Is the money and fame getting to Chris Martin's songwriting abilities??

[Samuel_94]

They have done that before:

Cemetries Of London

Viva La Vida

Lost!

 

It is hardly a credible argument, they play such small parts in the songs

[Abracadabra]

^ Well I somehow always thought it makes the song much better if you can explain it (a weird term here) in different ways, if there are many aspects to look from, rather than just being plain and with nothing to figure out. That was really charming about Coldplay songs.

 

^^Yeah,that quote instantly caught my attention. Lory adds a special charm to the forum, doesn't she?

[Lore]

If you don't think those lyrics are dumb then :facepalm:

 

 

But well, I guess that now Chris' biggest problem is which one of his luxurious cars he should use today so I can see why there's a lack of inspiration to write good stuff.

[Strawberry Swinger]

^ Well I somehow always thought it makes the song much better if you can explain it (a weird term here) in different ways, if there are many aspects to look from, rather than just being plain and with nothing to figure out. That was really charming about Coldplay songs.

 

^^Yeah,that quote instantly caught my attention. Lory adds a special charm to the forum, doesn't she?

 

 

 

1 - I agree with you on that one. Like Amsterdam for example, I've always thought it could be about some older man and a younger girl. My star is fading, time is on your side.

 

2 - Lory is that one person that every group of people has! :laugh3:

[Schröder]

^The lyrics have severely declined in quality since the ARoBttH era. An example will do:

Amsterdam

Come on, oh my star is fading

And I see no chance of release

I know I'm dead on the surface

But I am screaming underneath

 

ETiaW

I turn the music up, I got my records on...

I feel my heart start beating too my favourite song

It was a waa-waa-waaterfall

 

Paradise

This could be para-para-paradise...

 

So yeah...no difference at all.

 

*cough* *cough*

 

Example 1:

Look at the stars,

Look how they shine for you,

And everything you do,

Yeah they were all yellow

 

 

Example 2:

Please, please, please

Come on and sing to me

To me, me

 

Come on and sing it out, out, out

Come on and sing it now, now, now

Come on and sing it

 

 

Example 3:

Created, then drilled and invaded

If somebody made it

Someone will mess it up

 

And you are not wrong to

Ask who does this belong to

It belongs to all of us

 

 

Example 4:

Priests clutched onto bibles

Hollowed out to fit their rifles

And the cross was held aloft

 

Bury me in armor

When I'm dead and hit the ground

A love back home unfolds

 

 

Example 5:

The tightrope that I’m walking just sways and ties

The devil as he’s talking with those angel’s eyes

And I just want to be there when the lightning strikes

And the saints go marching in

 

Tremendous decline in quality. :nod:

 

 

I mean, I don't want to say that Paradise lyrics are good. It's just that they have always had bad lyrics and good lyrics (it's the examples you choose that create the image). I don't think that their skills have suffered, they can still write great songs. They only head in a different direction (which was hard for me as well when I heard Paradise. In fact, I was really shocked :confused:), which is not necessarily what we expected them to do.

After all, this is going to be a concept album and lyrics will inevitably be adjusted to support the story.

 

[Blue Nails]

^ Thanks, that gives me hope :wacky:

Some of Chris's lyrics are really gorgeous, but it feels like sometimes he doesn't feel like trying and goes: "Oh yeah right, lyrics... Er, well let's just do this and then I'll repeat that a few times and add some oohs here... Done!'

[Mackplay]

Dumbest thread EVER!

Unless you are living under a rock, you should know Coldplay already has money and fame.

50 million albums sold, countless singles sold and how many sold out shows??

:lock::lock::lock::lock::lock::lock::lock::lock:

[john_crawford44]

Dumbest thread EVER!

Unless you are living under a rock, you should know Coldplay already has money and fame.

50 million albums sold, countless singles sold and how many sold out shows??

:lock::lock::lock::lock::lock::lock::lock::lock:

 

It's only a dumb thread if you read the entire thing and then post a dumb comment.

