gai

you know i was disappointed from the beginning about ahfod not getting #1, but the best thing to come out of this is that it reinforces that the band really does not care about sales, numbers and charts. who would do this otherwise.

wow! so much bitterness! i'll just address this quote that stood out to me. are you implying that chris should change his circumstances and make himself miserable to make music that speaks to you? to me it feels like you are too engrossed in his personal life and how that relates to the music rather than approaching the music as it is. i think people like you is one of the reasons why chris tried to keep his personal life and professional life completely separate until recently. if you think noel g. (who i assume you'd like) doesn't live a cosy, rock star life, or any other major successful group/artist for that matter, it'd be delusional. they have millions in their banks, have big name friends, of course they are all living it up. it's just how much publicity these things get that changes people's perceptions. to me, it's more important what they choose to be or do with the fame once they have it. i personally haven't enjoyed a coldplay album thoroughly since viva, but there are many things i still appreciate in the band. when you take all 7 albums together, i can see a real sense of maturing, growth and acceptance. chris has embraced the circumstances in his life. no doubt. from what he says, it is clear the way he approached fame and all that came with it, made it harder for him and his loved ones. don't we all strive for happiness in life? seems like he is making huge progress. i'm happy for him as a fan that has followed the band for a long time. but i won't blame him for trying to better his life, find happiness and content with my lack of enjoyment in their later music. also got to point out, the album is not all sunshine and rainbows. there is a difference between hopefulness and happiness. anyway, not trying to get in to a fight in any way :) just my thoughts.

Oh yes. specially when you think about all the snarls and mocking they are getting right now.

thanks. i did read that when it came out :) but he didn't mention that there. just spoke about chris a bit i think.

would you mind sharing the link to that noel interview?

adele beat coldplay to no 1 in the UK. but they got the highest debut since viva! that's amazing actually. http://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/adeles-25-beats-coldplays-a-head-full-of-dreams-to-number-1-on-the-official-albums-chart__13161/

i think this is about jennifer too. don't think someone would try to validate a 10 year marriage by arguing they at least had some fun. i mean, they have kids together. this has far more of the sense of a fling. i think this means that when the couple were at their strongest, it felt like forever. and if this outro is about gwyneth, after all the lamenting and moving on in the last 2 albums (!), chris is an idiot. hahaa!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tudS1Cj7zc Mobile Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tudS1Cj7zc

Just imagine how much this would escalate once they actually perform!!

