British

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band Coldplay have recorded over 178 songs throughout their career. They were formed in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

by Chris Martin (lead vocals, piano),

Jonny Buckland Jonathan Mark Buckland (born 11 September 1977) is an English-born Welsh musician and songwriter best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Raised in Pantymwyn, he began to play guitar from an early age, being in ...

(guitar),

Guy Berryman Guy Rupert Berryman (born 12 April 1978) is a Scottish musician, songwriter and producer, best known as the bassist of the rock band Coldplay and electronic supergroup Apparatjik. Raised in Kirkcaldy, he began to play bass from an early age, ...

(bass guitar), Will Champion (drums, percussion) and

Phil Harvey Phil Harvey (April 25, 1938 – December 2, 2021) was an American entrepreneur, philanthropist and Libertarianism, libertarian who set up large-scale programs that delivered subsidized contraceptives in poor countries. Harvey was the founder an ...

(creative direction). With exception of the latter, all members are equally credited as songwriters of each track. They explored many music styles as the years went by, developing a sound that is considered

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...

, alternative pop,

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

post-Britpop Post-Britpop is an alternative rock subgenre and is the period in the late 1990s and early 2000s, following Britpop, when the media were identifying a "new generation" or "second wave" of guitar bands influenced by acts like Oasis and Blur, but ...

soft rock Soft rock is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in Southern California and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, melodic songs with big, lush productions. S ...

, and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

. The band released two

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

s in the late 1990s, ''

Safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

'' (1998) and '' The Blue Room'' (1999), with both having characteristics of

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...

that settled them apart from future releases. Their debut album, '' Parachutes'', was then released in July 2000. Berryman described it as "a quiet, polite record", with Scottish band Travis and American singer

Jeff Buckley Jeffrey Scott Buckley (November 17, 1966 – May 29, 1997), raised as Scott Moorhead, was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. After a decade as a session guitarist in Los Angeles, Buckley amassed a following in the early 1990s by ...

serving as primary influences. It drew comparisons to

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment'ksar''with its surrounding feeding source, the palm grove, within a relational and circulatory nomadic system.” The location of oases has been of critical imp ...

and

Radiohead Radiohead are an English rock band formed in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, in 1985. The band consists of Thom Yorke (vocals, guitar, piano, keyboards); brothers Jonny Greenwood (lead guitar, keyboards, other instruments) and Colin Greenwood (bass) ...

as well, showing Coldplay's alternative rock side with moody, atmospheric songs (" Don't Panic", "

Shiver Shivering (also called shuddering) is a bodily function in response to cold and extreme fear in warm-blooded animals. When the core body temperature drops, the shivering reflex is triggered to maintain homeostasis. Skeletal muscles begin to s ...

" and "

Yellow Yellow is the color between green and orange on the spectrum of light. It is evoked by light with a dominant wavelength of roughly 575585 nm. It is a primary color in subtractive color systems, used in painting or color printing. In the R ...

"). Two years later, '' A Rush of Blood to the Head'' (2002) was made available, being noted for having more guitar-driven (" God Put a Smile upon Your Face", "A Whisper") and piano-driven (" Clocks", " The Scientist") tracks than its predecessor. Meanwhile, '' X&Y'' (2005) kept the same style, but with the addition of electronic influences and extensive use of

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

s, having a grander scale in terms of both sound and existential themes. Lyrics on the record have also been considered to be "ruminations on Martin's doubts, fears, hopes, and loves". Their fourth album '' Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends'' (2008), on the other hand, featured production by

Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...

and saw Coldplay attempting to diversify their style and explore new territory. They experimented with many instruments, including electric violins, tack pianos, santoors and

orchestra An orchestra (; ) is a large instrumental ensemble typical of classical music, which combines instruments from different families. There are typically four main sections of instruments: * bowed string instruments, such as the violin, viola, c ...

s. Lyrically, the record had themes of life, love, death, loneliness, war and politics, being more universal than previous material. Its companion piece, '' Prospekt's March'', featured "

Lost+ Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

" a new version of "

Lost! "Lost!" is a song by the British Rock music, rock band Coldplay. It was co-produced with Brian Eno and Markus Dravs for the band's fourth album, ''Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends''. The song was released on 10 November 2008 as the t ...

" with vocals from

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...

. In 2011, they released ''

Mylo Xyloto ''Mylo Xyloto'' (pronounced ) is the fifth studio album by British rock band Coldplay, released on 24 October 2011. The band worked closely with producer Brian Eno following their successful collaboration on ''Viva la Vida or Death and All His ...

'', a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

that follows the story of two characters in the style of a rock opera. It expanded their sound by including more upbeat tones for the first time and having a

style with "modern, urban and dance" melodies such as "

Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" is a song by British rock band Coldplay, it was released as the lead single for their fifth studio album ''Mylo Xyloto'' on 3 June 2011. An exclusive digital EP version of it, with the B-sides "Major Minus" and "M ...