[para-para-parrotdies]

Example 3:

Created, then drilled and invaded

If somebody made it

Someone will mess it up

 

And you are not wrong to

Ask who does this belong to

It belongs to all of us

 

 

Example 4:

Priests clutched onto bibles

Hollowed out to fit their rifles

And the cross was held aloft

 

Bury me in armor

When I'm dead and hit the ground

A love back home unfolds

 

 

Example 5:

The tightrope that I’m walking just sways and ties

The devil as he’s talking with those angel’s eyes

And I just want to be there when the lightning strikes

And the saints go marching in

 

Tremendous decline in quality. :nod:

 

 

After all, this is going to be a concept album and lyrics will inevitably be adjusted to support the story.

 

Listen, as I've said from the beginning, Chris Martin has never been the world's greatest songwriter. I'm sure he would admit the same thing. But my point is that the lyrics of the songs Post-AROBTH days have been progressively worse than the stuff from their early days. (Note: this is NOT limited to just the MX-era songs nor is it a comment on their musical style!)

 

Yeah, do they have a few clunkers like "Yellow" and "In My Place"? Of course. Every band does. But my point is it seems the general batch of songs post-AROBTH lack the lyrical depth found in their earlier stuff Examples 3 ,4,5 just accentuate my point. Why are their lyrics getting worse?

 

I'm also puzzled by how people continue to defend subpar lyrics by saying it all points back to this "concept album" idea. Tell me... how does "wa-wa-wa-wa-aterfall" add anything thematically?

[ChadBC]

I'm all about lyrics and such and I love all three of those lyric examples. Especially Violet Hill and UATW...Also really like Twisted Logic's lyrics. I just noticed how much I love UATW, and before I really didn't THAT much. Hmmm...I'm gonna go listen to it. See ya. :lol:

[MosesTheMarshmallow]

Oh, and if you're going to make an argument about how bad the lyrics are, at least get the lyrics right. Just saying.

 

Bury me in armour,

When I'm dead and hit the ground,

My nerves are poles that unfroze.

 

I don't really understand why you think the lyrics are getting worse. UATW and VH are pretty solid by any measure.

 

ETIAW/Paradise...not so much. But there are still some good gems in both, and they're hardly indicative of the lyrics we're getting this era. Which are just as good if not better than before.

[Nangolan]

Dumbest thread EVER!

Unless you are living under a rock, you should know Coldplay already has money and fame.

50 million albums sold, countless singles sold and how many sold out shows??

:lock::lock::lock::lock::lock::lock::lock::lock:

 

CALM DOWN, KID

[Nangolan]

I'm also puzzled by how people continue to defend subpar lyrics by saying it all points back to this "concept album" idea. Tell me... how does "wa-wa-wa-wa-aterfall" add anything thematically?

 

:laugh3:

 

good question!

[thescientist354]

how is it that a band once capable of writing great songs like "Amsterdam" and "Politik" resort to releasing material like "Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall" and "Paradise"?

 

Consequently, there's no substance to the new songs and this is reflected in the lyrics. "Wa-wa-wa-wa-waterfall"? "Para-para-paradise"? Really guys? My biggest fear is that Coldplay secretly knows their new songs lack substance and they try to hide it by overproducing every single track, almost as if to distract us from the fact that their new songs essentially don't mean anything.

 

First off, everyone is going to have their own personal favorite coldplay songs, and I think that is what makes them great. Remember, coldplay's first "hit" song was Yellow ... with lyrics like "and they were all yellow" Even coldplay themselves claims they don't even know what that song means, but it was fun and catchy so it gained popularity. I doubt many people on here were attracted to coldplay based on "ode to deodorant", most of us were hooked based on the radio hit songs like yellow etc. Then we discovered when we got the entire albums that they wrote incredible songs like spies, don't panic, etc. Every Teardrop is a Waterfall, Paradise and this album Mylo Xyloto follow in this same path. Lyrically, the only "radio hit" coldplay songs that have any substantial value, imo, are clocks and viva la vida. Everything else is simply meant to have a good melody and gain worldwide attraction. For people who haven't heard of coldplay, but listen to contemporary pop/rock music on the radio, then both those songs might have the same effect "yellow" did on the new listeners. They will buy Mylo Xyloto and realize coldplay also wirtes songs like charlie brown and hurts like heaven and become possible lifelong fans. Also, and I'm not defending the lyrics, but there is more to etiaw then "wa wa wa wa waterfall" In regards to the question of how that lyric fits into a concept album...it doesn't, but that's why it is a "lyric" and not the "entire song."

