Parachutes

In terms of Coldplay's history, the big bang happened around 1997. Assembled at the University College of London; Chris, Will, Guy and Jon soon came to realise that they all shared a similar

passion for music. Coming from very different regions, it was indeed this institution in the capital, which made the magic happen. Chris being from Whitestone, Devon; Guy from Scotland; Will from Southampton and Jon from North Wales; London offered a chance to wipe the slate clean and to fulfil their ambitions. What entailed was something quite amazing. Starting simply by jamming in the corridors of Ramsey Hall, it was not long before they realised that together they could make music as if they had been doing so since the 'real' beginning of time.

May 1998 saw their debut release; the self-financed 'Safety' EP. Originally intended as a demo for record companies, explanations behind such a title lie behind the artwork for the EP sleeve. Taken by Jon Hilton, a friend of the band, at one of their earlier gigs, the long exposure photo sees Chris' head framed beneath the 'Safety Door' sign. Simple then; like the origins of the word 'Coldplay' (a disused band name of a friend of the theirs, which seemed to fit their purpose)

With the EP recorded, they had to raise money to obtain their limited 500 copies. Most copies were given out to unimpressed record companies, or to friends and family, with only 50 copies available on sale. Eventually, the EP reached the hands of BMG Publishing and Parlophone, the latter of whom Coldplay has been signed to since the summer of 1999.

December 1998 they played the Camden Falcon, London to a crowd of about 150 people. This was a significant gig, as Simon Williams (co-founder of Fierce Panda records and ex-journalist) was there and was indeed stunned. The band was then featured in the New Year's edition of NME, hotly tipped for 1999 despite still being unsigned.

Their next release came in April 1999. On the Fierce Panda label, the single 'Brothers And Sisters' was again limited in number of copies - this time to 2500. The single soon became known to Steve Lamacq, who gave it airplay on his Radio 1 'Evening Session.' This meant that 'Brothers And

Over the summer of 1999, Coldplay played a London show with Catatonia, made their record deal with Parlophone, and played on the new bands stage at Glastonbury. This put the band in good stead and added to their confidence, soon feeling ready to start work on their debut album.

Parlophone felt eager for them to release some more material, the result being the 'Blue Room' EP, released in October 1999 with 5000 copies. 'Bigger, Stronger' featured once more on the EP,

After more recording, Parlophone were anxious to release 'Shiver' as a single. The b-side 'For You' was made in just one evening, proving that the band were able to work well under pressure. The other b-side was an acoustic version of 'Careful Where You Stand.' This time around, Coldplay were called to the attentions of many more people, following much airplay on MTV and on various radio stations. Released on the 6th March 2000, 'Shiver' hit the Official UK Charts at no. 35.

Following this release, new Coldplay fans emerged, desperately wanting to see them live. Their co-headlining tour with Terris gave this opportunity, as did their support of Muse on their tour.

During their own tour as headliners, Coldplay played sell-out gigs and received more and more fans. Chris' homecoming gig at Exeter was particularly well received.

increased, picked up by all DJ's at Radio 1 and XFM, and played religiously by MTV. The Sunday following its release rendered many in shock and ecstasy, as 'Yellow' landed at no. 4 in the Official UK Charts, and TOTP were eager to have them appear on their Friday night show.

The airplay of 'Yellow' continued, and with the release date of the album looming, many DJ's and Music papers took to praising Coldplay and spreading the word. In the week before its release, 'Parachutes' received rave reviews from all, with NME, Melody Maker, Radio 1 and XFM among others, heralding it as the best album of the year. An appearance on the second stage at

With 'Parachutes' release on the 10th July 2000, Coldplay played a gig in HMV, London. This was extremely popular, with the store being choc-a block with people, many watching the gig over the net, and many listening, courtesy of XFM. It was thought that most who went to the gig bought the album, and consequently 'Parachutes' rocketed to number 1 in the Official UK Album Charts.

Having played a wet T in the Park festival in Scotland, Coldplay went on to play the MTV stage at V2000 on the 19th August at Staffordshire and the 20th August at Chelmsford, before embarking on their biggest tour to-date in October.

The album changed shape and sound on more than one occasion, as new tracks were added and others rejected. A rerecorded version of 'Don't Panic' appears along side the original blue room version of 'High Speed'.