", "

Paradise In religion, paradise is a place of exceptional happiness and delight. Paradisiacal notions are often laden with pastoral imagery, and may be cosmogonical or eschatological or both, often compared to the miseries of human civilization: in paradis ...

" and " Princess of China", which featured vocals by

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to the ...

. ''

Ghost Stories A ghost story is any piece of fiction, or drama, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them."Ghost Stories" in Margaret Drabble (ed.), ''Oxford Companion to English Literature''. ...

'' (2014), marked a return to the melancholic, somber and stripped-down style of ''Parachutes'', although now incorporating

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

, R&B,

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a subgenre of new wave music that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s ...

and

ambient Ambient or Ambiance or Ambience may refer to: Music and sound * Ambience (sound recording), also known as atmospheres or backgrounds * Ambient music, a genre of music that puts an emphasis on tone and atmosphere * ''Ambient'' (album), by Moby * ...

influences. Martin described it as a "journey of learning about unconditional love" after his

divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

with

Gwyneth Paltrow Gwyneth Kate Paltrow (; born ) is an American actress and businesswoman. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Paltrow gained notice for her early work in films ...

. It featured contributions from Swedish producer

Avicii Tim Bergling (; 8 September 1989 – 20 April 2018), known professionally as Avicii (, ), was a Swedish DJ, remixer and music producer. At the age of 16, Bergling began posting his remixes on electronic music forums, which led to his first rec ...

A Sky Full of Stars "A Sky Full of Stars" is a song by the British rock music, rock band Coldplay. It was released in May 2014 as the second single from their sixth album, ''Ghost Stories (Coldplay album), Ghost Stories'' (2014). An exclusive digital Extended play ...

") and longtime collaborator Jon Hopkins ("

Midnight Midnight is the transition time from one day to the next – the moment when the date changes, on the local official clock time for any particular jurisdiction. By clock time, midnight is the opposite of noon, differing from it by 12 hours. ...

"). A year later, ''

A Head Full of Dreams ''A Head Full of Dreams'' is the seventh studio album by British rock band Coldplay, released on 4 December 2015, by Parlophone in the United Kingdom, and by Atlantic Records in the United States. Coldplay recorded the album from early to mid 20 ...

'' counted with production from

Stargate ''Stargate'' (often stylized in all caps) is a military science fiction media franchise based on the Stargate (film), film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The franchise is based on the idea of an alien E ...

and lyrical themes of unity, dreaming, forgiveness, healing and thankfulness. Guest appearances included

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...

Hymn for the Weekend "Hymn for the Weekend" is a single by the British rock band Coldplay from their seventh studio album ''A Head Full of Dreams'' (2015), featuring uncredited vocals from American singer Beyoncé. It was written by the band's members (Guy Berryman ...

", " Up&Up") and Tove Lo ("

Fun Fun is defined by the ''Oxford English Dictionary'' as "Light-hearted pleasure, enjoyment, or amusement; boisterous joviality or merrymaking; entertainment". Etymology and usage The word ''fun'' is associated with sports, entertaining medi ...

"). In 2019, Coldplay released ''

Everyday Life Everyday life, daily life or routine life comprises the ways in which people typically act, think, and feel on a daily basis. Everyday life may be described as mundane, routine, natural, habitual, or normal. Human diurnality means most peop ...

'', which featured Stromae and Femi Kuti on "

Arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foli ...

". It was described as their most experimental album to date, encompassing previous influences while also dabbling in

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

and classical music. This multi-style approach was kept for '' Music of the Spheres'' (2021) but leaned more towards pop sounds, since the production was handled Max Martin, while Selena Gomez ("

Let Somebody Go "Let Somebody Go" is a song by British rock band Coldplay and American singer Selena Gomez, recorded for the band's ninth studio album, ''Music of the Spheres''. The song was produced by Max Martin, Oscar Holter, Rik Simpson, Daniel Green, and Bil ...

") and

BTS BTS (), also known as the Bangtan Boys, is a South Korean boy band formed in 2010 and debuting in 2013 under Big Hit Entertainment. The septet—consisting of members Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook—co-writes and co-produ ...

(" My Universe") were among the guest appearances. Aside from studio albums, the band recorded numerous extended plays; participated in film soundtracks and tribute albums; and had many

unreleased songs Unreleased may refer to: * ''Unreleased'' (Andre Nickatina album), 2001 * ''Unreleased'' (No-Big-Silence album), 2003 *''Unreleased (1998–2010)'', an album by Powderfinger, 2020 *''Groupees Unreleased EP'', or ''Unreleased'', by Celldweller, 201 ...

being leaked or performed at concerts as well.