MYL OXYL OTO - My take on Coldplay's clever and perhaps subversive new album title

[bdevil89]

I think another possibility for the meaning of the title could be as people are saying is the way Coldplay chose to spell the two words on the cover - Instead of Mylo then Xyloto, it goes

MYL

OXYL

OTO

 

Now after thinking about it, and reading other theories, and googling a whole bunch - My theory is that it's pretty clever if this is what they are intending, god I love these guys - I'm in medicine and am familar with many latin and greek roots as most of western medicine's terms are from those two languages.

 

So here's the breakdown -

Myl - usually means molar, or grinding, and is associated with the mandibiles - So both for chewing food and perhaps speaking/singing as well.

For Coldplay perhaps it's a form of communication - speaking, singing - ideas communicated through words and song.

 

oxyl - as someone has suggested - is from chemistry, and refers to the hydroxyl group of compounds - and usually it is associated with radicals, or free radicals. This chemical compound can cause havoc within a system, e.g. human body, or for Coldplay's system, e.g. a radical in an oppressive world that Chris spoke about in the billboard interview. Interestingly enough, xylo is an anagram to this word - so it still is technically xylo per the anagram word rules.

 

Now xylo means wood, and usually is associated with xylophone - wood sound. Perhaps there intention is radical sound, in placing it as oxyl, almost like coded language or pig latin for that matter 2 words for the price of one - with graffiti, street art, underground movements need to convey subversive/revolutionary messages cryptically in order for a totalitarian/oppressive power not to be able to figure out what the movement is up to.

 

Taking a look at the cover of MX - there's a lot of disparate words, acronyms, etc. that to an ordinary viewer - doesn't make much sense but to people in the know or someone who understand the code - it makes sense. The whole point of the graffiti in the first place (at least graffiti from people trying to wake people up, not the vandalism kind).

 

now the last part - oto - which typically refers to the ear in medical terminology - otoscope, otosclerosis, etc. So the last word is ear, which we could then take it as to hear, or hearing. So the title means in the way they presented it on the cover -

Myl - Words or songs (a jump from the structure - mandible - used to produce sound/words/ideas

Oxyl/xylo (the anagram)- radical sounds/ideas through instrumentation (wood)

Oto - to be heard by the masses.

 

MYLO XYLOTO - Words/Ideas/Songs deemed to be radical, done through instruments (be it voice, wood instruments, electronics, etc.) and to be heard by the masses.

 

Now, it will be interesting to hear what they say eventually but I initally thought it was regarding the UK street artist - mylo, and his images/art/posters on the streets of London proposing "radical" ideas to the masses - and perhaps it still is, or at least they took their inspiration from him, hence the homage to mylo (who's website is xylo.me or something like that), and then using the words in such a way to convey Coldplay's intent with this record - like the graffiti artists involved in revolutions against tyrants and despotic governments.

 

Regardless, who knows - but I love just analyzing things, and these guys always make you think - thank god for coldplay. They are clever bastards if this indeed is partially true, even if not, I think art is up to the observer and whatever interpretation we take from it. A paraphrase on a zen saying, does art itruly exist if there is no one there to experience it. Coldplay truly does bring radical ideas/words through revolutionary music to be heard by the masses.

 

MYL OXYL OTO - can't wait - this may be their ok computer.

[Mark]

I admire your determination, but I really don't believe any of it.

 

Chris has said it's about two characters fighting against an oppression. Paradise is third person. Perhaps the protagonist is Mylo Xyloto.

[rafaelchampion]

I always think that every Coldplay's work has a message behind it and if we study it carefully we get this message, or if we don't, it gets lost forever, because they don't put the things there and say, "look, this is what I meant". That's why I love Coldplay. I like your theory. I've read it somewhere else, with a bit differences, I can't remember where.

By the way, I have an interesting thread about Viva La Vida on "Coldplay" segment of the forum.

[the_escapist]

Awesome interpretation!!!

[ColdplayingfromKansas]

:surprised: That's really cool! I like this interpretation :thumbsup: Well done!

[bdevil89]

Yeah - coldplay have a purpose behind their music, it's just not for entertainment, that's what is great about them -

 

Well the two characters could be named mylo and xyloto (or one person, like mrkj suggests) but he/she or they're named that bc two names means radical(s) expressing ideas against the establishment.

 

I don't know really, but it makes the album title and the way it is ordered and presented that much more intriguing, and creates suspense like no other.

 

I know these guys take about 3 yrs btwn albums, but I see why, they really put a lot of thought into each of their album, and for that I am grateful.

 

Well am interested to hear other theories. Keep the discussion going, perhaps we'll get phil or coldplay to check in on us, and see if we are getting closer to the real meaning behind the title and the cover.

[bdevil89]

Interestingly enough, my Indian name is taken after a spiritual king who questions/examines things. So, a bit of coincidence or irony, I had a moderately difficult or unique name to pronounce - esp during roll call in elementary school, and often wished i could be named frank or tom like my friends.

 

but in the end, you get your name for a reason, and it just fits, and perhaps becomes a part of your personality. Hence, my obsession with breaking things down, or trying to get to the answer relentlessly.

[Ronayne94]

I admire your determination, but I really don't believe any of it.

 

Chris has said it's about two characters fighting against an oppression. Paradise is third person. Perhaps the protagonist is Mylo Xyloto.

 

No offense, but your interpretation was terrible in contrast to his. :inquisitive:

[Mark]

I always think that every Coldplay's work has a message behind it and if we study it carefully we get this message, or if we don't, it gets lost forever, because they don't put the things there and say, "look, this is what I meant". That's why I love Coldplay. I like your theory. I've read it somewhere else, with a bit differences, I can't remember where.

By the way, I have an interesting thread about Viva La Vida on "Coldplay" segment of the forum.