'Careful Where You Stand', didn't make it, but new songs 'Yellow', 'Everything's Not Lost' and 'Trouble' , now popular live tracks, appeared during the recording, in time to make it onto the album.

It was also due to increasing popularity while on tour that the album was so successful, espescially a very important Glastonbury set.


	Coldplay - Life is for Living \| home Parachutes Sign My Guestbook View My Guestbook Vote for me in top coldplay sites FastCounter by bCentral Don’t Panic Oh, we're sinking like stones, All that we fought for, All those places we've grown, All of us are done for. We live in a beautiful world, Yeah we do, yeah we do, We live in a beautiful world, Oh, we're sinking like stones, All that we fought for, All those places we've gone, All of us are done for. We live in a beautiful world, Yeah we do, yeah we do, We live in a beautiful world. Oh, all that I know, There's nothing here to run from, And there, everybody here's got somebody to lean on. Shiver So I looked in your direction, But you paid me no attention, do you. I know you don't listen to me. 'cause you say you see straight through me, don't you. On and on from the moment I wake, To the moment I sleep, I'll be there by your side, Just you try and stop me, I'll be waiting in line, Just to see if you care. Did she want me to change? But I change for good. And I want you to know. But you always get your way, I wanted to say, (Chorus) Don't you Shiver? Shiver, Shiver I'll always be waiting for you, So you know how much I need ya, But you never even see me, do you? And this is my final chance of getting you. On and on from the moment I wake.... Did she want me to change?... (Chorus) Sing it loud and clear. I'll always be waiting for you. (x3) Yeah I'll always be waiting for you. And it's you I see, but you don't see me. And it's you I hear, so loud and clear. I sing it loud and clear. And I'll always be waiting for you,. So I look in your direction, But you pay me no attention, And you know how much I need you, But you never even seen me. Spies I awake to find no peace of mind, I said, how do you live as a fugitive? Down here where I cannot see so clear. I said, what do I know? Show me the right way to go, And the spies came out of the water, But you're feeling so bad cos you know, But the spies hide out in every corner, But you can't touch them though, Cos they're all spies, they're all spies. I awake to see that no one is free, We're all fugitives, Look at the way with it. Down here, I cannot sleep from fear no. I said, which way do I turn? I forget everything I learn, But the spies came out of the water, But you're feeling so bad cos you know, But the spies hide out in every corner, But you can't touch them though, Cos they're all spies, they're all spies. And if we don't buy here, They're going to find us, If we don't buy now, They're going to catch us where we see, And if we don't hide here, They're going to find us. Sparks Did I drive you away? I know what you’ll say, You say, “Oh, sing one we know,” But I promise you this, I’ll always look out for you, That’s what I’ll do. I say “oh,”, I say “oh.” My heart is yours, It’s you that I hold on to, That’s what I do, And I know I was wrong, But I won’t let you down, (Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah, yeah I will, yes I will…) I say “oh,” I cry “oh.” Yeah I saw sparks, Yeah I saw sparks, And I saw sparks, Yeah I saw sparks, Sing it out. La, la, la, la, oh… La, la, la, la, oh… La, la, la, la, oh… Yellow Look at the stars, Look how they shine for you, And everything you do, Yeah, they were all yellow. I came along, I wrote a song for you, And all the things you do, And it was called "Yellow." So then I took my turn, Oh what a thing to have done, And it was all "Yellow." Your skin Oh yeah, your skin and bones, Turn into something beautiful, You know, you know I love you so, You know I love you so. I swam across, I jumped across for you, Oh what a thing to do. Cos you were all "Yellow," I drew a line, I drew a line for you, Oh what a thing to do, And it was all "Yellow." Your skin, Oh yeah your skin and bones, Turn into something beautiful, And you know for you, I'd bleed myself dry for you, I'd bleed myself dry. It's true, look how they shine for you, Look how they shine for you, Look how they shine for, Look how they shine for you, Look how they shine for you, Look how they shine. Look at the stars, Look how they shine for you, And all the things that you do. Trouble Oh no, I see, I spun a web, it's tangled up with me, And I lost my head, The thought of all the stupid things I said, Oh no what's this? A spider web, and I'm caught in the middle, I turned to run, The thought of all the stupid things I've done, I never meant to cause you trouble, And I never meant to do you wrong, And