No one can argue that Coldplay is one of the best bands today. His music has spread all over the world, from the United States to Canada, from Australia to New Zealand, from England to France and many more. Personally, I’m a huge Coldplay fan and when the question of “what are the best Coldplay songs of all time” came up among some friends of mine while playing Rock Band, the gears thought …
I decided there were way too many great Coldplay songs, so I narrowed it down to just five. This is what I came up with …
Problem
Trouble is the song that made me fall in love with the band. A great opening piano melody that not only delivers excellent chorus, but tops it off with a remarkable ending. Not many songs these days totally change direction at the end and give their listeners something else at the end. A magnificent video that combines stop-motion and digital effects. If you’re unfamiliar with Coldplay music, this is a great place to start.
Speed of sound
Great pace. Great letters. Once again, you have a beautiful piano part starting the song. Where “Trouble” is a stable horse through and through, Speed of Sound is more like a gallop that increases as the song progresses. Just when you think you’ve been lured in with the ultimate hook, they continue to deliver hook after hook on this song. And not only in the voices. Guitars and piano are releasing their fun little riffs. It’s a bit like one of those Russian dolls that you keep opening up to more and more cute dolls. This song is guaranteed to fill your musical palette over and over again.
In my place
In My Place begins with a rockin ‘drum line with kick, snare and hi-hat from the ever-talented “Will Champion.” Then a beautiful guitar line appears with Jonny Buckland guiding us through the whole song. This is the first hook we hear on the song, played in the upper registers of the guitar with a combination of arpeggios and melodic note options. I always find it fun to hear instruments in a song that don’t appear in the video. If you listen carefully, you will hear a smooth organ making its way through the verse, but it does not appear in the video. And once again, Chris does an incredible job with the best hooks in the chorus, providing not just a great pop / rock tune, but a memorable song that will endure through the ages.
Clocks
I don’t think any piano lines have been played other than Clocks’. Not only will you hear this song in every romantic movie out there, but the piano hook itself has been dissected from the song only to appear on its own in many movies and TV shows. The song is a basic 4/4 shape, but the nice thing is how they divide the measure. A constant 3-3-2 division that propels you through the entirety of the song. It provides not only a great rock feel, but with such a beat that you’re guaranteed to find yourself alone in your room dancing like a monster until your mom catches you embarrassing you in the process.
The scientist
No other Coldplay song gives me goosebumps like The Scientist. A sweet and nostalgic melody that enjoys a long intro with Chris Martin on voice and piano. It’s not until the 1:38 mark that the full band finally comes in. That’s a big no, not in the world of pop. You see, by pop standards, you’re supposed to hit the full chorus in at least the first 30 seconds. But that’s maybe what I love about this song. They manage to get out of that box and provide a moving wonderful musical tale. In the July 14, 2005 issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Chris Martin is quoted as saying: “On the second album I thought something was missing. I was in a really dark room in Liverpool, and there was such an old piano and I had a lot of it. I wanted to work on the George Harrison song ‘Isn’t It A Pity’, but I couldn’t. So this song came out right away. I said, ‘Can you turn on the recorder?’ The first time I sang it is what it is. out there “.