Coldplay: England’s Best Export


coldplay
I was cynical about this band at the beginning. I did not get the point about all the ‘whiny and sleepy’ vocal styles. But trust me; there are certain artists that you really need to listen to over and over again in order to appreciate them. Once you do this, you may never notice that you are starting to get hooked to the music. This is how I started to listen to Coldplay.

Honestly, I was not aware of their first single ‘Shiver’, maybe because I was currently hooked to other artists at that time. However, when I heard their single ‘Yellow,’ I was amazed. The melody made by the guitar was very simple yet very beautiful, a testament to how flexible and creative this band is. 

Coldplay is an alternative rock band from England which was formed in the late 90’s. The members are Chris Martin, Guy Berryman, Johnny Buckland, and Will Champion. Many people did not know that the band was formerly known as Starfish and the name Coldplay was from Keane’s Tim Rice-Oxley’s own band. Rice-Oxley allowed Martin and his band mates to use the name. After their inception in 1997, the band has gained critical acclaim, numerous awards, commercial success, concert headliners, and millions of fans around the world.

In 2000, they released their first full length album ‘Parachutes’ and was widely received by many people across the globe. The success of the said album was said to be due to the success of their singles ‘Shiver’ and ‘Yellow.’ The sales of the album surpassed the 2 million mark in the U.S. alone and more than one million in UK.

Their follow up ‘A Rush of Blood to the Head’ exceeded all of the expectations as it became a number one album in several countries beside U.S. and UK. This album also gave the band three Grammy Awards and numerous others from different award giving bodies. Their songs were also featured on some of the full length films such as ‘The Scientist,’ which was featured on ‘Wicker Park’.

In 2005, their third album ‘X&Y’ was launched and since then have sold more than eight million copies worldwide, which is said to the bestselling album of that year. By 2008, the band has released their fourth album Viva la Vida (Death and All His Friends), with a carrier single ‘Viva la Vida’ that gave them their first taste at the top of the Billboard’s Top 100.

As of the moment, they are working on their next album and they are still on their way to creating new music that appeals to the masses and critics as well.

Notable Songs by Coldplay:
  • The Scientist
  • Shiver
  • Trouble
  • Yellow
  • Viva la Vida
  • Clocks
  • Fix You
  • God Put a Smile Upon Your Face
  • In My Place
  • Speed of Sound


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