If you were trying to get a Coldplay ticket last week, you’ll know that the amount of love out there for this band is limitless. It’s all with good reason! Few bands have careers this eclectic, and the timelessness of their music makes it appeal to every generation. 20 years on from the release of their sophomore album A Rush of Blood To The Head, some of the band sat down with Zane Lowe to discuss.
A Rush of Blood To The Head was released in August 2002 when a lot of us were still teeny tots, but its influence is still clear today. Songs from the Coldplay album frequently trend on social media. We mean, if you’ve not heard ‘Clocks’ or ‘The Scientist’ on TikTok, you probably don’t have the app! The album’s impact is immense! We’re so glad they sat down with Zane Lowe to talk about it in detail.
The group‘s talented bassist Guy Berryman and impeccable drummer Will Champion had a lot of thoughts to share about the iconic album so we’re going to give you every detail. It’s rare for Coldplay to do retrospective interviews like this, so it’s the biggest treat to hear them talk about it!
‘Clocks’ Almost Didn’t Make It
We know! We’re as shocked as you are! Many of us will have grown up listening to this on car rides with our parents, all the way through our teens, and now into our adult lives. However, Will and their manager, while acknowledging it’s an incredible piece of music, didn’t think it was a hit. Speaking about it, Will joked about having to repent for not believing the song would do as well as it did!
Then someone else, our manager at the time, was saying, “if that’s a hit, I’ll eat my hat,” that kind of thing. And so it was both Will and I forced to eat many hats over that one, but it’s really an interesting kind of song and it’s almost like dance music in a way in that it takes a strong melodic rift that isn’t sung. It’s just an ear worm thing, which was treated very subtly and we didn’t over egg it, but it’s still a mystery for me, that song. I love it.
Will Champion on ‘Clocks’ for Zane Lowe
We love it too, Will, we really do!
They Immediately Knew ‘The Scientist’ Was A Forever Piece Of Their Setlist
From the second the band heard Chris Martin playing the demo for this song, they said it was a song they would play forever. It is in fact, still a mainstay in their setlist to this day. ‘The Scientist’ is a once-in-a-generation kind of song and new fans are still finding the band through it all the time. Guy Berryman recalled the first time they heard it:
Chris says, “I’ve got this song to play to you.” Just on the little upright piano, he just played and sang the whole song from beginning to end, and it was kind of finished. We were like, “Oh, wow. Okay. That’s really great.” I think we all felt a bit nervous because we were like, “Wow, this is so great. How can we add instrumentation to this?” So, as to just basically not kind of ruin it and ruin that feeling that we’d all just had from listening to that amazing song. Actually, I think we kind of just jumped on it straight away and pretty much recorded, came up with the parts, and pretty much recorded it that same evening. I always feel like those kind of songs, when you don’t have to overengineer it or overthink it, or try three or four different versions before you feel it’s right… I always get suspicious of those songs. It’s the ones that come along, and you can fall in love with it or get it immediately and record it within a few hours.
Guy Berryman on ‘The Scientist’ for Zane Lowe
We, personally, will never get tired of ‘The Scientist’ either. There is something about it that wraps around your soul and stays there. It’s at once heartbreaking and beautiful and comforting in a way that’s inexplicable. It’s hard to find a piece of music that touches millions of people, in a million different ways, but Coldplay did that. Even the music video is entirely gut-wrenching but beautiful. Coldplay are truly geniuses of our time!
Past, Present, And Future
During the Zane Lowe interview, Will and Guy also spoke about the overarching themes running through their music. One thing that has always been true about Coldplay is that they appeal to human connectivity. Whether it’s love, loss, or the little things in life, they always write about the human reaction and emotional responses to it all. The search for peace and happiness is the driving force in most people and a universal experience, which is why so many people adore this band.
You can find more in-depth answers and so many more interesting discussions on Apple Music Hits right now! Zane Lowe is an incredible and empathetic interviewer and we always love his artist interviews. So go, go, go – what are you waiting for?
What’s your personal favorite track from A Rush of Blood To The Head? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @TheHoneyPop! We’re also on Facebook and Instagram, so come and say hello there too!
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