While Coldplay and Cat Power’s Chan Marshall would at first seem to be an unlikely group of collaborators, if their hauntingly beautiful new collaboration “Wish I Was Here” is any indication, it’s a partnership that should have happened a lot sooner.
In the new single, written and recorded for Zach Braff’s upcoming film of the same name, Coldplay provides Chan Marshall with lead vocal duties for the track’s first half, with Chris Martin first appearing around the 1:30 mark. Sounding similar to cuts from Coldplay’s first two records, “Wish I Was Here” was first written after Braff sent an early copy of the movie to Coldplay, with Chris Martin later suggesting a woman perform on the track after the song had been completely written. The lead vocals were recorded by Marshall in New York, then Martin adding his backing vocals to the track at a later point.
As for the movie it was written for, “Wish I Was Here” is Zac Braff’s directorial followup to his critically acclaimed 2004 Comedy-Drama “Garden State”, which is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes (86%) and is considered one of the 500 Greatest Movies of All Time by Empire Magazine. The soundtrack, which features Paul Simon, The Shins, Coldplay, Gary Jules, Bon Iver and more, is currently set to be released on July 15th, with the movie following closely thereafter on the 18th.
Stream Coldplay and Cat Power’s “Wish I Was Here” on NPR
I personally have had this track on repeat for the last hour, and don’t see myself stopping anytime soon. It’s probably one of the better collaborations Coldplay have done recently, and Chan’s voice fits perfectly with the Coldplay instrumental. Just a beautiful track, and very well written. Bravo!
But what are your thoughts on the new collaboration? Let us know in the comments, and on our forums.