the hate continues. Why Hip-Hop — Not Coldplay — Is the Only Music That Works for Super Bowl 50 BUCKNER/VARIETY/REX SHUTTERSTOCK DECEMBER 10, 2015 | 10:00AM PT Bob Lefsetz @lefsetz The halftime show has frequently been the highlight of the Super Bowl, but with the announcement last week that Coldplay would be the featured performer at Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7, it’s hard to see how the game itself won’t be the draw this year. Maybe that’s what the NFL had in mind when it booked the British band. This story first appeared in the December 08, 2015 issue of Variety. Subscribe today. The “nip slip” was the best thing to ever happen to the Super Bowl — after Prince’s triumphant performance that is. Quick, name who won those games? The Super Bowl is a national holiday wherein we all come together to eat too much, get drunk and have fun. It’s a gathering of the tribes — nearly eclipsed by the MTV Video Music Awards in its heyday. That’s why the NFL hired MTV to produce the nip-slip triumph (never call it a fiasco; that’s a misnomer). The league wanted some controversy, and it got it. Who lost in all that controversy? Certainly not Justin Timberlake. And Janet Jackson is still doing great at the turnstiles. As for CBS, the hosting channel? Leslie Moonves oversees a juggernaut. But these days, nudity is so prevalent online that Playboy has eliminated it from its magazine. That’s what you do when confronted with a changing landscape; you deliver the unexpected, you get one step ahead. So why play it safe now? We know what’s in it for Coldplay. They go to where the most eyeballs are and then put tickets on sale to their tour for “A Head Full of Dreams” the next day. And holding back the album from Spotify is like putting the efforts of a has-been behind a paywall. This is a band that was buoyed by MTV and VH1 when those networks still played music. “Music is all about marketing, and sports are all about protecting the past and taking no risks — at a time when society is living on the cutting edge.” But the NFL has used up all the usual has-beens, classic rockers are too geriatric to excite the assembled multitude, and the best have already made an appearance. So why not feature the music that truly rules the NFL: hip-hop. Jay Z would be the host, of course. But Hova is surrounded by Kendrick and Drake, and even Killer Mike. Lil Wayne runs out for a cameo, and then Dr. Dre is lowered from the heavens as Snoop Dogg goes into “Gin and Juice.” Half of America would be thrilled. And half of America would be vomiting. Can you imagine the aftermath, the explication of rap’s history, the meaning of the lyrics, the offense taken by those who believe they know better, even though they don’t, not understanding that Drake is a bigger star on Spotify than Adele. Yes, “Hotline Bling” is bigger than “Hello,” because music lives on streaming services, not in CD racks or at the iTunes Store. And Coldplay has one No. 1 hit; Drake has five. This is like playing the second-string QB instead of Cam Newton. The NFL is in the entertainment business, so why not give the public what it wants? It should ignore the vocal minority imploring it to play it safe. Why would a public enraptured of Snapchat and Instagram be interested in a band that made its bones before Facebook hit the scene? And while the league has thrown in Beyonce and Bruno Mars for spice, didn’t we just see them in a Super Bowl show? So this is where we’re at. Music is all about marketing, and sports are all about protecting the past and taking no risks — at a time when society is living on the cutting edge, knowing what happens today probably won’t be remembered tomorrow. The Super Bowl only comes around once a year. And we punt the ball and give our greatest promotional opportunity to this wimpy group from England? No, you bring out the heavy hitters. And that means hip-hop. variety

awww... hat brothers, except guy the robot [MEDIA=instagram]_HpVfOndd8[/MEDIA]

Q&A: Coldplay reveal the secret to the band's success: optimism BY CHRISTIAN SCHULTZdpa OFFENBACH, GERMANY British rock band Coldplay started its career as a shy but acclaimed indie outfit. Now, the musicians easily fill stadiums across the world. Bassist Guy Berryman and drummer Will Champion tell dpa about their new album, "A Head Full of Dreams," which contains the secret to the band's long-running success: optimism. dpa: Let's talk about your new album. How would you describe it in a few words? Champion: I would describe it as colorful and positive. It has some wonderful people on it that we really respect. Some guest artists - people that helped us out with guitar solos and backing vocals and some guest singers. So it's really full of influences and different textures for the ear. dpa: The previous album, "Ghost Stories," was more quiet and gloomy. Why this change in style? Berryman: When we were making "Ghost Stories, we had a collection of songs that seemed to be one thing, which became that album. We were in a certain mood and we knew we weren't going to go out on tour. But we also had another collection of songs, which we knew after we'd made "Ghost Stories" would form the basis of "A Head Full of Dreams." So we really had all of the songs and they got split into these two very different categories. It sounds the way it does partly because we knew we were going to be playing lots of live shows. When you play live shows, you want songs where the energy level is up and people can sing them back. Champion: We always knew that there was something coming after "Ghost Stories." dpa: Would you say that gloomy music is not so easy to sell? Champion: I couldn't tell you about what sells. Who knows? We always imagined that "Ghost Stories" would be listened to by people on headphones in a bedroom. We wanted this album ("A Head Full of Dreams") to be listened to in big places, where a lot of people come together to have a great communal experience. dpa: What kind of role can optimistic music play in these difficult times following the terrorist attacks in Paris? Berryman: I think we're definitely surrounded by a lot of negativity at the moment. It's important to retain an element of hope in our lives individually and within society as a whole so as not to get too weighed down by things. Music can only play so much of a part in that. There are a lot of political things which need to happen. But I'm proud of the fact that we've had a very optimistic and hopeful sounding record. dpa: You said you really enjoy touring and playing together. How does a band stay successful after so many years? Champion: A healthy working relationship. It depends on everyone feeling that they've got enough time to themselves. We take frequent breaks and make sure we're not touring for too long at any one time. We all have other responsibilities - our families and other various things. We always make sure that everyone has enough time off to keep them happy so that we're keen to come back and play together. Any relationship goes through ups and downs, just like a marriage. It requires constant maintenance and work. dpa: Is it true that you once wrote down a set of rules on getting along with each other? Berryman: That was a myth. Champion: But we do communicate a lot. We're always talking about how we move forward, both musically and as a band - what we want to achieve and how we're going to stay sane and together in this business which can mess people up. It can be hard for bands to stay together. Many bands split up for money or for musical differences or whatever. So we're very keen to work hard on keeping it all together. dpa: What does it mean to play at the Super Bowl? Berryman: It's incredible. We're very humbled and honored to be asked to do it. We feel like we've got a big challenge. We need to really be on our A-game and make it special, so that nothing goes wrong and we don't forget the words - especially being a band from outside of the US. The Super Bowl is probably the biggest event of the year in America. Champion: It's a huge musical opportunity to play to that many people. There's a great proportion of those people will never have heard of our band, I think. It's an amazing opportunity to show people what we do. x

