Edwards ("Drunk on a Plane")Song Writing

Wes Edwards takes us behind the scenes of videos he shot for Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Chase Bryant. The train was real - the airplane was not.

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce PavittSong Writing

The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.