# A Head Full of Dreams
**A Head Full of Dreams** is the seventh studio album by the British band Coldplay, released on 4 December 2015 through [Parlophone](https://www.edgepedia.org/parlophone)[1](https://www.coldplay.com/release/a-head-full-of-dreams/) • [2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-head-full-of-dreams/1053933969). It was designed as the opposite of the band's 2014 album *Ghost Stories*, a low-key record written around singer [Chris Martin](https://www.edgepedia.org/chris-martin)'s divorce, and instead returned to big singalong choruses and upbeat pop[2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-head-full-of-dreams/1053933969). The band worked with the Norwegian production duo Stargate, known for hits by Rihanna and [Katy Perry](https://www.edgepedia.org/katy-perry), and recorded guest appearances from Beyoncé, Noel Gallagher, Brian Eno, Tove Lo, and Merry Clayton, along with spoken-word excerpts from Barack Obama[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/dec/04/coldplay-a-head-full-of-dreams-review-a-failure-to-commit-to-pop) • [2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-head-full-of-dreams/1053933969).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist / album | Coldplay, seventh studio album[4](https://media.ticketmaster.com/en-au/img/static/pdf/MediaRelease_Coldplay_180516.pdf) |
| Release | 4 December 2015, Parlophone Records; 11 songs, 45 minutes[1](https://www.coldplay.com/release/a-head-full-of-dreams/) • [2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-head-full-of-dreams/1053933969) |
| Production | Norwegian pop production duo Stargate, replacing the production roles previously held by Brian Eno and Jon Hopkins[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/dec/04/coldplay-a-head-full-of-dreams-review-a-failure-to-commit-to-pop) |
| Guests | Beyoncé, Noel Gallagher, Brian Eno, Tove Lo, Merry Clayton, Barack Obama (spoken word), Gwyneth Paltrow (backing vocals on "Everglow")[2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-head-full-of-dreams/1053933969) |
| Singles | "Adventure of a Lifetime", "Hymn for the Weekend", "Up&Up"[4](https://media.ticketmaster.com/en-au/img/static/pdf/MediaRelease_Coldplay_180516.pdf) |
| Chart context | Missed the UK and US top spots narrowly to Adele's *25*[5](https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/inside-track-coldplay-hymn-weekend) |
| Tour | A Head Full of Dreams Tour, 2016–2017, with stadium shows worldwide[6](https://assets.website-files.com/6827ace518f2b2afb255903d/682fd3e701b27b7acf5fd08c_kunuguzowogun.pdf) • [7](https://los40.com/2025/12/04/coldplay-y-a-head-full-of-dreams-diez-anos-del-album-que-convirtio-la-euforia-en-su-sena-de-identidad/) |
## Background and concept
Coldplay began work on the album directly after completing *Ghost Stories*, whose introspective material followed Martin's divorce from [Gwyneth Paltrow](https://www.edgepedia.org/gwyneth-paltrow). Drummer [Will Champion](https://www.edgepedia.org/will-champion) described *A Head Full of Dreams* as a "breath out," envisioned years earlier as a colorful companion to the darker record, and said the band wanted a record that inspired people to come together rather than emphasize differences[8](https://coldplaying.com/forums/topic/73334-2015-12-15-why-coldplay-consciously-recoupled-before-possibly-fading-away/). The band did not tour *Ghost Stories*, giving Martin and their audience time to digest it before the new album's campaign[8](https://coldplaying.com/forums/topic/73334-2015-12-15-why-coldplay-consciously-recoupled-before-possibly-fading-away/).
Martin framed the album as an ending. In his view, the record completed a journey, comparing it to the seven colors of the color spectrum on the band's seventh album, and he also likened it to the seventh [Harry Potter](https://www.edgepedia.org/harry-potter) book[2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-head-full-of-dreams/1053933969) • [9](https://musiccritic.com/coldplay/a-head-full-of-dreams/). The stated idea behind the album was that focusing on something hard enough can will it into existence[2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-head-full-of-dreams/1053933969).
## Recording and songwriting
Most of the tracks originated in jam sessions held in London and Los Angeles, after which each musician developed the material on his own; while Martin brought some nearly finished musical concepts, the project intentionally downplayed his personal input to emphasize collaboration[10](https://coldplaying.com/forums/topic/73170-2015-11-29-a-head-full-of-dreams-finds-coldplay-in-a-happy-place-usa-today/). Rik Simpson, Coldplay's engineer since their second album *A Rush of Blood to the Head* (2002), worked on the record, with demos in varying states of development brought into the studio and reworked[5](https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/inside-track-coldplay-hymn-weekend).
The album's eleven tracks, in order, are "A Head Full of Dreams", "Birds", "[Hymn for the Weekend](https://www.edgepedia.org/hymn-for-the-weekend)", "Everglow", "Adventure of a Lifetime", "Fun", "Kaleidoscope", "Army of One", "Amazing Day", "Colour Spectrum", and "Up&Up"[1](https://www.coldplay.com/release/a-head-full-of-dreams/). "Everglow" features Paltrow singing a line referring to their breakup, and a "Coldplay Jr." choir made up of the band members' children also appears[2](https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-head-full-of-dreams/1053933969). The interlude "Kaleidoscope" weaves in a spoken-word reading of a 13th-century Persian poem and a sample of [Barack Obama](https://www.edgepedia.org/barack-obama) reciting "Amazing Grace"[11](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21321-a-head-full-of-dreams/), with a contribution from concert pianist [Khatia Buniatishvili](https://www.edgepedia.org/khatia-buniatishvili)[12](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/coldplay-a-head-full-of-dreams-too-much-emotional-laundry-but-it-s-a-step-in-the-right-direction-album-review-a6760096.html).
