Why Do We Hate Coldplay?

I love Coldplay, and I’ve seen them live 5 times. But despite their talent and popularity, people love to hate on them. Is it their sad songs? Is it their style? Why do we hate Coldplay?

People who hate Coldplay claim that all their songs sound the same, with many being slow and sad with lyrics that are too emotional and sensitive. And many people see them as the aural equivalent of a “chick flick”.

Yet others see them as the antithesis of rock music with very little rock and roll in their sound and style.

But somehow, in their career spanning over 20 years, the foursome group has fairly composed over 160 songs. They have won nine Brit Awards, seven MTV Video Music Awards, eight MTV Europe Music Awards, and seven Grammy Awards.

And yet Coldplay’s name comes to mind first whenever someone thinks about massively successful but hated bands.

It’s not as if I have been an ardent follower of the band. But curiosity gets the better of me. So I attempted to find out why the so-called rock band fails to rock the minds of some of the so many music lovers.

After all, it’s not like they’re Nickelback, right?

Why is Coldplay so popular?

Coldplay is popular as their often somber, soul-stirring songs connect with fans on a deep emotional level. In concert, despite playing huge arenas, they find ways to make their performances feel intimate and personal.

And yet, whenever the name ‘Coldplay’ is uttered, it appears to elicit some kind of emotion similar to hearing a much lover talk about Creed, Smashmouth, or Nickelback.

The band’s hard work precedes their popularity.

A fan once said: “Their music has a miraculous power to bombard stress and enjoy the spices of life.” And they always have liked the changes that occur in music and adapt themselves to it without forgetting their primary genre.

One of their recent biggest hits, Everyday Life, received positive reviews from music critics.

They praised its experimental alt-rock direction and varied song styles compared to their old roots with albums like Parachutes and Viva la Vida.

And then seeing them in concert takes their sound and style to a whole new level.

Back and forth between the main stage and a mini-stage in the middle of the floor, the band went through basically a pop radio playlist of the last twenty-five years.

They have such a varied sound and honestly rock a lot harder in concert compared to their records. So, it’s not a big surprise that despite criticism, they are loved by all types of music lovers.

Why is Coldplay so sad?

Coldplay often writes songs based on singer Chris Martin’s experiences, and his marriage and breakup to actress Gwyneth Paltrow have been a huge influence in many of the band’s songs and albums.

Coldplay’s Chris Martin writes many of the band’s songs, particularly the lyrics and vocal melodies.

Chris has shared publicly about the dark days after his breakup with his wife, Gwyneth Paltrow. He mentions even his songs reflected his pain and suffering.

Things got so bad for Martin that even his bandmates worried about the worst-case scenario, but Martin did not lose it.

They made a solid comeback with the album Ghost Stories.

Their manager Phil Harvey said: When he was at his ­absolute lowest, that’s when we started making Ghost Stories.” (their 2014 album)

The bandmates wanted Chris to heal through his music, which happened in his songs.

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin was known in the band’s earlier days for his melancholic melodies about painful experiences.

As the band has evolved, so has its music, but one sad note remains: Rock music is “done,” according to Martin.

Rock music might’ve been done for many music snobs, but I think Coldplay has somehow managed to keep it going even if their sound isn’t a traditional “rock” sound.

Why do all Coldplay songs sound the same?

Coldplay songs can often be slow and sad with a prominent piano part from singer Chris Martin. As a result, all Coldplay songs can “sound” the same to non-fans, especially songs from their 1st 3 albums. However, each album sounds different from one another and has grown more varied over the years.

Coldplay songs do have catchy riffs and great lyrics.

It’s just that in their songs, the sadness seems to stand out more than anything else. This has led to them having a sound of their own that can be recognized almost instantly.

Of course, this is not true for all bands, but bands that have persisted longer than, say, ten years tend to have a signature sound.

What makes a lot of songs “unique” is something that stands out.

Usually, a song sticks to your head because of something unique like guitar/piano riff, lyrics, beats, vocal sound, etc. So they have a signature sound. But what about the banana?

During an interview with Howard Stern, Martin said that his dislike of “Speed of Sound” stems from the fact that he “forgot the banana lyric” for the song.

Martin stated: “A banana lyric is a staple in every song we’ve made, and somehow I forgot to write one for Speed of Sound.”

Is Coldplay good live?

Coldplay is fantastic live. As good as their recordings are, Coldplay’s live performances take the sound, style, and energy to a whole new level, delivering a performance that is highly visual, high-energy, and very intimate, despite playing huge venues.

Their concert is packed with the hooting audience, and the show starts and ends with fireworks, which lights up the concert night.

That’s why their tours have record-breaking sales.

Chris Martin exerts a lot of energy into the concerts by yelling and asking the crowd to sing and dance. And he often jumps into the crowd to sing.

Occasionally, all of the band will do a mini-acoustic set somewhere in the middle of the crowd.

There is a lot of interaction between the band and fans. After the concert, fans are left speechless, wishing they could relive that experience.

The lights, colors, and the singing crowd injects a lot of positive energy, and the band’s motivational words fill enthusiasm in the crowd.

And the experience seems mesmerizing.

Even with a crowd of about 70,000 concertgoers, the band has its way of making it a personalized experience for everyone.

Labeled by many fans as their “Best set ever”, Coldplay’s performance from the iconic Pyramid stage in Glastonbury in 2016 included top hits such as Fix You, Paradise, and Yellow, as well as an appearance from the Bee Gees’ Barry Gibb.

Is Coldplay the biggest band in the world?

Coldplay is one of the biggest rock bands in the world, having sold more than 100 million records, having 24 Top 40 hits, and well over 5 million people attending their last tour, which generated over 5 million dollars.

The band with the most headlines at Glastonbury, many Grammys, 2 for song of the year (“Clocks” and “Viva La Vida”), MTV awards, and many nominations:

They are the biggest band of the 2000s; a decade in which they were on fire.

A report from Forbes said, before Coldplay began promoting their new album, Everyday Life (which arrived on November 22, 2019), they still ranked among the most successful rock bands when it came to top 10 hits on the Hot Rock Songs ranking.

The band is considered one of the most influential bands of the era, sampled hundreds of times and inspired by a sound that many bands have tried to emulate.

The problem is they have never been cool, so you can’t expect to see nice things being written about them on the Internet.

Conclusion

The band has faced a lot of hatred since they started.

They were routinely criticized and targeted by critics, “cool” kids, and music snobs as wimpy for their earnestness and sensitivity.

But Coldplay stayed in the headlines no matter what, and their fan base has only grown over their many years together.

Even the saddest of days made out the way through the best of albums like Ghost Stories.

They may face a lot of internet criticism, but they have loving fans too. And if you’re not convinced, go see them in concert, or at least watch a Coldplay concert on a large TV.

Then, and only then, can you really begin to grasp their full appeal.


Photo which requires attribution:

Austin City Limits, ColdPlay by Robert Scoble is licensed under CC2.0 and was cropped with a text overlay added

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