Coldplay, The #98 Artist of the Rock Era

"Their songs are so relatable."

"One of my favorite bands ever."

"Their music makes me feel like no other music can.  I get goosebumps and feel great listening to it.  Coldplay is amazing."

"Your mood rises.  The melodies make your heart sing."

"Listening to Coldplay is a spiritual experience."

"Their music is chillingly beautiful."

"Coldplay's music always gives me the light when I'm in the deep dark."

"Incredible, beautiful, fascinating..."

"This amazing group has made so many great songs!"

"The best band of this generation"

"When I listen to Coldplay, I feel like I do when I see the Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, or see a dolphin jump.  What is that?"

Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland met at University College London in September of 1996.  The two formed their first group called Pectoralz.  Guy Berryman, who also went to University College soon joined the group and by 1997, the band (now known as Starfish) performed at small clubs in the area.  Meanwhile, Martin recruited friend Phil Harvey to be the group's manager.  Will Champion, who already played piano, guitar, and bass, joined and learned how to play the drums, despite having no previous experience.  Eventually, the group decided to name themselves Coldplay.

In 1998, Coldplay recorded the EP Safety and pressed 500 copies, most of which were given to record labels.  This led to a recording contract with the label Fierce Panda, and the group recorded the single "Brothers & Sisters".

After members of the group completed their final examinations, Coldplay signed a five-album contract with Parlophone in 1999.  The group appeared at Glastonbury and then recorded the EP The Blue Room.  Their single "Bigger Stronger" received some airplay on BBC Radio.  The group experienced friction and problems from the recording so they adopted a set of rules to keep the group operating smoothly.

They continued to tour and perform, and enlisted the help of Ken Nelson to produce their debut album.  Coldplay performed on the Carling Tour, which introduced new acts to rock audiences.  In 2000, they headlined for the first time, which included a performance at the Glastonbury Festival.  The first single was "Shiver", which was a minor hit in the U.K.  

 

The breakthrough, however, was the single "Yellow", which reached #4 in the U.K.  

Coldplay scored an MTV Video Music Award nomination for Best New Artist.  The newspaper The Guardian ranked "Yellow" and its subsequent impact on rock #47 on their list of the key events in rock music history:  

     "Was it something to do with how vulnerable a 

     rain-soaked Chris Martin looked in the video for

      "Yellow"? Was it the romance of his lyrics, allied 

     to the dramatic sweep of the music? Whatever it

     was, "Yellow" ushered in a fresh timbre of 

     songwriting: yearning melancholy, buoyed by a

     sense of uplift."

 

Buoyed by the success of "Yellow", Coldplay released their debut album Parachutes in July, which debuted at #1.  "Trouble" hit #10 in the U.K. but only #28 in the United States, and even then only on the Alternative Songs chart.

"Trouble" earned a nomination for Best Breakthrough Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.  In 2001, the group released the CD Mince Spies, which included a remix of "Yellow" and "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas".  Only 1,000 copies were pressed, given to fans and journalists.

To boost popularity in North America, Coldplay toured the U.S. in 2001, which led to sales of two million for Parachutes.  Coldplay earned the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album, with "Yellow" nominated for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance.

Around this time, Phil Harvey resigned as manager to take the less-demanding role of creative director, with Dave Holmes taking over as the group's manager.  Coldplay relocated in Liverpool, where they had recorded some of the songs on their debut album, to begin recording for a follow-up.  The group released the lead single "In My Place" in advance of the album.

The band composed over 20 songs in the process, some of them already being finished and played live.  In 2002, Coldplay released the incredible album A Rush of Blood to the Head.  

 

Coldplay toured five continents, including once again co-headlining at the Glastonbury Festival, in support of the album.  Live shows now featured an elaborate light show.  They then released the single "The Scientist", which hit #4 in New Zealand and #10 in the U.K. and sold over one million copies.  The video earned the group a Grammy nomination for Best Short Form Music Video and they won MTV Video Music Awards for Best Group Video and Best Breakthrough Video.

 

The next single, "Clocks", featuring the unforgettable piano hook, catapulted the group to new success.  With a ridiculous peak of #29 in the United States (despite selling over a million copies), "Clocks" is part of the cream of the crop among The Top Unknown/Underrated Songs of the Rock Era*.

Coldplay captured Grammy Awards for "Record of the Year" for "Clocks", Best Rock Performance (for "In My Place" and Best Alternative Music Album awards and were nominated for Favorite Alternative Artist at the American Music Awards. "Clocks" was also nominated for Digital Track of the Year at the Billboard Music Awards.  The concerts in Sydney, Australia were recorded and released as both a CD and DVD as Live 2003, which earned another Grammy nomination for Best Long Form Music Video.  Coldplay performed at the MTV Video Music Awards, where they captured three awards.   