I, well if I ever caused you trouble, O no, I never meant to do you harm. Oh no I see, A spider web and it's me in the middle, So I twist and turn, Here I am in love in a bubble, Singing, I never meant to cause you trouble, I never meant to do you wrong, And I, well if I ever caused you trouble, Although I never meant to do you harm. They spun a web for me, They spun a web for me, They spun a web for me. Parachutes In a haze, a stormy haze, I’ll be round I’ll be loving you always, always. Here I am and I’ll take my time Here I am and I’ll wait in line always Always. High Speed Can anybody fly this thing? Before my head explodes, Or my head starts to ring. We’ve been living life inside a bubble, We’ve been living life inside a bubble. Confidence in you, Is confidence in me, Is confidence in high speed. Can anybody stop this thing? Before my head explodes, Or my head starts to ring. We’ve been living life inside a bubble, We’ve been living life inside a bubble. Confidence in you, Is confidence in me, Is confidence in high speed. In high speed, High speed. High speed you on, High speed you on, High speed you on , High speed you on. We Never Change I wanna live life, never be cruel, I wanna live life, be good to you. I wanna fly, never come down, And live my life, And have friends around. We never change, do we? We never learn do we?, So I wanna live in a wooden house, I wanna live life, always be true, I wanna live life, and be good to you, I wanna fly, and never come down, And I live my life, and have friends around. We never changed do we? No, no, We never learned to bleed, So I wanna live in a wooden house, Making more friends would be easy. Oh I don't have a soul to save, Yes, and I sin every single day, We never change do we? We never learn do we?. So, I wanna live life in a wooden house, Making more friends would be easy, I wanna live where the sun comes out. Life is for living Now I never meant, To do you wrong, That’s what I came here to say. But if I was wrong, Then I’m sorry, I don’t let it stand in our way. As my head just aches, When I think of, The things that I shouldn’t have done. But, life is for living, We all know, And I don’t wanna live it alone. Sing, Ah, ah, oh, Sing, Ah, ah, oh, And just think, Ah, ah, oh. Everything's Not Lost If you ever feel neglected, If you ever think all is lost, I'll be counting up my demons, yeah, Hoping everything's not lost, Everything's not lost, When I'm counting up my demons. There's always one for everyday, With the good ones on my shoulder, I drove the other ones away. If you ever feel neglected, If you think all is lost, I'll be counting up my demons, yeah, Hoping everything's not lost. When you thought it was over, You could feel it all around, Everybody's out to get you, Don't you let it drag you down. Cos if you eve feel neglected, If you think that all is lost, I'll be counting all the demons, yeah. Singing out oh yeah Singing out oh yeah Singing out oh yeah Everything's not lost, Come on yeah, oh yeah, come on yeah, Everything's not lost, Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah Everything's not lost, Come on yeah, oh yeah, Come on yeah X2 Oh yeah, come on yeah, Everything's not lost Sing out yeah Come on yeah X2 Everything's not lost Come on yeah, oh yeah Sing out yeah Everything's not lost HISTORy In terms of Coldplay's history, the big bang happened around 1997. Assembled at the University College of London; Chris, Will, Guy and Jon soon came to realise that they all shared a similar passion for music. Coming from very different regions, it was indeed this institution in the capital, which made the magic happen. Chris being from Whitestone, Devon; Guy from Scotland; Will from Southampton and Jon from North Wales; London offered a chance to wipe the slate clean and to fulfil their ambitions. What entailed was something quite amazing. Starting simply by jamming in the corridors of Ramsey Hall, it was not long before they realised that together they could make music as if they had been doing so since the 'real' beginning of time. May 1998 saw their debut release; the self-financed 'Safety' EP. Originally intended as a demo for record companies, explanations behind such a title lie behind the artwork for the EP sleeve. Taken by Jon Hilton, a friend of the band, at one of their earlier gigs, the long exposure photo sees Chris' head framed beneath the 'Safety Door' sign. Simple then; like the origins of the word 'Coldplay' (a disused band name of a friend of the theirs, which seemed to fit their purpose) With the EP recorded, they had to raise money to obtain their limited 500 copies. Most copies were given out to unimpressed record companies, or to friends and family, with only 50 copies available on sale. Eventually, the EP reached the hands of BMG Publishing and