 

Based on it's placement in the album, it does sorta sum up components of the first half of the album, with lines such as "my 'heart starts beating' 'all the kids they dance'(cb) 'heaven is in sight' (hlh). Although these lyrics may not have the substance and emotional meaning of songs like Politik, they do fit with the concept of the story. As for Paradise, same terms apply, however this time, it is introducing the female character and alludes to her desires, which i'm assuming will a major theme to the latter half of the album.

[Hartroc]

I think Speed of Sound has some of Chris's best lyrics.

[para-para-parrotdies]

Although these lyrics may not have the substance and emotional meaning of songs like Politik, they do fit with the concept of the story.

 

First off, I just want to say how great it is that there's an actual discussion instead of the "you're just a hater!!! we should love everything coldplay does!!!" type of responses that usually follow. I have to say it's certainly refreshing to actually have a discussion, no matter what side we are on.

 

The selected portion of your post reflects what I and other posters have been saying over and over - the recent batch of songs lack both substance + emotional meaning of the lyrics from the older batch of songs. Where's the heart? Where's the emotional bond?

[thescientist354]

No i agree, there really isn't any powerful emotional bond to those songs, but i don't think that was the point of those two songs. I think those songs were written just to promote the album and to attract new listerners who wouldn't want to buy a coldplay song. By this I mean fans of rhianna and other pop artists who will now at least buy princess of china to hear how her song sounds. Besides, based on the rolling stone article flotting around here that quoted Will saying up in flames may be one of his favorite songs they've ever written, i highly doubt the album will be a flop and I have faith that coldplay knows what it is doing.

[para-para-parrotdies]

No i agree, there really isn't any powerful emotional bond to those songs, but i don't think that was the point of those two songs.

 

This isn't limited to just the MX-era songs though, I'm talking songs post-AROBTTH. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the Viva era but when I take a step back and look at the lyrics, I'm left....wanting more. An example I used earlier (Lost): "Just because I'm losing / Doesn't mean I'm lost"

 

Again, you could be a fan of the musical direction the band is taking. This thread isn't about that. It's purely about Chris Martin's songwriting and his recent tendency to force rhymes in the songs.

[Schröder]

The selected portion of your post reflects what I and other posters have been saying over and over - the recent batch of songs lack both substance + emotional meaning of the lyrics from the older batch of songs. Where's the heart? Where's the emotional bond?

 

Well, most songs from Parachutes+AROBTTH (even X&Y) were about emotions, so their lyrics were made to convey those emotions (as in Politik for example). If you're telling a story though, the lyrics will have to be different. That's why Charlie Brown's lyrics sound totally different from those of The Scientist, for example: while Charlie Brown is some form of narration ("I stole the key/ And took the car downtown where the lost boys meet"), The Scientist is more like a emotionally charged conversation ("Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry/ You don't know how lovely you are"). The lyrics adjust to the topic. And if the topic is "Everything's shit but I am happy nevertheless shalalala" (ETiaW) then you cannot expect anything sophisticated (in fact I've always felt that ETiaW lyrically sounds totally out of context as a single).

I agree, if you're telling a story like "a girl gets disappointed by the world and escapes into her dreams", then "Para-para-paradise" is really uninspired. :laugh3:

But then again, are we actually supposed to access her dreams if they deliberately picture them as hypnotic, repetitive nonsense? :D

In fact, the song starts making sense to me. :lol:

 

I think we should consider the lyrics as a device to tell the story. It's understandable to me that people expected something different (I did myself). The song seems incredibly flat if you don't interpret it in any way (apart from the "unusual" sound :confused:).