^ "... i don't think coldplay know how to have fun" lol

lol! for a minute there i was like, what the hell did i miss?

did they sing this live afi??

that's beautiful!

Dear Chris, Last night in Paris first time in my life I assisted to your concert. Last night first time after the attack in Paris I felt the heartbeat of the city that was on hold not knowing what to choose - love or hate. Last night first time since 13th of November I felt blood reaching my tensed heart to open, to be able to give and receive again. Your music, your infinite capacity of lovingeverything and everyone made it happen. Standing in the public with the strangers feeling so close to them,we danced, we cried, we weren't thirsty of revenge but of love. There was nothing to share as we were one. Last night it happened in Paris... Can you imagine there are countries where people are not allowed to love, to dance, to lough, to feel freedom because dictators and terrorists would not allow them. They are punished, killed, tortured just because they let out the scream of freedom that human as a new born experiences from the first second of the moment they leave mother's internal world and feel the air of this magic universe. I know you fight against this brutality not with a sword but with love. While I was listening "a head full of dreams", me all frozen inside, entered a world of different emotions.You mixed different musical styles, in result you erased style and let the music be eternal without frames. You didn't try to make this emotions all positive, you let everything in - despair, hope, disappointment,anger,love. Without despair hope wouldn't appear and without darkness light wouldn't be appreciated.The music awaked all of them in me without realizing which one of them was more important and at the end I felt how blood started to circulate. I was happy -I was alive. I felt that while being alive there is always a hope. Thank you for letting me be part of this album. When you proposed to collaborate you opened the door of your profound musical universe and helped me, as a genius mentor, to open mine. You convinced me that when two musical universe open to each other and create, it could never be so called"cross-over", it can only be a real "music making."You showed me your music as a beautiful bud and taught me how to make it blossom. Do people know how you love,feel and know classical music? Do they know how you feel phrases, harmonies and how you make a dramaturgy of each song and album? Probably not but they feel it. Behind each word and sound you produce is a profound, sophisticated meaning but you never complicate,because you speak directly to each human soul. As all wisdom your language is simple. In Georgia we have a tree that we call "a tree of wishes" where children leave the pieces of tissues to make their dreams come true. As a child I left my wish on this tree- world piece and love. In your head full of dreams,in Kaleidoscope,on a very short sequence of harmonies, with Rumi's poetry revived by Coleman Barks's voice and grace of President Obama, my childhood dream, as well as many kids from Georgia and all over the world, is embedded forever. Thank you, Chris! Thank you Coldplay! Love, Khatia x

damn, that's a bummer to see see coldplay say that. does that mean they have no interest in revisiting rock?