Parlophone, the latter of whom Coldplay has been signed to since the summer of 1999. After this, the band took to gigging in the hope of finding themselves a record deal. On the 7th of December 1998 they played the Camden Falcon, London to a crowd of about 150 people. This was a significant gig, as Simon Williams (co-founder of Fierce Panda records and ex-journalist) was there and was indeed stunned. The band was then featured in the New Year's edition of NME, hotly tipped for 1999 despite still being unsigned. Their next release came in April 1999. On the Fierce Panda label, the single 'Brothers And Sisters' was again limited in number of copies - this time to 2500. The single soon became known to Steve Lamacq, who gave it airplay on his Radio 1 'Evening Session.' This meant that 'Brothers And Sisters' pierced the Official UK charts at no. 92 Over the summer of 1999, Coldplay played a London show with Catatonia, made their record deal with Parlophone, and played on the new bands stage at Glastonbury. This put the band in good stead and added to their confidence, soon feeling ready to start work on their debut album. After finishing recording, Coldplay were able to tour Britain with Bellatrix, as co-headliners. Parlophone felt eager for them to release some more material, the result being the 'Blue Room' EP, released in October 1999 with 5000 copies. 'Bigger, Stronger' featured once more on the EP, earning Coldplay good press and even more airplay on Radio 1. After more recording, Parlophone were anxious to release 'Shiver' as a single. The b-side 'For You' was made in just one evening, proving that the band were able to work well under pressure. The other b-side was an acoustic version of 'Careful Where You Stand.' This time around, Coldplay were called to the attentions of many more people, following much airplay on MTV and on various radio stations. Released on the 6th March 2000, 'Shiver' hit the Official UK Charts at no. 35. Following this release, new Coldplay fans emerged, desperately wanting to see them live. Their co-headlining tour with Terris gave this opportunity, as did their support of Muse on their tour. During their own tour as headliners, Coldplay played sell-out gigs and received more and more fans. Chris' homecoming gig at Exeter was particularly well received. Soon after came the release of 'Yellow' on the 26th of June. The airplay had this time greatly increased, picked up by all DJ's at Radio 1 and XFM, and played religiously by MTV. The Sunday following its release rendered many in shock and ecstasy, as 'Yellow' landed at no. 4 in the Official UK Charts, and TOTP were eager to have them appear on their Friday night show. The airplay of 'Yellow' continued, and with the release date of the album looming, many DJ's and Music papers took to praising Coldplay and spreading the word. In the week before its release, 'Parachutes' received rave reviews from all, with NME, Melody Maker, Radio 1 and XFM among others, heralding it as the best album of the year. An appearance on the second stage at Glastonbury also greatly boosted their success. With 'Parachutes' release on the 10th July 2000, Coldplay played a gig in HMV, London. This was extremely popular, with the store being choc-a block with people, many watching the gig over the net, and many listening, courtesy of XFM. It was thought that most who went to the gig bought the album, and consequently 'Parachutes' rocketed to number 1 in the Official UK Album Charts. Having played a wet T in the Park festival in Scotland, Coldplay went on to play the MTV stage at V2000 on the 19th August at Staffordshire and the 20th August at Chelmsford, before embarking on their biggest tour to-date in October. The future for Coldplay is blindingly bright. Track listing: Don't Panic Shiver Spies Sparks Yellow Trouble Parachutes High Speed (Produced: by Chris Allison Recorded: at Orinoco) We Never Change Everything's Not Lost Life Is For Living (bonus track) The album changed shape and sound on more than one occasion, as new tracks were added and others rejected. A rerecorded version of 'Don't Panic' appears along side the original blue room version of 'High Speed'. 'Careful Where You Stand', didn't make it, but new songs 'Yellow', 'Everything's Not Lost' and 'Trouble' , now popular live tracks, appeared during the recording, in time to make it onto the album. It was also due to increasing popularity while on tour that the album was so successful, espescially a very important Glastonbury set. The popularity of 'Yellow' also helped 'Parachutes' to reach number 1 spot. Coldplay rocketed to instant fame, they had gone from students to chart-toppers in less than two years. Review of 'Parachutes' featured in NME 04/07/00 by Siobhan Grogan Album review Lyrics Sign My Guestbook View My Guestbook