 

Edit:

This isn't limited to just the MX-era songs though, I'm talking songs post-AROBTTH. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the Viva era but when I take a step back and look at the lyrics, I'm left....wanting more. An example I used earlier (Lost): "Just because I'm losing / Doesn't mean I'm lost"

 

I agree, Lost is not a masterpiece if compared to other songs. But there are also lots of good examples, like Cemeteries of London (I have to admit I love the song): "So we rode down to the river where the toiling ghosts spring / For their curses to be broken / We’d go underneath the arches where the witches are in the saying / There are ghost towns in the ocean… "

I suppose it's that they always have successful and unsuccessful efforts. Apart from the fact that since Viva their lyrics have moved on from emotions to imagery in many cases. X&Y had really weak moments lyrically ("And the hardest part was letting go not taking part / Was the hardest part"), but that was probably just because it was their creative dead-end (which was why they hired Eno).

[para-para-parrotdies]

 

I think we should consider the lyrics as a device to tell the story. It's understandable to me that people expected something different (I did myself). The song seems incredibly flat if you don't interpret it in any way (apart from the "unusual" sound :confused:).

 

You're right - given Coldplay's claims that the upcoming album is a concept album, it's possible that the songs will have to be evaluated in a different light. But as I've stated before, my focus isn't just on MX-era songs. X&Y dealt with emotions in a similar fashion to Parachutes + AROBTTH but their songs have considerably worse lyrics.

[Schröder]

I guess cross-editing is not a good idea. :lol:

[para-para-parrotdies]

I suppose it's that they always have successful and unsuccessful efforts. Apart from the fact that since Viva their lyrics have moved on from emotions to imagery in many cases. .

 

True, no band or musician can have a 100% success in writing lyrics. But take a look at this:

 

AROBTTH had one song with truly bad lyrics (In My Place) while Viva had the lyrical disasters known as Lost! and 42 (not to mention the lyrics of other songs on the album aren't something to boast about either)

 

 

 

 

 

.....And don't even get me started on the MX-era songs.

[Samuel_94]

I think Speed of Sound has some of Chris's best lyrics.

 

And Clocks and Violet Hill!!!

[ColdplayFanatic16]

Fame is SO NOT GETTING INTO CHRIS MARTIN's head!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVED their new releases!!!! They are amazing!!! Did you not hear Us Against The World? Maybe those who say these horrible things about Chris Martin just don't understand the sophistication that they are heading to. They are still the very best. They are not sellouts or horrible. Try are doing what they wanted to do, or else they would have just quit! I think people are just way too attached to the first 3 albums, and are not open minded to different types of COLDPLAY. Paradise is a creative mess: LIKE THE GIRL TUE SONG IS ABOUT!! The melody reflects on the personality of the subject. Just like Charlie Brown, which is supposed to be about the rocky, lost guy. It's part of a whole. You have to see the story. Wait for the album because it may be the BEST DAMN THING EVER. Try listening to the Songs again without a thought in your mind of who COLDPLAY is. It's amazing. I've been a fangirl for a long time and I love the new stuff.

[Abracadabra]

Fame is SO NOT GETTING INTO CHRIS MARTIN's head!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVED their new releases!!!! They are amazing!!! Did you not hear Us Against The World? Maybe those who say these horrible things about Chris Martin just don't understand the sophistication that they are heading to. They are still the very best. They are not sellouts or horrible. Try are doing what they wanted to do, or else they would have just quit! I think people are just way too attached to the first 3 albums, and are not open minded to different types of COLDPLAY. Paradise is a creative mess: LIKE THE GIRL TUE SONG IS ABOUT!! The melody reflects on the personality of the subject. Just like Charlie Brown, which is supposed to be about the rocky, lost guy. It's part of a whole. You have to see the story. Wait for the album because it may be the BEST DAMN THING EVER. Try listening to the Songs again without a thought in your mind of who COLDPLAY is. It's amazing. I've been a fangirl for a long time and I love the new stuff.

 

And maybe those who say 'horrible' things just simply don't like this sophistication you say Coldplay is heading to. What really gets me is that people who don't like the 'new' Coldplay are described as being uncapable of understanding the new direction. I'm being repetitive, but it's like Coldplay can't make a song that would displease so many people and they really must be under a mistake.

 

As for posting horrible stuff, yeah, I've seen some vicious comments on here, have perhaps myself overreacted a bit and don't have intention to defend it all, but these obsessed, infatuated comments like 'They're amazing, shut up haters, if you don't like it, don't listen to it' don't make much sense, either.