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)
Princess of China
Coldplay Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Once upon a time somebody ran
Somebody ran away saying, "Fast as they can"
I got to go
I got to go
Once upon a time we fell apart
The two halves of my heart
Oh-oh, oh-oh-oh
Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh
Once upon a time we're burning bright
That all we ever seemed to do is fight
On and on
And on and on and on
Once upon a time on the same side
Once upon a time on the same side
In the same game, now why'd you have to go
Have to go and throw it all in my flame
Could've been a princess, you'd be a king
Could have had a castle and worn a ring
But no, you let me go
I could've been a princess, you'd be a king
Could have had a castle and worn a ring,
But no, you let me go
Stole my star
La-la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la-la
La-la-la-la-la
You stole my star
La-la-la-la-la-la
Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh
Oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh-oh, oh-oh
'Cause you really hurt me
Oh, you really hurt me
'Cause you really hurt me
Oh, you really hurt me
'Cause you really hurt me
Oh-oh, you really hurt me
'Cause you really hurt me
Oh-oh, you really hurt me
Coldplay's Princess of China features Rihanna and tells the story of two lovers who have fallen apart but still feel a deep connection to each other. The song begins with the lyrics, "Once upon a time somebody ran, / Somebody ran away saying, 'Fast as they can' / I got to go, I got to go." These lines suggest that someone in the relationship has decided to leave, and they're running as fast as they can to get away. The singer has to let them go.
In the chorus, Coldplay and Rihanna sing about what could have been. They could have been a princess and a king, living in a castle and wearing a ring. But instead, the relationship fell apart. The lyrics suggest that one person in the relationship hurt the other deeply, hence the repetition of "you really hurt me."
Overall, the song is about the pain of a relationship falling apart and the longing for what could have been. The use of fairy tale imagery adds to the sense of loss and regret.
Line by Line Meaning
Once upon a time somebody ran
There was a time when someone left abruptly
Somebody ran away saying, "Fast as they can"
The person who left did so in a hurry
I got to go
The singer too has to leave in order to catch up with the person who left
Once upon a time we fell apart
At some point in time, the singer and the person who left had a falling out
You're holding in your hands the two halves of my heart
The person who left still has a hold on the singer's emotions
Once upon a time we're burning bright
There was a time when things were going well between the singer and the person who left
That all we ever seemed to do is fight
Despite the good times, arguments were common between the two
On and on, and on and on and on
The fights seemed never-ending
Once upon a time on the same side
The two were initially on the same team
In the same game, now why'd you have to go
They were working towards the same goal until the person who left gave up
Have to go and throw it all in my flame
The person who left not only left, but also destroyed what they had built together
Could've been a princess, you'd be a king
The singer and the person who left had potential for greatness
Could have had a castle and worn a ring
They could've had everything they wanted
But no, you let me go
The person who left chose to give up instead of fighting through their problems
Stole my star
The person who left took away the singer's joy and success
La-la-la-la-la-la, la-la-la-la-la-la
A nonsense phrase used for emphasis
La-la-la-la-la
A nonsense phrase used for emphasis
You stole my star
The singer blames the person who left for their failures
'Cause you really hurt me
The singer is still in pain from what the person who left did
Oh, you really hurt me
The singer is expressing their pain and heartbreak
Oh-oh, you really hurt me
The singer repeats their feelings of hurt
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Christopher Anthony John Martin, Guy Rupert Berryman, Jonathan Mark Buckland, William Champion, Jon Thor Birgisson, Orri Pall Dyrason, Georg Holm, Kjartan Sveinsson, Brian Peter George Eno
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robert-Eduard Baciu
Oh
[Chris Martin:]
Once upon a time somebody ran
Somebody ran away saying fast as I can
I got to go, I got to go!
Once upon a time we fell apart
You're holding in your hands the two halves of my heart
Oh, oh!
Oh
[Rihanna:]
Once upon a time, we burned bright
Now all we ever seem to do is fight
On and on, and on and on and on
Once upon a time on the same side
Once upon a time on the same side, in the same game
And why'd you have to go, have to go and throw water on my flame?
I could've been a princess, you'd be a king
Could've had a castle, and worn a ring
But no, you let me go
I could've been a princess, you'd be a king
Could've had a castle, and worn a ring
But no, you let me go
You stole my star
La, la, la, la, la, la, la, la [3x]
You stole my star
La, la la la la laaaaaa
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
[Chirs Martin and Rihanna:]
'Cause you really hurt me
No, you really hurt me
'Cause you really hurt me
No, you really hurt me
'Cause you really hurt me
Oh, you really hurt me, oh
'Cause you really hurt me
Oh, you really hurt me
Federico D'Onofrio
100 times better than the original...
Maria Fernanda Rios
Totally agree
Jazzy JediKnight
@Ambynt for real. Honestly both are awesome in their own way. I'm glad I can play this one on guitar 🙂
Jennifer Young
1,000% agreed
Manuel Barbosa
THANK YOU
Quentin
Not really agree
Jasmine Williams
I thought the original version was pretty but this is just gorgeous....this one feels more relatable and emotional than the original
Haley Wright
@darren peaker i totally agree with both of you! I love this version!
darren peaker
absolutely !!! has much more feeling and emotion :)
Ben Neale
You can really hear how good Rhianna's voice is on this version.. Singers like her and Pink etc often have their voice hidden amongst the beat and effects of their songs. Strip it down and they sound like this :-)