para-para-parrotdies

This is a decent song. Nothing outstanding but after ETIAW + Paradise, a welcome addition. Truthfully, it's a bit boring until around the 2:25 mark. Hopefully, the studio version will elevate the song a bit.

Wait, isn't Chris Martin playing acoustic guitar in the live renditions of this song?

.........this just proves that you haven't been reading my posts carefully. I don't know how many times I've stated this over and over (I might as well copy + paste now to save myself the time and effort) - my thoughts aren't limited to the MX-era songs we have heard. Nor is this thread an immediate reaction to Paradise as you mistakenly believe. In fact, if you just bother to look back at any of my past posts, you'd see I list more than one song as an example - I've also referenced ETIAW, Lost!, 42, etc. (Preempting angry response: this has nothing to do with musical direction or style. I certainly enjoy many of the Viva-era songs, but that doesn't mean they have great lyrics) I've also said repeatedly that I know Chris Martin isn't the world's best lyricist and that some of their earlier songs also have uninspired lyrics (Yellow + In My Place come into mind). I've even said that I do enjoy the lyrics to Us Against the World and some of their more recent efforts. No, this is about comparing the average effort of the songs' lyrics pre-AROBTTH and after. As I and many other posters in this thread have pointed out, the lyrics do seem to be taking a downturn and we're just curious why. Nowhere do we conclusively attribute the fame + money as the reason - it's just a hypothesis that maybe Chris Martin doesn't have the same inspiration + drive as he used to. You can agree or disagree all you want but don't insult me and the other posters by saying this is pure "sensationalist nonsense." If you actually bother to read any of the posts, you'd find there's a lot of thought put behind all of them. Forgive me if this post is also "fucking obnoxious" :shocked2:

Maybe it's because I actually put thought into my posts. Have you even bothered reading any of the things I have posted? I dare you to find a single instance where I "shit on Coldplay." Go on, try it.

Same here - if Coldplay wants to go the "pop" route, I wouldn't be the happiest person in the world but I would eventually accept this phase. .....as long as the songs are good. There are examples of good "pop" like Rihanna's Umbrella or Britney Spears' Toxic for example. Paradise is not a good "pop" song. It's just not a very good song. (And before people rush in to defend the band, let me preempt their posts: I am not saying anything conclusive about the upcoming album. I'm limiting my thoughts to the songs we have heard, namely ETIAW + Paradise)

This discussion isn't limited to just the new album. And your outbust is odd considering this is one of your old posts:

You have big issues if you need people to tell you how to think. Whether or not you like the song, you should come to that judgment on your own.

If we got another Parachutes, I would be the first to express my disappointment. The so-called "hate" that people refer to has nothing to do with not wanting change. It's quite baffling that people genuinely don't get the concept that not all change is good.

This is one of the most difficult posts to respond to because I have never said any of the things you claim. Never have I said "horrible things about Chris Martin." Never have I said that I wish they make another Parachutes or another AROBTTH (after all, I'm not "way too attached" to them... I want musical progression). Never have I said anything about the album - in fact, I've repeatedly said I'll reserve judgment about MX until I hear in its entirety. The point that keeps getting lost behind these fanatical rants is the decline in Chris Martin's songwriting abilities. Again, this has nothing to do with musical style or direction... just the lyrics. The average effort from pre-AROBTTH days contain far greater lyrical depth than the songs that followed. I've provided countless examples showing what I'm talking about. I have a serious question for you - do you actually read any of the posts? Or do you immediately feel compelled to defend the band once you see some type of criticism. At least you do have the decency to admit you are a "fangirl" so we know how to weigh your comments.

But are there? Posters who aren't fans of the song aren't trying to convince people to stop listening to the song or the band - they've just been expressing their thoughts + opinions. Then the fans come into the thread and call names like "hater" and ask "how dare we make such a thread." It's the other way around - people are trying hard to make us like the song. And when you have to work so hard to make someone like the song, that speaks volumes about the song itself

The point is that people are equating any amount of criticism as "hate" for the band. And when we ask why they love a song like Paradise, many of them give a response along the lines of: "it's Coldplay so we should love it. How dare you be rude to say something bad about their efforts!" The only people getting "upset" are ironically the fiercest defendants of the band, those who haven't been able to articulate why they enjoy the new songs so much. Instead of joining in the debate with some independent thoughts of their own, they're resorting to creating new threads and calling names. This is cultlike behavior.

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.

No, there is such a thing as "bad" songwriting. Case in point: "It's Friday, Friday / Gotta get down on Friday." But by your logic, if those words mean something to someone, then it must surely be good. :rolleyes: I don't think you really understand the argument. This has nothing to do with musical style or experimentation. It's simply reading the lyrics and recognizing when it's objectively bad.

There's no doubt about Brian Eno's capabilities as a producer and as a musician - his work speaks for itself. However, what's his last recent work that was any good? People do get old you know

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.

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.

Reason? The name Coldplay is attached to the song and as some people have demonstrated, this means they are invulnerable to any sort of criticism I wish it was possible to do like a blind musical survey, similar to those taste tests. I truly wonder how many people would admit to liking Paradise if they had no idea Coldplay made it.

You have completely mischaracterized my post. My argument was that Radiohead doesn't care if their new music brings or loses fans... they draw upon a bunch of creative influences and continually develop their sound. Sometimes this leads to great songs, sometimes it doesn't but they don't resort to releasing Top-40 sounding songs.

You don't need to be "depressed" to make music that expands your sound + musical capabilities... nor would I wish it upon anybody. Instead of being so calculating + focused on producing these safe, pleasant-sounding "anthemic" songs, I want them to take on other musical influences and take risks with their songcrafting. It might not result in the best album but at least they wouldn't waste their talent and potential

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?

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?

valypan, I have a serious question for you: can Coldplay do no wrong in your eyes?

It's hard to believe that these two songs were written by the same band. Such a noticeable difference in quality that you can't help but ask yourself "what happened?"

If 13,000 people jump off a bridge and 450 people don't, what would you do? Jump off a bridge as well because that's what the majority of people are doing? Surely the 450 people aren't rational by not jumping off as well!

Exhibit A: "Don't want to see another generation drop / I'd rather be a comma than a full stop" Exhibit B: "Maybe I'm in the black, maybe I'm on my knees / Maybe I'm in the gap between two trapezes" Exhibit C: "Every siren is a symphony / and every tear's a waterfall" Exhibit D: "So you can hurt, hurt me bad / But still I'll raise the flag, woooh" Exhibit E: "It was a wa-ah-ah-ah-aterfall / A wa-ah-ah-ah-aterfall" ....I think Exhibit E speaks for itself don't you?