Coldplay has another Top Unknown Song* here with "God Put A Smile On My Face".

 

"Politik", which opens the album and sets the tone for it, is another fan favorite.

 

"Amsterdam" is yet another Top Track* on the album.

Coldplay recorded the Pretenders' hit "2000 Miles", which was available for download on their website.  Proceeds from the sales went to Future Forests and Stop Handgun Violence campaigns.

 

The band took a much-earned break in 2004 while putting together material for their next album.  Coldplay released the album X & Y in 2005.  The single "Speed Of Sound" led the way, #2 in the Canada and the U.K., #6 in the Netherlands and #9 in Australia and even the United States, which by now had lost its good taste in music, finally recognized the obvious greatness of this group with a peak of #8.  "Speed Of Sound" was their third straight Gold single and was nominated for Video of the Year at the MTV Video Music Awards.

 

The album debuted at #1 in 20 countries, becoming the third-fastest selling album in the history of the U.K. chart.  The band released the single "Fix You", a #4 smash in both the U.K. and Canada.

 

Coldplay was now recognized as the top band in the world, and their Twisted Logic Tour took them to major festivals such as the Isle of Wight, Coachella, and Glastonbury.  X & Y was the top-selling album of the year with worldwide sales over 8 million.  "Talk" became another hit from the album.

Coldplay received Grammy nominations for Best Rock Album, Best Rock Song (for "Speed Of Sound") and Best Rock Performance for both "Speed Of Sound" and "Talk", were nominated for World's Best-Selling Rock Group at the World Music Awards and again were nominated for Favorite Alternative Artist at the American Music Awards.

 

Coldplay brought in vaunted producer Brian Eno for their next album.  The group released Viva la Vida in 2008, and released "Violet Hill" as the first single, which #5 in Canada, #6 in New Zealand, #8 in Australia, #9 in the U.K. and #10 in Germany.

 

The group began their tour in June.  The title song gave the group their first U.K. and U.K. #1 song, and scored a Grammy Award for Song of the Year and the band also won Grammys for Album of the Year and Best Vocal Pop Performance by a Duo or Group and were nominated for Record of the Year (for "Viva La Vida") and Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance for "Violet Hill".  They also won World Music Awards for World's Best-Selling Recording Act and World's Best-Selling Rock Group.  

Coldplay were also nominated for Artist of the Year, Favorite Pop or Rock Band, Duo, or Group, Favorite Pop or Rock Album and Favorite Alternative Artist at the American Music Awards.  "Viva La Vida" also won Song of the Year honors at the ASCAP Awards and was nominated for Best Rock Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.

If you know your history (as you should), you recognized this as the points of view of French leading figures such as Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette, Robespierre and the people who fought for the revolution, and Napoleon.  

Viva la Vida was the top-selling album of the year and hit #1 in every major country in the world, and Coldplay earned the World's Best-Selling Act of the Year, World's Best-Selling Rock Act, and Great Britain's Best-Selling Act at the World Music Awards.  

Coldplay received Grammy nominations for Best Rock Performance and Best Short Form Music Video for "Life In Technicolor II".  The band released the EP Prospekt's March.  The live album LeftRightLeftRightLeft was also recorded during the tour and was given away at Coldplay's remaining concerts on the tour.  The group then toured Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, and Columbia.  

In December, Coldplay released the single "Christmas Lights".  The group performed once again at Glastonbury as well as Rock in Rio, the Lollapalooza, and the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

 

Coldplay released the single "Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall" in advance of their fifth album.  It soared to #1 in the Netherlands and also reached #6 in the United Kingdom and Switzerland and #9 in Canada and the Netherlands.

 

In 2011, the group released Mylo Xyloto, which went to #1 on the Album chart in 34 countries.  The second single was "Paradise", and the memorable video captured Best Rock Video at the MTV Video Music Awards.  "Paradise struck a chord and topped the U.K. chart while reaching #2 in Ireland and the Netherlands, #3 in Australia and New Zealand, #4 in Switzerland and #5 in France and has sold over two million copies.

 

Coldplay received Grammy nominations for Best Pop Duo or Group Performance, Best Rock Song, Best Rock Album and Best Rock Performance for both "Every Teardrop" and "Charlie Brown".  They were nominated for World's Best-Selling Group at the World Music Awards and captured Billboard Music Awards for Top Rock Artist, Top Rock Album, Top Alternative Artist and Top Rock Album and they were nominated for Top Duo or Group and for Top Rock Song and Top Alternative Song for "Paradise".  "Charlie Brown" is a song about youth and how valuable life is, another Top Track* from Coldplay.

 

Mylo Xyloto has sold over eight million copies throughout the world.  "Princess Of China", with Rihanna, was another big hit, jumping to #4 in the U.K. and #5 in Ireland.  

