Tag Archives: coldplay

#780: Coldplay – Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love

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A trick that Coldplay utilised on their 2008 album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends was merging two completely different songs together to make one long track. Two of them, ‘Chinese Sleep Chant’ and ‘The Escapist’, were hidden as they weren’t shown on the tracklist. For whatever reason though, the band decided to show that ‘Reign of Love’ was a song that was meant to be shown to all; it enters the frame as the long fade out of ‘Lovers in Japan’ is still happening. The two songs were then placed together, slap bang in the middle of the album.

‘Lovers in Japan’ is the upbeat, optimistic, us against the world type track. The sort of theme that’s been a constant in the band’s discography from about X&Y onwards. Chris Martin sings to lovers, runners, and soldiers telling them to carry on doing their thing in this crazy world we’re living in. Then he turns it round into a first person narrative in the second verse, telling his baby that they’re going to run away from all of their troubles with dreams of getting to Japan. Chris Martin’s lead vocal is probably one of his best performances, containing great melodies throughout. The track also possesses one of Coldplay’s best choruses. That’s just my opinion, though. ‘Reign of Love’ is the comedown. A beautiful, piano-led track with these twinkling loops and a subtle bass that lay the comforting backdrop to Martin’s restrained vocal. Looking briefly at the lyrics, I think the track captures a narrator who has fallen in love so hard that they’re like a prisoner in its grasp. I’ve gotta say I’ve never paid too much to what the lyrics are because the matching of the melody with the production is 10/10.

‘Lovers’ was released as a single in late 2008, a few weeks before the Prospekt’s March EP came out. In this format, it was unveiled with a new mix known as the ‘Osaka Sun Mix’ and this was what was also used in its music video (below). For a long time, that the version of the song I listened to. Upon rediscovering ‘Reign of Love’ it had to go. There are some minor differences between the ‘Osaka Sun Mix’ of ‘Lovers’ and its original album version. I’ll let you listen and find them out.

#737: Coldplay – Life in Technicolor ii

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Coldplay’s debut album Parachutes was released twenty years ago last Friday. Though there’ll be hundreds of thousands out there who will think that they never got any better than that, I’m thoroughly in the stance that Coldplay peaked in their Viva la Vida era and haven’t matched it since. Collaborating with Brian Eno in places, the group created material that was far out by their standards and experimented with different instruments, soundscapes (they made a shoegazing track that was pretty great) and production techniques like tape loops and other bells and whistles that resulted in one of their most enjoyable albums.

The creative juices were flowing in the sessions for Viva la Vida, and so much material was made that Coldplay released the Prospekt’s March EP just a few months after Vida was available worldwide. Both album and EP go hand in hand with one another; for any time first time readers here it wouldn’t do any harm in listening to the two in one long sitting. The EP is also where ‘Life in Technicolor ii’ can be found as the opening track.

I think I read somewhere that Chris Martin had said that ‘Life in Technicolor ii’ would have been the obvious first single for Viva la Vida had it been released in its original form on the album. To prevent it from being so, they took out the parts where Martin sang, put a Jon Hopkins loop at the beginning of the track, and released it as an instrumental instead. That’s what ended up as the opening track on Vida. I was 13 when this track was eventually released as the lead single for ‘Prospekt’s March’; I seem to remember it being something of a big deal that the instrumental from their then-new album was being released with lyrics and all. It’s a nice sentiment too. Chris Martin sings about the world coming to an end because of a war that’s coming, but as long as we’ve all got love then that will guide the way. Kinda cliché thinking about it now. But it sounds terrific. The music video is a bit silly too, but what can you do.

#626: Coldplay – In My Place

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At some point in time I completely forgot this song existed. I was seven when A Rush of Blood to the Head was released in the autumn of 2002 and I vividly remember the video for ‘The Scientist’ showing on TV. You couldn’t escape ‘Clocks‘ either, its opening was used in almost every advert. ‘In My Place’ was the lead single for the album, made available only two weeks before its eventual release, and I must have completely missed it.

Fast forward years later when I actually got the album (either for a birthday or Christmas) and I realised I hadn’t missed the song at all. I had heard it many times actually. I just didn’t know what the song was or who it was by. The question I hadn’t thought about asking had been answered. This is probably my favourite Coldplay song. It’s all in that guitar riff and the strings that play throughout. As soon as that introduction starts I feel all warm and cosy inside. There’s just a loose and freeing feel about the production that makes the track a very comfortable listen.

Chris Martin’s alright on here. He sings just fine. He doesn’t overdo it which is just what the song needs. When that chorus hits and he goes into that high ‘yeeeeeeah’ along with the rising guitar and cymbals it adds an extra layer of bliss. Never really liked the final verse though, if you could call it that, it doesn’t add much to the song’s substance and I always tend to skip it if I’m singing along to it…… but all in all the whole package is brilliant.

My iPod #490: Coldplay – The Hardest Part

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I’ve never given X&Y a proper chance. Not sure why. But there’s never been a time when I’ve ever had the sudden urge to listen to Coldplay’s third album. I’ve only listened to it the once, so maybe it was a case that the overall package wasn’t that impressive to me. I do, however, enjoy the album’s singles. Out of the six that were released, “The Hardest Part” always gains the most of my attention.

Why? Well, “What If” and “White Shadows” didn’t gain much traction commercially in the UK anyway so I wasn’t able to hear those two as much as the remaining four. “Fix You” suffered from being overplayed that it didn’t have the same effect it did upon first listen, “Talk” was alright but not one of their best, and “Speed of Sound“…… well I actually like that one despite it being hated by the group themselves. But “The Hardest Part” hit that sweet spot. An earnest track about a sense of regret, loss, and the inevitability of having to let things go every once in a while backed up by hefty piano melodies, interesting guitar lines and one of Chris Martin’s best vocal performances.

Wouldn’t be performed by the group nowadays. An underrated track for sure. The music video for it takes away from its subject matter just that bit though.

My iPod #442: Coldplay – God Put a Smile upon Your Face

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“God Put a Smile upon Your Face” is a track from Coldplay’s 2003 album A Rush of Blood to the Head, one which built upon the sound that the group had established with their preceding debut Parachutes. The former album contains some of Coldplay’s highly rated songs from “The Scientist” to “In My Place”. But I feel “God Put a Smile” doesn’t get much love as those, or any of the other tracks in Coldplay’s vast catalogue. Releasing it as a proper single in only a few regions may have something to do with that.

Starting off with Chris Martin singing the first verse with an sinister acoustic riff to set the ball rolling, the track picks up with a cool bass groove and steady beat with little guitar licks added by Jonny Buckland for effect. There’s something about this track that I think makes it have an edge over a few others. I think it’s quite a dark song. I know that ‘dark’ isn’t an adjective that you would normally associate with a band such as Coldplay. It just has that dissonant tone about it. The music video maybe reinforces this idea.

Honestly can’t say much about it. Nothing personal; it is a good track that fits in with that killer first half of the album.