Coldplay is a British alternative rock and britpop band formed in London in… Read Full Bio ↴Coldplay is a British alternative rock and britpop band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University College London and began playing music together from 1996 to 1998, initially calling themselves Starfish. Coldplay's music incorporates elements of soft rock, pop rock, piano rock, and post-britpop.

After independently releasing an extended play, Safety (1998), Coldplay signed with Parlophone in 1999. The band's debut album, Parachutes (2000), included their breakthrough single "Yellow" and received a Brit Award for British Album of the Year, a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album and a Mercury Prize nomination. Their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), won the same accolades and included "Clocks", which earned a Grammy Award for Record of the Year. In 2005, they released X&Y; the album was marked by a troubled production and various delays, completing what the band considered a trilogy as well. Coldplay's fourth effort, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008), received a Grammy Award for Best Rock Album and their first Album of the Year nomination, while its title track was the first British group song to reach number-one in the United Kingdom and United States simultaneously in the 21st century. Both X&Y and Viva la Vida were the best-selling albums of their respective years, topping the charts in more than 30 countries each.

Since then, Coldplay further diversified their sound with the subsequent releases Mylo Xyloto (2011), Ghost Stories (2014), A Head Full of Dreams (2015), Everyday Life (2019) and Music of the Spheres (2021). Each album presented a unique theme and added new musical styles to the band's original repertoire, including electronica, ambient, pop, R&B, funk, classical, jazz fusion, and progressive rock. They are also known for "euphoric" live performances, which NME said are when the band "come alive and make the most sense". To celebrate their 20th anniversary in 2018, a career-spanning documentary directed by Mat Whitecross was premiered at selected cinemas, featuring previously unseen behind-the-scenes footage.

With 100 million albums sold worldwide, Coldplay are the most successful band of the 21st century and one of the best-selling music acts of all time. According to Fuse, they are also the sixth-most awarded group in history. Other notable achievements include the seventh-highest-grossing tour of all time, three of the 50 highest-selling albums ever in the United Kingdom, the most number-one records in the country without ever missing the top, most nominations and wins for a band in Brit Awards history, and becoming the first British group to debut at number-one on the Billboard Hot 100. Coldplay are considered one of the most influential bands of the 21st century as well, with Forbes describing them as the standard for the current alternative scene. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included A Rush of Blood to the Head on their "200 Definitive Albums" list and the single "Yellow" is part of their "Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll" exhibition for being one of the most successful and important recordings in the industry. In spite of their popularity and impact, Coldplay have earned a reputation as polarizing music icons.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coldplay

Studio albums
Parachutes (2000)
A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002)
X&Y (2005)
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)
Mylo Xyloto (2011)
Ghost Stories (2014)
A Head Full of Dreams (2015)
Everyday Life (2019)
Music of the Spheres (2021)

03 White Shadows
Coldplay Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When I was a young boy I tried to listen
And I want to feel like that
Little white shadows blink and missed them
Part of the system, I am

If you ever feel like something's missing
Things you'll never understand
Little white shadows sparkle and glisten

Part of a system, a plan

All this noise, I'm waking up
All this space I'm taking up
All this sound is breaking up

Whoa oh

Maybe you'll get what you wanted
Maybe you'll stumble upon it
Everything you ever wanted
In a permanent state

Maybe you'll know when you see it
Maybe if you say it you'll mean it
And when you find it you'll keep it
In a permanent state
A permanent state

When I was a young boy I tried to listen
Don't you wanna feel like that

You're part of the human race
All of the stars and the outer space
Part of the system plan

All this noise, I'm waking up
All this space I'm taking up
I cannot hear, you're breaking up

Whoa oh

Maybe you'll get what you wanted
Maybe you'll stumble upon it
Everything you ever wanted
In a permanent state

Maybe you'll know when you see it
Maybe if you say it, you'll mean it
And when you find it you'll keep it
In a permanent state
A permanent state

Swimming on a sea of faces
A tide of the human race
So, an answer now is what I need

I see it in the new sun rising

I see it break on your horizon
Oh, come on love, stay with me

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Coldplay's song White Shadows are about searching for meaning and purpose in life. The singer, who in the first verse is referred to as a young boy, longs to be able to listen for the things that truly matter in life. He wants to feel like he is part of something greater than himself and not just a small cog in a system. The "little white shadows" he sees are fleeting moments of clarity and insight which he misses as they are quickly gone. Despite feeling lost and like something is missing, he hopes he will one day find what he is searching for, and that it will be a permanent state of being.

The song builds on this theme, with the singer questioning whether he will ever find what he is looking for. He urges the listener to consider the same questions and to not settle for a life without purpose. The chorus laments the noise and chaos of the modern world, with the singer struggling to make sense of it all. In the second verse, he acknowledges that we are all part of the same system, even if we feel disconnected from it. The final verse has an element of hope, as the singer sees the "new sun rising" and "love" as a way to stay grounded and find fulfillment.

Overall, White Shadows conveys a sense of longing and searching for meaning, set against a backdrop of noise and chaos. It encourages listeners to keep striving for a more fulfilling existence.

Line by Line Meaning

When I was a young boy I tried to listen
In my youth, I made an effort to pay attention and understand

And I want to feel like that
I desire to rediscover that feeling

Little white shadows blink and missed them
Minor details can easily pass unnoticed

Part of the system, I am
I am a component of a complex whole

If you ever feel like something's missing
If you sense an absence or lack of something

Things you'll never understand
Some things are beyond comprehension

Little white shadows sparkle and glisten
Small details can shine and be alluring

Part of a system, a plan
A part of an organized scheme

All this noise, I'm waking up
The chaos is causing me to become aware and alert

All this space I'm taking up
The room I occupy, both physically and in life

All this sound is breaking up
The noise is becoming distorted and disrupted

Maybe you'll get what you wanted
Perhaps you'll attain your aspirations

Maybe you'll stumble upon it
Or perhaps you'll find it by chance

Everything you ever wanted
All of the desires you've ever held

In a permanent state
Existing in a fixed, lasting condition

Maybe you'll know when you see it
Perhaps you'll instinctively recognize it

Maybe if you say it you'll mean it
Or maybe it will require verbalizing to be genuine

And when you find it you'll keep it
And when you discover it, you'll hold onto it

In a permanent state
Existing in a fixed, lasting condition

You're part of the human race
You are a member of the global community of humans

All of the stars and the outer space
Every single celestial body that exists beyond the atmosphere

All this noise, I'm waking up
All of this commotion is serving to raise my consciousness

I cannot hear, you're breaking up
I'm struggling to hear you clearly due to interference

Maybe you'll get what you wanted
It's possible that you'll achieve what you desire

Maybe you'll stumble upon it
You may find it by accident

Everything you ever wanted
All of the aspirations you've held

In a permanent state
In a fixed and lasting condition

Maybe you'll know when you see it
Perhaps you'll instantly recognize it

Maybe if you say it, you'll mean it
Or perhaps it will require verbal expression to make it real

And when you find it you'll keep it
And once you've located it, you'll hold onto it

In a permanent state
In a fixed and lasting condition

Swimming on a sea of faces
Navigating life amidst the sea of humanity

A tide of the human race
A collective force of humanity moving forward

So, an answer now is what I need
What I am currently in search of is a resolution

I see it in the new sun rising
I witness the possibility of a new beginning

I see it break on your horizon
I witness the potential for a positive change in your future

Oh, come on love, stay with me
Oh, please stay with me, my beloved

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CHRISTOPHER ANTHONY JOHN MARTIN, GUY RUPERT BERRYMAN, JONATHAN MARK BUCKLAND, WILLIAM CHAMPION

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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