Coldplay: 'Rock music has nowhere left to go’ COLDPLAY ON STAGE EARLIER THIS MONTH CREDIT: GETTY Neil McCormick, music critic As Coldplay release their new album, Chris Martin and the band tell Neil McCormick why rock has had its day 'W e felt like rock music has been done,” says Chris Martin, apparently dropping the lid on 60 years of swaggering guitar bands. Contemplating the zesty pop tones of Coldplay’s new album, A Head Full of Dreams, Martin suggests “the future of music is in new sounds and new ways of treating vocals. We wanted to add those colours to our palette.” His bandmate Guy Berryman agrees: “There’s an awful lot of rock music already out there. I’m not sure there is anything left to add.” Not that Martin thinks Coldplay will be considered any great loss to the genre by die-hard rockers. “No one would ever put us in a list of the top 10 rock bands. We’ve maybe rocked out once, for 10 minutes. I don’t think anyone would throw up the devil horns to any of our major works.” Yet as frontman for Coldplay, the biggest-selling band this century, Martin is still arguably the definitive rock star of the last decade. So it is interesting how uncomfortable he is with established notions of stardom. Incredibly friendly when I meet him backstage recording the Christmas Top of the Pops special, the 38-year-old doesn’t drink or take drugs, dresses scruffily in sweatpants and a hoodie, and likes to walk everywhere without retinues of bodyguards and hangers-on. “One of the benefits of not having a particularly great dress sense is, I don’t really look like a pop star. I like to go on the Tube and see what’s up, get out in the cold with everybody. We don’t need to go down the street in a Roller.” Forming the band in 1996, at the tail-end of Britpop and arguably the beginning of the end for rock music, he thinks “an advantage for our generation is that we see how things turned out for other musicians. The old-fashioned rock ’n’ roll lifestyle thing is great, but does it really make for great music? Does it make people happy? I don’t feel we’re embarrassed about being successful, but we don’t need the perm and the gold Rolex.” Walking around London, Martin doesn’t always manage to maintain his anonymity. Recently, he found himself being assailed by irate builders yelling: “I’m sick of seeing you in my newspaper every f---ing day.” With their new album, released last Friday, hurtling up the charts, Coldplay are in the midst of a blitzkrieg of radio and TV appearances and have announced a stadium world tour for 2016. So it was never going to be a quiet week. But the element that adds prurient intensity to the attention is Martin’s 2014 divorce from Hollywood star Gwyneth Paltrow, after 10 years of marriage and two children, and subsequent romantic links with Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence. He is currently dating British Peaky Blinders actress Annabelle Wallis. Chris Martin with ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow CREDIT: KEVIN MAZUR/GETTY “I don’t mind what anyone thinks about the soap opera element of my life,” Martin insists with a shrug and a grin. “Every human being, whether they are a pop star, a prince or a pauper, has challenges. So the interesting questions are about how do you respond to them. Do you let them control your day?” Coldplay’s subdued and introverted 2014 album, Ghost Stories, was widely deemed to be Martin’s divorce record, and the upbeat A Head Full of Dreams has already been pronounced to be the sound of him bouncing back – his dating album if you will. “Songwriting to me is about making sense of the day,” says Martin. “So of course my personal experiences are in there, but I wouldn’t like to reduce it to that. I am really trying to process the outside world. So if I’m looking at a story about Israel or Palestine or reading The Grapes of Wrath, it all comes through.” He describes the album as an attempt “to link the personal with the universal.” It concludes with Up and Up, an inspirational song about changing things in life that are not working for you that “just grew and grew and now it sounds like this big world peace anthem. But it came from a very personal place.” Chris Martin with Beyonce who guest stars on Coldplay's latest albumCREDIT: GETTY It is a bright and shiny album full of the brash hooks and dynamic beats of modern pop. After working with Brian Eno in the past, Coldplay made the surprising choice this time to work with Norwegian production duo Stargate, renowned as hitmakers for Rihanna andBeyoncé (the latter guests on the album, along with Noel Gallagher). “Rock and pop is like chalk and cheese,” notes drummer Will Champion. “We instinctively, as a band, gravitate towards density. Our records are full of layers, strings, synths, twinkly bits, the whole lush world of real, comforting, big sounds that you can use to help communicate emotion. There is so much space and clarity on modern pop records. Stargate are brilliant at finding what’s important in a piece of music and letting everything else sit back.” There has always been a sense of mission to Coldplay. “We would like to be behind the idea of togetherness and acceptance, rather than finger-pointing and against-ness,” Martin says. “My manifesto is to not give up on the idea of humans working together.” Martin delivers this little homily with conviction, then shudders at the idea that it will reinforce notions of him as rock’s most starry-eyed idealist. He is a man given to making big statements, then immediately questioning them, prevaricating between self-belief and self-doubt. But for bassist Berryman, Martin’s emotional extremes are the essence of Coldplay. “If you know Chris, and spend every day with him, you realise that he’s genuinely bouncing off the walls with happiness, or almost inconsolable. So I feel that the music we’ve made is very true, it’s either up in the clouds or down in the dumps, and there’s not much in the middle.” The key to the album may be a sample of Barack Obama singing Amazing Grace at a funeral after a mass shooting in South Carolina in June. “In a situation when he could have gone very revengeful and aggressive, he chose to do that, which was a powerful statement. That’s a good way of looking at life. Gracefully going through whatever you are going through.” So how do you clear a sample of the American president? “I’m not sure he has a publishing company,” says Champion. “You have to call the White House. Or talk to Bono.” Martin is circumspect. “I asked a friend who was going to see him. And Obama said, 'I’m sure we can make that happen.’ ” Like a lot of Coldplay’s finest work, the album is full of songs that will make most sense being sung aloud by fans in a stadium. “No amount of unchoreographed movement from four little men can unite 80,000 people like one good chorus,” says Martin. He admits he can still have moments of panic on stage. “There is definitely a suspension of normality. The part of your personality you access to do a big concert is not the same part that’s just walking down the street every day. You have to believe, 'This is my job, we are awesome.’ And a couple of things can go wrong and freak you out, then you suddenly think, 'Oh s---, I’m just a boy from Devon, who the hell do I think I am?’ ” Coldplay seem to be genuinely enjoying themselves. “It’s a very happy ship,” insists guitarist Jonny Buckland. “It’s practically a hovercraft!” jokes Martin. But after seven albums, selling more than 80 million copies, there has been talk about this being their final offering. “I think there’s a sense of a journey nearing its completion,” says Champion. “It’s not to say there’s not going to be another journey. But this is our end-of-term report. This is what we’ve learnt since our first record came out, the summary of how we have evolved as people, as friends and as a band.” “We live in a world where you don’t know whether you are going to make it to tomorrow,” says Martin. “So it makes sense to approach whatever we are doing as if it is the last thing we are going to make.” He admits to doubts about what the future could hold for the band. But it could just be creative exhaustion. “It’s like asking someone to do 10 more push-ups when they’ve just done 100. If this was our last album, we’d be OK with it. At this point, we’ve said what we have to say.” x

