The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics . Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic stated that the track , with its light , " gently infectious melody and insistent rhythmic pulse , breaks from the album 's appealingly meditative murk . " Chris Willman of '' Entertainment Weekly '' described the song as " ebullient " , and mused that the track " throws Afrocentric guitar atop one of those Eno/Dravs soundscapes beautifully " . Pitchfork Media 's Ryan Dombal reported that " the Gabriel connection is also apparent on the spectacular , wide-eyed ' Strawberry Swing ' , which floats light tribal drums above circular guitars and Martin 's idyllic musings . " Evan Sawdey of '' PopMatters '' wrote that the guitar playing that populate " Violet Hill " and " Strawberry Swing " sound like that for the first time in the band ’s career , Coldplay is actually using the ludicrous studio budget that they ’re provided with each for release , here indulging in every passing whim and fancy , all while Eno serves as the playground supervisor , the results proving to be as potent as they are varied . " IGN 's Chad Grischow wrote that the track " blends spectacularly with Martin 's calming , ' It 's such a perfect day ' , refrain " and noted that " when the jangling acoustic guitar drifts in near the conclusion , it is the cherry on top of a killer tune . " A music video for " Strawberry Swing " was directed by Shynola . The stop motion video featuring Chris Martin lying on the ground against animated chalk drawings . The video premiered on 4Music and Channel 4 on 29 July 2009 . The video begins with Martin waking up in his house . Once he sees that a woman is being held hostage by a giant squirrel , he turns into a superhero and attempts to save her . Along the way , Martin faces attacks from the squirrel and a giant fish in the ocean . When Martin finally gets to the squirrel 's home , he rescues the lady by drawing a nut-shaped bomb that blows the squirrel up . The two then fly away and begin to kiss . At the end of the song , the animation stops and Martin gets up off the chalk-colored floor in real speed and walks away . The video was nominated in the Best Animation in a Video category at the UK Music Video Awards 2009 . In August 2010 , the video was nominated for " Breakthrough Video " at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards
2010 MTV Video Music Awards
2010 MTV Video Music Awards
Strawberry Swing