A tribute to Coldplay – 10 years

Unless you’re from another interstellar galaxy, chances are you’re already familiar with these guys. Just a few days ago I found myself running out of good music to listen to, so I casually browsed through the album listings in my Zune and decided to give X&Y – Coldplay’s 2005 album – another listen, from start to finish.

I’m not going to lie, it was absolutely brilliant. In my humble opinion, X&Y could by itself be renamed to a Greatest Hits album and the layman, on the first initial listen, wouldn’t find fault with it.

Just very recently, Coldplay celebrated 10 years since their band first came together (under the original handle of Starfish), and being an ardent fan, decided there was probably no better way to celebrate with them by taking a gleeful stroll down memory lane.

Some background info from their wiki entry :

Coldplay are an English rock band. Formed in 1996 in London, the group comprises vocalist/pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion. Coldplay achieved worldwide fame with their 2000 single “Yellow“, followed by the success of their debut album, Parachutes, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Coldplay went on to be nominated for this prestigious award on two further occasions, once in 2003 and again in 2005. Coldplay have been one of the most commercially successful acts of the new millennium, selling over 30.5 million albums. The band are also known for hit singles, including “Yellow” and the Grammy Award-winning “Clocks“.

Their first break-through single that caught the public’s eye was undoubtedly Yellow. Simple lyrics that ignited waves of passion when sung with a glorious falsetto and backed up by an addictive melody – listeners all around the world fell instantly in love with the tune.

I drew a line
I drew a line for you
Oh what a thing to do
And it was all yellow

Your skin
Oh yeah your skin and bones
Turn into something beautiful
D’you know for you i bleed myself dry
For you i bleed myself dry

Its true look how they shine for you

(Gosh I still remember seeing this on MTV and being mesmerised by Chris Martin… Makes one wonder what took Gwyneth Paltrow that long to agree to marry him, doesn’t it?)

A Rush of Blood to the Head was their next widely-anticipated release. Working with the mantra of “Don’t fix what ain’t broken”, the next few hits that spawned from this album all had a few common characteristics – Chris Martin’s soothing vocals and falsetto, a catchy yet endearing beat, the heavenly alliance of piano, synthesiser, guitar, and drums, and something magically indescribable that makes one come back for more, over and over again.

I’ll start off with Clocks. You can’t go wrong with such an uplifting piano intro, can you?

Lights go out and I can’t be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
You’ve put me down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead (singing)
Come out of things unsaid, shoot an apple off my head (and a)
Trouble that can’t be named, a tiger’s waiting to be tamed (singing)

In My Place was another hit single, and its MTV was proof that you don’t need to spend millions, yes millions, on a video because it’s the song that sells. What I love most about this song is the chill-out element to it, and how terribly effective it is to calm your frizzled nerves or just mark the end of another busy day.

In my place, in my place
Were lines that I couldn’t change
I was lost, oh yeah

I was lost, I was lost
Crossed lines I shouldn’t have crossed
I was lost, oh yeah

Yeah, how long must you wait for him?
Yeah, how long must you pay for him?
Yeah, how long must you wait for him?

Here’s a higher quality version, in terms of audio output. And it’s a really well-made FF7:AC MTV too.

Here’s the 3rd mega-single – The Scientist, and my personal favourite too. I’m certain almost everyone can relate to at least one of their songs, and this is it for me. A sombre, gentle tune which describes a heart-broken lover who wants to start afresh, but seemingly impossible – As the MTV suggests.

Come up to meet you, Tell you I’m sorry, You don’t know how lovely you are
I had to find you, Tell you I need you, Tell you I set you apart
Tell me your secrets, And ask me your questions, Aww let’s go back to the start
Runnin’ in circles, Comin’ our tails, Heads on the science apart

And now, onto X&Y, which was released in 2005. The album is still distinctly Coldplay with tracks like “Fix You” and “What If”, not that the world minded – It became the best-selling album of 2005 with worldwide sales of 8.3 million.

Speed of Sound sounds vaguely similar to Clocks… or could it be just me? Still an excellent song, nonetheless, with a hypnotising piano intro that creeps in at intervals throughout the song.

How long before I get in
Before it starts before I begin
How long before you decide
Before I know what it feels like
Where to, where do I go?
If you never try then you’ll never know
How long do I have to climb
Up on the side of this mountain of mine

And here’s another gem from this album – Fix You. I love how they incorporated the organ sound into this song, because it really emphasises and sets the mood right from the get-go. And the energy of the song at the halfway mark! It feels I’m listening to trance all of a sudden… watch the crowd go berserk and imagine yourself in there. Tell me you’re not getting goosebumps (in a good way) Coldplay really outdid themselves with this one, kudos to them for pushing the standards of good music a few notches higher.

Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down on your face
And I

Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you

And here’s more interesting titbits from their wiki entry :

Despite Coldplay’s large worldwide popularity, the band has remained protective of how their music is used in the media, refusing its use for product endorsements. In the past, Coldplay turned down multi-million dollar contracts from Gatorade, Diet Coke, and Gap, who wanted to use the songs “Yellow“, “Trouble“, and “Don’t Panic” respectively. According to Martin, “We wouldn’t be able to live with ourselves if we sold the songs’ meanings like that.”^[15]

Coldplay is a supporter of Amnesty International. Chris Martin is also noted as one of the most visible celebrity advocates for “fair trade”, supporting Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair campaign until its dissolution in 2005 after the G8 summit in Gleneagles. Martin has been on trips with Oxfam to assess conditions, has appeared in its advertising campaign, and is known for wearing a “Make Trade Fair” wristband during public appearances, including at Coldplay concerts.

Martin was outspoken against the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and he endorsed Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry in 2004. Although he is not a U.S. citizen, Martin’s wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, is; both currently live in London and Los Angeles.

In their early years, Coldplay were also widely noted in the media for their claim to give 10% of the band’s profits to charity. Bassist Guy Berryman said, “You can make people aware of issues. It isn’t very much effort for us at all, but if it can help people, then we want to do it”.^[16] The band also asks that any gifts intended for it are donated to charity, according to a response on the FAQ section of Coldplay’s website.

Coldplay parodied their own highly publicised stance on political and social issues with a cameo in the 2004 film Shaun of the Dead, appearing on TV within the film to support the charity “Zombaid” (a pun on Live Aid), a charity dedicated to giving zombies better political rights. Martin also played himself on an episode of Extras in which he shamelessly promoted a fictitious Greatest Hits album.

You owe it to yourself to go get their albums if you haven’t really paid much attention to them.