So, people know me as a COLDPLAY fanatic. I do not beg to disagree. Genius can never be less appreciated. And so, I once again state my endearing love and fascination for this band. Like mine, they rock millions of other souls from all corners of the world.
I still remember... My BA flight from Manchester to Frankfurt had just leveled off after takeoff... I removed my seat belt, asked for a drink and plugged in my earphones to catch the radio. Scrolling through the channels, I came across Nickleback, Incubus, Linkin Park and there... right there at the bottom was COLDPLAY. They had this new album with a weird name, X & Y. Hmm... Whats that? "Speed of sound" it was, and by the time the song ended, I was in a state of pure bliss. I immediately knew COLDPLAY were different. Different not in the way you find so many wonderful women, but different in the way you find that particular woman and say, "I'am gonna spend the rest of my life with you"
Music, they say is nothing but emotion. An enchanting hyperbole of your deepest thoughts and fervent passions. And in a way, I believe, just like you can judge a person by the company he keeps, you can judge a soul by the music it listens to.
Many a band have grazed our minds. Some have stayed a tad longer. And fewer still hold our heart. But rarely, so very rarely, has a band been so very much to so very many. There are still a clutch of great bands out there in the alternative scene. While Nickleback may be down and out, Incubus is still out there rocking. And the Fray is setting stages alight just as I am penning this down. But COLDPLAY... they rock on a parallel universe altogether.
I do not believe in awards. They are nothing but a certification of sales records. That they have won so many "Grammy's" and a truckload of other shit is but a mere consequence, by their own admission, of their attempt to be "a band performing not under lights, but inside the hearts of people, everyday..." Ah, spare some thought to this...
Good music does not make a song great. For that matter, neither does great music. Music is just the physical presence of the spirit within. The lyrics. It matters for me. It really does. You just have to look at their second single "Yellow" to understand. The song flows like a serene stream. Words fight words to grab our hearts. And that makes a song not good or great... but beautiful.
"Look at the stars,
Look how they shine for you,
And everything you do... "
"I came along
I wrote a song for you
And all the things you do"
"Your skin
Oh yeah your skin and bones
Turn into something beautiful
D'you know for you i bleed myself dry"
What more can a guy say to the girl he loves? What more does a girl need? And if a girl still does not fall for the guy, she should be politely asked to go for a sex determination test! Oops! Sorry people... pardon me.. I take my words back... You need not be polite. Yeah.. You heard it right. You need NOT be polite!
That they had the courage to not just stick to love and go beyond is a proclamation of their genius. You just have to listen to "fix you", "lost", "Viva la vida", and dozens more to appreciate the depth of their understanding of our passions. Thats why Oprah Winfrey stated that their song "the scientist" is a ballad! And thats why, after endless comparisons, when the legendary U2 were asked about Coldplay, they humbly said, "We make songs, they make hopes".
The tone of the band's first studio album, "Parachutes", was defined as melodic pop with "distorted guitar riffs and swishing percussion". It was also described as being "exquisitely dark and artistically abrasive". In a review for "A Rush of Blood to the Head", the songs were considered to contain "lush melodies and a heartbreak" and that they had a "newfound confidence." The music on "X&Y" has been considered to be "ruminations on one's doubts, fears, hopes, and loves.
Once again, one just simply has to look at the comments section of Coldplay's song "Lost" to know how far they carry people. One girl commented, "I feel so good watching this vid.... I love me some Coldplay!!! Yeah, Im not the typical fan I'm sure.. I'm a ghetto ass chick from Arizona... But listening to and watching Coldplay makes me feel o so cultured..Ha! I love how he dances, the guy who beats that drum is a beast and the guitarist is amazing!!! I hope I get to witness them in concert one day... Coldplay 4 Eva-----I said it so u kno its true!!!!!!!!"
And then there is this chap, " I' am from africa and this song makes me feel so cared for... Its an incantation... no less... "
And the girl's comment had a deep sense to it. Coldplay, like other geniuses, are not content with us simply appreciating. They want us to step up. I personally can no more stand the mediocracy being trashed about by the Britney Spears's and Jennifer Lopez's of the world. I have been shown the sun and the stars... why should i settle for a grain of sand??
For years, their songs have been my recluse. I fall, I listen to them. I win, I listen to them. I survive and so I listen to them. Thats COLDPLAY for me.