 

I'm struggling to comprehend why they'd research so much into the etymology of gobbledegook noises, and form it together as a title. That's insane. Even by their standards.

 

I stick by my theory. Mylo Xyloto is a name.

 

And re: Ronayne94, you can believe whichever theory you like, mate. I find bdevil89's theory is utterly bonkers, but I'd love it to be true.

[bdevil89]

Well Mylo is a UK street artist whose images/art/graffiti may have been the inspiration for them to look into the history of graffiti and alternative media/communication in ever expanding world of communication.

 

Mylo's site has a domain name withe xylo - perhaps Mylo's name takes it's meaning from the greek/latin words and hence in Coldplay's research they came up with an alternative form to suit their message and perhaps were paying homage to this artist at the same time. Who knows? but it's fun to come up with theories and speculations, that's my namesake.

 

I wonder when they will let us know the real meaning about the album title.

[Jedi Leo]

Regardless of whether Coldplay intended for this meaning or not, it is an awesome interpretation that fits with the theme of the album so it is certainly there for anyone to see now...Thanks! :)

[ramonbucard]

The choice of title album may have been made ​​to not limit the album and include multiple meanings and concepts explained in each of the songs.

[Mark]

Regardless of whether Coldplay intended for this meaning or not, it is an awesome interpretation that fits with the theme of the album so it is certainly there for anyone to see now...Thanks! :)

 

Don't get me wrong, I think it'd be great to give a message of the album from the title. But I prefer the graffiti artist interpretation personally :)

[coldplayisawesome]

that is a really cool theory, whether or not it's what they actually intended. i did wonder why they chose to write it that way on the cover...

 

:wacko:

[Batman]

Well I think it's pretty crazy to go so far with the album title, I still like the way you think about it :D

[LittleMissMessy]

Well I think it's pretty crazy to go so far with the album title, I still like the way you think about it :D

Same here.

I think they just had a game of scrabble and these letters were the 'leftovers'. ;)

 

And I'm pretty sure they are extremely amused about people trying to find a deeper meaning in any of it ... :laugh3:

 

AND ... it's the best that can actually happen. Coldplay, their album title as well as their new music in general are on everyone's lips :cool:

Just clever marketing!

[Mackplay]

I think that Mylo & Xyloto are abbreviations of 2 different words. They just cut it short.

Xyloto for me comes from Xylophone. They were playing that instrument and you can hear it in some of the new songs.

Mylo, Im not sure yet but my best guess is that it's a name.

My theory is not rocket science and someone else has probably made this point as well.

[danmets21]

This is absolutely brilliant; excellent work. In my opinion this explanation fits so perfectly into the constraints of the band's explanation. My father once told me that everything expressed through art is done for a particular reason, nothing is accidental. The album lettering isn't arranged the way it is simply because Coldplay ran out of space on each line, it's done for a reason, as is the arranging of letters and spacing, or as Chris mentioned, the "sequencing" (which he stressed was very important to the album as a whole). When I write, I use metaphors and similes to get my point across, while also using the appearance of something simpler for those who won't delve deeper into the meaning, why wouldn't a band such as Coldplay do this? They already did with Viva.

[danmets21]

I actually think Viva was their OK Computer, the album that changed everything...the course the band would take, conquer, and run with. Mylo will be the Kid A or In Rainbows of their discography.

[Batman]

 

And I'm pretty sure they are extremely amused about people trying to find a deeper meaning in any of it ... :laugh3:

 

I bet they're laughing their pretty asses off LOL!:laugh3:

[danmets21]

I bet they're laughing their pretty asses off LOL!:laugh3:

So you think it means nothing then?

[bdevil89]

Cool responses, i hear you, i could totally be wrong but it's fun to look for why artists do what they do - thanks for the input from the writer above- yeah, i didn't realize that they arranged the two words the way they did until someone wrote it about it, and it got me thinking why did they do that.

 

I feel like there is a reason, and just fits in the the whole subversive art of communication through graffiti and alternative media/art. I think either Mylo Xyloto is the name of originator of the movement, or the philosophy behind it - radical words/art/songs/ideas being heard by the masses. Much like Total Recall had its underground movement (MTM reference, anyone, anyone... lol).

 

I just wrote a whole other piece on the speculated tracklist and y i thought some would make it or not, running with this theme/story/concept that Chris mentioned. It's fun for me, and gets me really thinking about their message with this album. I'm really excited for it, and I think this may be their best album yet as a cohesive whole or a concept - I mentioned like OK Computer meets The Wall.

 

The reason why i say ok computer is bc radiohead dealt with coming new age of technology/electronics that presciently recognized would come to consume our lives - iphone, ipad, facebook, twitter, etc.) and how impersonal it would make us become, and frankly they were right to a degree. Same thing with this album and it's fight to get out real truths or messages that are not told to us by the powers that be (much like the street artist Mylo was doing in london, who i still think is one of the big inspirations for the album to begin with, check out his artwork/graffiti).

 

Anyway, keep the discussion going.

[MosesTheMarshmallow]

I really like this theory. I have a feeling that this actually IS plausible if we have scenario like this: they're designing the cover art of Photoshop, and the text box they make is too big to fit the words on two lines, and then someone spots the "oxyl", which is the most overt reference to something else.

 

But of course that would suggest they knew what the title would be right away...and we still have no idea HOW they came up with those two words, even though we now know that they hold a lot of potential meaning.

[princesanji]

i appreciate your effort and it's not meant to be offensive, but to me this is bullshit... ._.

however i must admit that you put some thought in it so it - as a closed system - makes sense (but no sense to me)

 

hxdroxyl and radicals and all that chemistry is a bit toooo far-fetched

[Tonsu]

Fabulous theory, and I have absolutely zero doubt that some of these elements will become clear :)