Ron Sexsmith is said to have mixed feelings about Coldplay's Chris Martin and his performance on his new album. Martin sings vocals on Ron's 'Gold In Them Hills' – but Ron wasn't present when the recording was made.
Ron said: "I got a call when I was in Vienna from [producer] Martin [Terefe] to say Chris Martin was coming down to the studio and wanted to hear it. Coldplay were in LA doing their record. I asked if he could see if he would play piano on 'Gold In Them Hills' because my piano playing isn't very good. So Martin asked him. A few weeks later I'm back home and get this package in the mail saying 'Gold In Them Hills' remix. I put it on expecting to hear some new piano and it is my piano. Then his voice comes on in the second verse. It was one of those moments where I had mixed feelings. I thought 'no-one asked me about that'. I'm a purist and he sang it beautifully but it is actually my favourite verse on the whole record' he says. 'I thought I really sang it well. It became a dilemma. I was excited he was on it and the label people were excited he was on it. I had this happen once before where the label is really excited so I asked if there was any way we could keep both. So we have my version first and at the end in comes the new version so everybody is happy. He has got a better voice than I do and everyone was thinking with Chris it was my in with radio, but it didn't turn out to be. It is the closest I have ever come to having a hit song. Even at the Coldplay shows when we were opening for them I knew we had something there'."
Despite Ron's reservations with the recording, the pair have performed the song live.