While most U.K. groups go down as easily in America as a plateful of haggis or a mug of room-temperature beer nowadays, there's one band that continues to lead a British invasion all on its own. In fact, with their epic third album X&Y (13 tracks of universally appealing, U2-worthy rock--or "soft rock," as singer Chris Martin puts it), not to mention sold-out stadium tours and a regular spot in the tabloids thanks to Martin's high-profile marriage to A-list actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Coldplay seem on the verge of genuine world domination.
X&Y is influenced by European electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk, as well as 1970s electronica from the likes of David Bowie and Brian Eno. Coldplay received permission from Kraftwerk to use the main riff from "Computer Love" for the track "Talk", while Eno played backing synthesizer on the track "Low". The album's final track, "'Til Kingdom Come", was originally written by the band to be recorded by Johnny Cash, but Cash passed away before he could record the song.
According to lead singer Chris Martin, the title X&Y is based on the ups and downs of his everyday life. Martin says "My whole day is a mixture of optimism and pessimism in its most extreme forms. And that’s what X&Y is to me. It’s two sides. I like the fact they’re very strong letters, very clear." He has also stated that he chose the name X&Y because in mathematics X and Y represent the unknown, and that most of the tracks on the album are about the unknown and life's unanswerable questions.
Watch the Coldplay X&Y interview here
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