## Music and reception
Critics read the album as a deliberate reversion to Coldplay's core formula of emotional uplift and arena-sized singalong hooks after the poorly received *Ghost Stories*, which had brought the band the worst reviews and poorest sales of their career[12](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/coldplay-a-head-full-of-dreams-too-much-emotional-laundry-but-it-s-a-step-in-the-right-direction-album-review-a6760096.html). Reviewers highlighted the disco-pop lead single "Adventure of a Lifetime", with its funk groove and spiraling guitar hook, and the Beyoncé-assisted "Hymn for the Weekend"[12](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/coldplay-a-head-full-of-dreams-too-much-emotional-laundry-but-it-s-a-step-in-the-right-direction-album-review-a6760096.html) • [11](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21321-a-head-full-of-dreams/). Common criticisms targeted the songwriting and the album's relentless optimism; Pitchfork's review described the campaign to raise the listener's spirits as liable to "induce altitude sickness"[11](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21321-a-head-full-of-dreams/), and The Independent found that the absence of the band's usual big arena hooks left many songs not quite hitting home[12](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/coldplay-a-head-full-of-dreams-too-much-emotional-laundry-but-it-s-a-step-in-the-right-direction-album-review-a6760096.html).
Commercially, the album was extremely successful despite narrowly missing the UK and US number-one positions, which went to Adele's *25*[5](https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/inside-track-coldplay-hymn-weekend).
## Tour and film
The [A Head Full of Dreams Tour](https://www.edgepedia.org/a-head-full-of-dreams-tour) ran from 2016 to 2017[6](https://assets.website-files.com/6827ace518f2b2afb255903d/682fd3e701b27b7acf5fd08c_kunuguzowogun.pdf). It became known for its stadium-scale visual production, including glowing wristbands and confetti, and took the band to stadiums worldwide[7](https://los40.com/2025/12/04/coldplay-y-a-head-full-of-dreams-diez-anos-del-album-que-convirtio-la-euforia-en-su-sena-de-identidad/). In 2016 the band announced Australian and New Zealand stadium dates in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Auckland[4](https://media.ticketmaster.com/en-au/img/static/pdf/MediaRelease_Coldplay_180516.pdf).
A documentary about the band, also titled *A Head Full of Dreams*, was directed by Mat Whitecross, who had known the band for two decades, and covers their twenty-year history[13](https://timeline.coldplay.com/article/interview-mat-whitecross/) • [14](https://catalogus.boekman.nl/pub/P20-0562.pdf). The official music video for the title track, directed by James Marcus Haney, was filmed in Mexico City in April 2016 and opens with footage of [Charlie Chaplin](https://www.edgepedia.org/charlie-chaplin) from *The Great Dictator*[15](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGZMvV9KBp8).
## References
1. [A Head Full Of Dreams, Coldplay official site](https://www.coldplay.com/release/a-head-full-of-dreams/)
2. [A Head Full of Dreams, Apple Music album page](https://music.apple.com/us/album/a-head-full-of-dreams/1053933969)
3. [Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams review, The Guardian (Alexis Petridis, 4 December 2015)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/dec/04/coldplay-a-head-full-of-dreams-review-a-failure-to-commit-to-pop)
4. [Live Nation / Ticketmaster press release, 19 May 2016](https://media.ticketmaster.com/en-au/img/static/pdf/MediaRelease_Coldplay_180516.pdf)
5. [Inside Track: Coldplay, Hymn for the Weekend, Sound on Sound](https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/inside-track-coldplay-hymn-weekend)
6. [Coldplay discography and tours listing (PDF)](https://assets.website-files.com/6827ace518f2b2afb255903d/682fd3e701b27b7acf5fd08c_kunuguzowogun.pdf)
7. [Coldplay y 'A head full of dreams': diez años del álbum, LOS40](https://los40.com/2025/12/04/coldplay-y-a-head-full-of-dreams-diez-anos-del-album-que-convirtio-la-euforia-en-su-sena-de-identidad/)
8. [Why Coldplay consciously recoupled before possibly fading away, Coldplaying (15 December 2015)](https://coldplaying.com/forums/topic/73334-2015-12-15-why-coldplay-consciously-recoupled-before-possibly-fading-away/)
9. [Album Review: A Head Full of Dreams, MusicCritic](https://musiccritic.com/coldplay/a-head-full-of-dreams/)
10. ["A Head Full of Dreams" finds Coldplay in a happy place, USA Today via Coldplaying (29 November 2015)](https://coldplaying.com/forums/topic/73170-2015-11-29-a-head-full-of-dreams-finds-coldplay-in-a-happy-place-usa-today/)
11. [Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams Album Review, Pitchfork (Stuart Berman, 4 December 2015)](https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/21321-a-head-full-of-dreams/)
12. [Coldplay, A Head Full of Dreams album review, The Independent (Andy Gill, 4 December 2015)](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/coldplay-a-head-full-of-dreams-too-much-emotional-laundry-but-it-s-a-step-in-the-right-direction-album-review-a6760096.html)
13. [Interview: Mat Whitecross on #AHFODfilm, Coldplay Timeline](https://timeline.coldplay.com/article/interview-mat-whitecross/)
14. [Hannah Ospina, MA Thesis on Coldplay's tours and documentary](https://catalogus.boekman.nl/pub/P20-0562.pdf)
15. [Coldplay, A Head Full Of Dreams (Official Video), YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGZMvV9KBp8)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Albums and recorded releases › Studio albums › Indie and alternative albums › Studio albums of the 2010s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license