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)

O
Coldplay Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

A flock of birds
Hovering above
Just a flock of birds
That's how you think of love

And I always
Look up to the sky
Pray before the dawn

'Cause they fly always
Sometimes they arrive
Sometimes they are gone
They fly on

A flock of birds
Hovering above
Into smoke I'm turned
And rise following them up

Still I always
Look up to the sky
Pray before the dawn
'Cause they fly away
One minute they arrive,
Next you know they're gone
They fly on
Fly on

So fly on
Ride through
Maybe one day I'll fly next to you

They fly on
Ride through
Maybe one day I come fly with you
Fly on

Fly on
Fly on

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Coldplay's song O are poetic and metaphorical. The first verse talks about a flock of birds, which is commonly associated with freedom, flight, and love, among other things. The second verse talks about transformation, possibly from something solid to something ephemeral, like smoke. However, the singer still looks up to the sky, highlighting a continuous search for something intangible, possibly the meaning of love.

The chorus is a mantra, a call to continue riding through, to fly on, and to stay optimistic. It's also a cry of longing, a hope to someday fly next to someone or something that represents the freedom that the birds in the song embody. The lyrics are simple, yet they evoke emotion and capture the essence of searching for something vast and intangible. The song is a beautiful combination of poetic lyrics and mesmerizing melody.

Line by Line Meaning

A flock of birds
The singer is talking about birds.

Hovering above
The birds are flying above the singer.

Just a flock of birds
The singer believes that love is just a flock of birds.

That's how you think of love
The artist is addressing someone who thinks of love as being fleeting and temporary, like a flock of birds.

And I always
The artist is expressing that they always do something.

Look up to the sky
The singer is always looking up to the sky.

Pray before the dawn
The singer is praying before dawn.

'Cause they fly always
The artist is connecting their actions to the actions of the birds.

Sometimes they arrive
The birds sometimes arrive.

Sometimes they are gone
The birds sometimes leave.

They fly on
The birds continue to fly.

Into smoke I'm turned
The artist is now turning into smoke and rising up to follow the birds.

And rise following them up
The singer is rising up to follow the birds.

One minute they arrive,
The birds sometimes arrive quickly.

Next you know they're gone
The birds sometimes leave quickly.

They fly on
The birds continue to fly.

So fly on
The artist is telling the birds to continue flying.

Ride through
The singer is asking the birds to continue their journey.

Maybe one day I'll fly next to you
The singer hopes to one day fly with the birds.

Maybe one day I come fly with you
The artist hopes to one day fly with the birds.

Fly on
The birds continue to fly.

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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