Coldplay had become a phenomenal live act, and tickets for their European tour sold out in seconds.  The tour was the #4 highest-grossing tour worldwide with $171 million.  The album and documentary film Coldplay Live 2012 contain footage of the band on their Mylo Xyloto tour.  Coldplay headlined the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Paralympic Games.

The music video for the song 'Hurts Like Heaven" was released, and told the story of Mylo Xyloto, a boy who grew up in tyranny at the helm of Major Minus.  Fictional comics with the title Mylo Xyloto continued the story set forth in the video.

In 2013, Coldplay was nominated for Top Duo or Group, Top Rock Artist, and Top Touring Artist at the Billboard Music Awards.  They released the single "Atlas" from The Hunger Games:  Catching Fire Soundtrack, which earned a Grammy nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media.  

 

The following year, the group released the album Ghost Stories, based on the idea the past actions affect one's future as well as the capacity for unconditional love.  "Magic" hit #2 in the Netherlands, #4 in Ireland, #5 in Canada and Switzerland, sold over two million copies, and was a Top 10 song in virtually every major country in the world.

 

Coldplay played intimate venues around the world to support Ghost Stories, which reached #1 in most major countries and won a Billboard Music Award for Top Rock Album.  The next single, "A Sky Full Of Stars", was a worldwide smash--#2 in Australia, New Zealand, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, #3 in France and Ireland, #4 in Canada, #6 in Germany, and #10 in the U.S. and has now sold over three million copies.

Ghost Stories won a Billboard Music Award for Top Rock Album and Coldplay received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album, while "A Sky Full Of Stars" was nominated for Best Popular Duo/Group Performance.  The band also received a Billboard Music Award for Top Rock Album.

Coldplay headlined as Glastonbury for a record fourth time.  They released the single "Miracles" for the movie Unbroken.  In 2015, Coldplay performed at an event that Martin organized that advocates an end to extreme global poverty, called the Global Citizen Festival in New York City's Central Park.  Coldplay, Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, and Pearl Jam headlined the festival.

 

Later in the year, Coldplay released the album A Head Full of Dreams and released the single "Adventure Of A Lifetime", a #2 hit in France, #3 in Switzerland, #5 in Germany, and Top 10 nearly everywhere else.  The album hit #1 in the U.K. and #2 in the United States, Australia, and Canada, while the single has been certified Double Platinum.

A Head Full of Dreams earned a Billboard Music Award nomination for Top Rock Album, with Coldplay winning the award for Top Rock Tour and also being nominated for Top Duo or Group, Top Rock Artist, and Top Touring Artist.  Coldplay was also nominated for Best Rock Video for Adventure Of A Lifetime".

"Hymn For The Weekend" landed at #3 in France, #6 in the U.K., and #7 in Ireland and Switzerland and has sold over three million copies.

The band toured Latin America, Europe, North America, and Oceania and finished the tour with a gross of $523 million, third-highest-grossing tour of the year. Coldplay received an American Music Award for Tour of the Year and nominations for Favorite Pop/Rock Band, Duo or Group and Favorite Alternative Artist. 

In 2016, Coldplay headlined the Super Bowl 50 halftime show and performed before 80,000 people in India for the first time in November.  In 2017, Coldplay released the EP Kaleidoscope, which scored the group another Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album.

 

Coldplay recorded "Something Just Like This" with the Chainsmokers for the EP, which became one of their biggest career hits--#2 in the U.K. and Australia and #3 in the U.S., Canada, Ireland, and Switzerland, and has now sold over 16 million singles.

Coldplay and the Chainsmokers were nominated for Best Pop Duo or Group Performance at the Grammys and won a Billboard Music Award for Top Dance/Electronic Song among nominations for Top Duo or Group, Top Radio Song, Top Collaboration, Top Touring Artist, and Top Rock Tour.  The group also released a live album from their Head Full of Dreams Tour.

Coldplay released the single "Life Is Beautiful" in support of Mexico, after the devastating earthquake in September, and they also performed a benefit concert in Mexico City.

In 2018, Coldplay released the EP Global Citizen - EP 1 with proceeds going towards efforts to end global poverty.

In 2019, the band released the double album Everyday Life, which was nominated for a Grammy for Album of the Year and contained the single "Champion Of The World".  The best song on the album, however, is "Arabesque", never released as a single.

Coldplay is one of the world's most respected bands, not only for their incredible catalog of music but for the way they have used their stardom.  Martin is one of the top celebrity advocates for free trade, supporting Oxfam's Make Trade Fair campaign.  From the beginning, they have given 10% of their profits to charity.  

Coldplay's career sales have topped 100 million.  They have won seven Grammy Awards among 35 nominations, four World Music Awards among seven nominations, an American Music Award out of nine nominations, seven Billboard Music Awards out of 25 nominations, and four MTV Video Music Awards.