A lot of the time, the British band Coldplay gets a bad rap. Some music fans find it easy to slough off the group, putting it in an unfair box of pretty-boy songs without substance. But in truth, that’s far from what the group is. At its core, Coldplay is an emotive rock band that boasts expert artists and songs that often shoot like an arrow to your core.
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And some of the band’s songs might even bring a tear to your eye. Indeed, there are tracks from the group that can melt even the coldest heart or turn the stone-closed mind of a certain music fan into feathery plush ponderousness. Here below, we will dive into three such songs that can make any listener tear up.
“Green Eyes”
For a band known for often big, elaborate songs, this one is one of their most stripped-down. Released in 2002 on the album A Rush of Blood to the Head, the track is a love song that combines ideas of devotion with the value of a strong foundation. The song may not be the first that music fans think of when it comes to the group, but it’s one of their most emotional and the one that shows lead singer Chris Martin displaying his heart on his sleeve. On it, he sings,
Honey, you are a rock
Upon which I stand
And I come here to talk
I hope you understand
The green eyes
Yeah, the spotlight
Shines upon you
And how could
Anybody deny you?
I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter now I met you
And honey, you should know
That I could never go on without you
Green eyes
“Fix You”
Released in 2005 on the band’s LP X&Y, this song was written by all five members of the group. Singing over heartfelt organ line, Martin sings about his efforts to help the object of his loving affection. The track was written for his then-wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, who had lost her father in the early 2000s. It’s a song about getting through grief and how our loved ones can help us do just that. On the song, Martin bellows in falsetto,
When you try your best, but you don’t succeed
When you get what you want, but not what you need
When you feel so tired, but you can’t sleep
Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can’t replace
When you love someone, but it goes to waste
Could it be worse?
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
“The Scientist”
Another from A Rush of Blood to the Head, this song is much more famous than the track above. But that doesn’t make its emotional center any less powerful. It’s part love letter and part apology note. Singing over a pulsing piano line, Martin sings about the difficulty of life, brittle voice breaking,
Come up to meet you, tell you I’m sorry
You don’t know how lovely you are
I had to find you, tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart
Tell me your secrets and ask me your questions
Oh, let’s go back to the start
Running in circles, coming up tails
Heads on a science apart
Nobody said it was easy
It’s such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh, take me back to the start
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