Coldplay is arguably the most successful rock group of the last nine years. From the day Coldplay released its first studio album, Parachutes, to its latest success, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, the band has gained fans worldwide by the millions.
Coldplay’s top ten songs, in order they were released as singles.
1. “Yellow” – How can you not start this list with Coldplay’s first big hit? As band lead singer Chris Martin says at concerts, “This is the song that made most of you fans in the first place.” Martin wrote the song to describe his unrequited love, and it thrust the band into the mainstream music scene. The main chorus, “look at the stars, look how they shine for you…” has captured the love of millions of people worldwide.
2. “Trouble” – “Trouble” was released as the third single from the band’s first studio album, Parachutes. Martin says he wrote the song as a result of his own behavior. Martin: “There were some bad things going on in our band… the song is about behaving badly towards somebody you really love and I was certainly doing that to some members of the band.” Martin has said that he feels “Trouble” saved Coldplay from becoming a one-hit-wonder band.
3. “In My Place” – A song that was left over from the band’s Parachutes, “In My Place” was going to be left off of its second studio album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, as well. However, after Martin heard Coldplay lead guitarist Jonny Buckland playing the song Martin decided “In My Place” needed to be included. The lyrics to “In My Place” are about a man loving a woman who does not return his love. The song won Coldplay Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 2003 Grammy Awards.
4. The Scientist” – Martin wrote “The Scientist” after listening to George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass. When asked about the development of the song, Martin: “It’s just about girls. It’s weird that whatever else is on your mind, whether it’s the downfall of global economics or terrible environmental troubles, the thing that always gets you most is when you fancy someone.” “The Scientist” is a beatiful song which alludes to a man’s powerlessness in the face of love, and is a piano-driven ballad. It won Best Music Video in 2003 at the MTV Music Awards.
5. Clocks” – This song became, and still is, one of Coldplay’s mainstream songs that music fans around the world enjoy. It was written by all the band members but Chris Martin says it was inspired by the English rock band Muse. The lyrics to “Clocks” are very cryptic and contradicting, with Martin singing “Am I part of the cure/ or am I part of the disease?” However, Martin says, like many of his songs, Clocks is about being in a conflicted, intense relationship as precious time slips away.
6. “Speed of Sound” – Another mainstream song, many fans liken “Speed of Sound” to “Clocks” in the way the song sounds. Martin says that the song was inspired by his daughter, Apple. “Speed of Sound” was promoted as the lead single on Coldplay’s third studio album, X&Y;, and it became Coldplay’s top single until 2008’s “Viva la Vida” hit number one. Coldplay has admitted that they took the drum patterns from Kate Bush’s 1985 hit “Running Up That Hill”.
7. “Fix You” – “Fix You” is considered by many Coldplay fans to be the band’s most beautiful and sentimental song. The lines, “Lights will guide you home/and ignite your bones/ and i will try to fix you” speak words of encouragement. Martin wrote the song for his wife, Gwyneth Paltrow and used the keyboard of his late father-in-law to record it. The song begins with a slow piano melody with an accompanying acoustic guitar, and speeds up about half-way through the song with a electric guitar riff, drums, and singalong chorus.
8. “Violet Hill” – The first song on this list from Coldplay’s newest album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, “Violet Hill” was also the first single from that album. “Violet Hill” is the band’s first antiwar protest song, although Martin has revealed that the band wrote the first line and melody many years ago. The lyrics start off with Martin singing, “Was a long and dark December/ From the rooftops I remember, there was snow” and emphasizes the thoughts of a soldier going to war. Violet Hill” borrows its rhythm from The Beatles and shares the name of a street near Abbey Road.
9. “Viva la Vida” – Widely considered Coldplay’s most popular song, “Viva la Vida” became the lead single from Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. “Viva la Vida” won Song of the Year at the 2009 Grammy Awards. The song’s title was taken from a 20th century painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. The English translation is “long live life”. Coldplay base guitarist Guy Berryman says the song is about a king who lost his kingdom, and “Viva la Vida” inspired the album’s artwork, which is based on the idea of revolutionaries and guerillas.
10. Lost!” – The song was created when Coldplay drummer Will Champion was getting used to his new drum programming software and recording beats on it. Martin overheard Champion’s work and played an in-the-works guitar and vocal version of “Lost! on top of Champion’s beat, thus giving birth to the song. “Lost!” became the third single from Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, and two additional versions of the song were released. The first was “Lost?”, which features only Martin and a piano. The other version, “Lost+” is the same as the regular song but features a rap section by Jay-Z.
One Honorable Mention – “See You Soon” was never released on a studio album, but it can be found on the Live 2003 CD and is a beautiful song.
In all honesty, almost every Coldplay song is a masterful piece of music. Anyone who checks out the ten songs on this list will surely fall in love with the the band.
Works Cited
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coldplay_discography
