Coldplay: The Band That Borrowed Its Name and Wrote “Yellow” Under the Stars
Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland met at University College London in 1996. They first called themselves Pectoralz, then, with bassist Guy Berryman, Starfish.
The name Coldplay was not even theirs. A university friend, Tim Crompton, who was putting together a band of his own, had found a book of poems called Child’s Reflections: Cold Play and liked the title. His band quickly dropped it, and Martin’s band was happy to take it.
In 2000 the band was recording at Rockfield in Wales, and the session turned tense. Producer Ken Nelson sent them outside and suggested they look at the stars. By that evening Coldplay had written and recorded “Yellow,” the song that took them into the big league.
Parachutes (2000) won the Grammy for Best Alternative Music Album and the Brit Award for British Album of the Year. “Viva la Vida” became in 2008 the first single by a British act this century to lead the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK chart at the same time, and the album won the Grammy for Best Rock Album.
On 29 June 2024 they played Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage as headliners for the fifth time, a record that passed The Cure. They opened with “Yellow,” and Michael J. Fox joined them on stage. Chris Martin called it their favourite thing to do in the world.
Coldplay has its own station in the Exclusive collection of Kalisha. Open the radio and press play.
— Kalisha 🎧
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