Songs That Are Turning 20 In 2022

May 2024 ยท 2 minute read

While Coldplay had made some press with the song "Yellow" off their debut album, it wasn't until "Clocks" off of their second album, "A Rush of Blood to the Head," that put them on a trajectory toward becoming one of the biggest bands to this day. According to The Independent, the song was inspired by the riff-heavy sound of Muse and its pulsing, cyclical hook suggested the uneasy passage of time. The band loved frontman Chris Martin's idea for a tune. And good thing they did, as the song took them straight to the top, reaching No. 1 on the Adult Alternative chart (via Billboard).

The song was, in fact, the last addition to the album, one that they had originally grouped in with their projected third album, "Songs for #3." Yet, by the time they were ready to turn in their second record, they were not satisfied, so their label let them delay the release. They worked on what became "Clocks" and it was the "the grit in the oyster" (via The Independent). In a write-up for MTV, Jon Wiederhorn states, "In the lyrics to 'Clocks,' Martin seems to address the helplessness of being in a dysfunctional relationship he doesn't necessarily want to escape." The cyclical melodies, under this reading, feel more suffocating than perhaps moving or beautiful, adding a hint of heaviness to the song.

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