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)

U.F.O.
Coldplay Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Lord I don't know which way I am going
Which way, the river gonna flow
It's just seems that upstream, I keep rolling
Still got such a long way to go
Still got such a long way to go

Then at last, it's your right, I know, I swear
We'll find somewhere the streets are paved with gold

But it's fly, split the sky

But that's all right, sometimes
The sunlight comes streaming through the holes

Overall Meaning

In these poetic lyrics to the song U.F.O., Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin sings about uncertainty and the search for direction. The opening lines express a feeling of being lost and not knowing which direction to take - "Lord I don't know which way I am going / Which way, the river gonna flow." The sense of being carried along by the current is expressed in the simile "It's just seems that upstream, I keep rolling." There is a sense of distance to go and the feeling that one is far from arriving at their destination- "Still got such a long way to go."

Yet Martin holds onto hope, promising "We'll find somewhere the streets are paved with gold." This hope and determination to keep going despite the uncertainty is further emphasized by the repetition of "Still got such a long way to go." In the next stanza, the UFO imagery is introduced with the line "But it's fly, split the sky." The UFO can be seen as a metaphor for something unknown and mysterious, representing the unknown journey ahead. The final line, "The sunlight comes streaming through the holes," brings a sense of light and hope to a potentially bleak situation, suggesting that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Overall, this song speaks to the universal experience of feeling lost and uncertain in life, and the determination to keep going despite these challenges.

Line by Line Meaning

Lord I don't know which way I am going
I feel lost and uncertain about my direction in life.

Which way, the river gonna flow
I'm not sure what the future holds or what course my life will take.

It's just seems that upstream, I keep rolling
Despite my uncertainties, I keep pushing forward and facing challenges head-on.

Still got such a long way to go
I know that I have a lot of progress to make and obstacles to overcome.

Then at last, it's your right, I know, I swear
I believe that eventually, things will work out and I'll find my way.

We'll find somewhere the streets are paved with gold
I hope to find a place where all my dreams come true and everything falls into place.

But it's fly, split the sky
Even though there will be challenges and obstacles, I'm ready and willing to face them head-on.

But that's all right, sometimes
I understand that not everything can go perfectly and that setbacks and letdowns are a part of life.

The sunlight comes streaming through the holes
Even in times of darkness and difficulty, there is always hope and possibility for brighter days ahead.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: Brian Peter George Eno, Guy Berryman, Jonathan Mark Buckland, William Champion, Christopher Anthony John Martin, Guy Rupert Berryman

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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