Having listened through all of the songs several times and reading through the lyrics on genius I have evidence to believe that this whole album thematically is strongly about christian faith - which CM might be rediscovering (since he seems to have roots in it from his childhood)

 

Songs like « when i need a friend », « broken », « daddy », « church », « old friend » and « everyday life » all point into this direction lyric wise.

 

What do you think?

I think it's about embracing spirituality in general, whatever religion that may be. Showcased by the fact that Muslim prayers etc are also included on the record.

 

By the way a lot of earlier Coldplay lyrics reflected Chris struggling with his faith (think Cemeteries of London etc.), but recently he has been embracing it more openly (MX, AHFOD, and now this).

 

I am an atheist who is, frankly, bothered by creationism so I see lyrics like those of Amazing Day or that John Coltrane quote in Bani Adam, as well meant as they are, somewhat critically. But then I don't believe Chris is a staunch supporter of creationism. And I have gotten more open-minded over the last few years I think and am now better able to see what other people see in religion, so to speak - even if I'm still as atheist as ever.

I think it's about embracing spirituality in general, whatever religion that may be. Showcased by the fact that Muslim prayers etc are also included on the record.

 

By the way a lot of earlier Coldplay lyrics reflected Chris struggling with his faith (think Cemeteries of London etc.), but recently he has been embracing it more openly (MX, AHFOD, and now this).

 

I am an atheist who is, frankly, bothered by creationism so I see lyrics like those of Amazing Day or that John Coltrane quote in Bani Adam, as well meant as they are, somewhat critically. But then I don't believe Chris is a staunch supporter of creationism. And I have gotten more open-minded over the last few years I think and am now better able to see what other people see in religion, so to speak - even if I'm still as atheist as ever.

 

There are plenty of religious people who don't believe in creation. I used to doubt whether creation was true or not, and now I believe in both creation and evolution at the same time.

Everyday Life does not seem to be too influenced by the actual beliefs of Christianity. We've got Church and When I Need A Friend, but we've got stuff influenced by Islam as well, which appears to be an extension of Chris' exploration of Sufism (Islamic mysticism) before AHFOD, which resulted in a Rumi poem appearing on the album. The name Bani Adam comes from a poem by another Muslim poet named Saadi Shirazi, who justified the oneness of humanity from the fact that we all share a common ancestor, we're all one species. We "share the same blood." I think whether you are creationist or not, that's a very beautiful message that doesn't necessarily have to condone religion.

The songs may cover similar themes, but the albums are based on totally different concepts. Chris clearly stated on recent interviews that Everyday Life is about how they feel on issues that may be controversial. For instance, I thought Daddy was inspired by the children that were separated from their parents at the U.S border. This was my first instinct, but, at the end, the lyrics are vague enough to create our own meaning. It could be about other stuff.

 

On the other hand, Kaye's whole purpose was to express his re-encounter with faith after being hospitalized. It just happens that some songs in Everyday Life delve with the whole notion of spirituality, and I have to admit, as an atheist, that faith is a common trait of human beings (Everyday Life).