i think believe in love is sung by annabelle wallis.

the quote was not verbatim. paraphrasing. but the gist of it was that. and not being a songwriter, i have no idea about the songwriting process. but i do think coldplay will go on hiatus for a while after this.

oh yes, they have been doing this from the very beginning :) i was thinking of more recent examples. and i completely agree with the highlighted part. of course them being the artists, it's up to them. chris actually had a great quote about this. about how coldplay have made a decision to write songs that move people en masse, etc and how they have to handle all the punches they get because of these decisions. they seem completely ok with it when it comes to creative output.

the thing is this though. a couple of obvious ones, viva is a follow up to arcade fire's funeral, "ella, ella, ella" vs. "par, para, para". this continues with gs, ahfod. it's the way you look at things and how you make connections between them. as much as i love coldplay, to me they have been more of trend followers than trend setters. that's ok :) i want to see what'll happen if they just stopped caring about the latest trend(s).

you know what i'd love for coldplay to do? stay off the mainstream music for a good couple of years and do an album completely removed from the trends. to different levels, coldplay have chased the latest musical trends and end up being released a couple of years late to the party. i would love to see what they'd do removed from the latest influences. listen to your favourite classics or more obscure ones and make an album. but that's restrictive. coldplay wouldn't do that, what with the whole inclusiveness going on these days.

hey Navya, welcome to coldplaying :)