New Coldplay - "Mylo Xyloto", Oct 24

[prbiker15]

Oh yeah the dude is a pretty terrible lyricist. Even on Viva La Vida the lyrics aren't very memorable (save for a few I love, Strawberry Swing in particular )

I've never honestly paid attention to the lyrics (and never do when I sing the songs to myself) but I think the lyrics of Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall are kinda crap, though catchy. "IT WAS A WA WA WA WA WATERFALL"

I seem to love Violet Hill's lyrics, on the other hand.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

I will say I've always liked the compound rhyme and delivery of "violet hill" and "silent still" at the end of the song.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Oh yeah the dude is a pretty terrible lyricist. Even on Viva La Vida the lyrics aren't very memorable (save for a few I love, Strawberry Swing in particular )

I think Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends has pretty memorable lyrics for some songs.

Lost! has great lyrics. Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love also has good lyrics. I mean, for the most part the lyrics on the album aren't necessarily a strong point, but they're not really weak, either.

 

[cobl04]

I love Lost, absolutely love it. But the lyrics aren't anything remotely special. They're pretty ordinary. And Lovers in Japan (again, love it) is not much different. During one of the verses he runs out of lyrics and substitutes them for oh ohs, which has annoyed me since I first heard it.

 

[bono_212]

There's a reason why "Life In Technicolor" may be my favorite Coldplay song and "Life In Technicolor II" one of my least favorites.

 

[cobl04]

sums it up well

 

[LuckyNumber7]

Heh, I agree, Life in Technicolor is amazing. II, not so much.

However, I don't think that Lost! and Lovers necessarily are 'nothing special'. Certainly with the former, I understand that song pretty strongly. I'm in love with the lyrics.

 

[LemonMelon]

All I remember about Lovers In Japan's lyrics is that stupid line about soldiers soldiering on making me want to punch Chris Martin in the dick, assuming he has one.

 

[bono_212]

I went to go read the lyrics, because I really do love that song, and assumed the lyrics couldn't be as bad as you were all making them out to be and...yeah...: shudder:

 

[nielsgov]

Is their such a thing as a Coldplay song with good, meaningful lyrics?

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Sure there is.

It's just not exactly Martin's strong point.

 

[nielsgov]

I know that. I certainly don't listen to Coldplay for the lyrics. I ignore them most of the time. I don't even know what Martin is singing about in most songs. I was just wondering if there is a Coldplay song where the lyrics stand out.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

His lyrics are riddled with cliches and broad, sweeping statements, but...

Well, actually, I don't have an ending to that sentence. I just wanted to say the first part.

 

[u2popmofo]

I know that. I certainly don't listen to Coldplay for the lyrics. I ignore them most of the time. I don't even know what Martin is singing about in most songs. I was just wondering if there is a Coldplay song where the lyrics stand out.

His lyrics are riddled with cliches and broad, sweeping statements, but...

Well, actually, I don't have an ending to that sentence. I just wanted to say the first part.

Coldplay's copying U2 yet again!!111!!!1!!!1!!!!!

 

[Catman]

hehheh, that was a good one

 

[LemonMelon]

Coldplay's copying U2 yet again!!111!!!1!!!1!!!!!

I don't see the similarity at all..

U2 songs where the lyrics stand out:

Out of Control
Tomorrow
October
Like A Song
Drowning Man
A Sort of Homecoming
Bad
Streets
I Still Haven't Found
With Or Without You
Running To Stand Still
One Tree Hill
Mothers of the Disappeared
Hawkmoon 269
Heartland
All I Want Is You
One
Until The End of the World
So Cruel
The Fly
Acrobat
Love Is Blindness
Zooropa
Lemon
Stay
The First Time
Dirty Day
The Wanderer
Mofo
If God Will Send His Angels
Gone
Please
Wake Up Dead Man
Kite
When I Look At The World
One Step Closer
Moment of Surrender
Cedars of Lebanon

Coldplay songs where the lyrics stand out:

TBD

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

You wouldn't say the lyrics to Red Hill Mining Town stand out?

I love that shit.

 

[LemonMelon]

Oh yeah, me too. I really screwed over the early albums as well, to be honest.

Underlines my point.

 

[PhilsFan]

"The sun so bright it leaves no shadows, only scars" is a great lyric.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

You've got a few songs on there that many other non-U2 fans would question. You've got an internal bias. Your ears are way more open to dissecting every single U2 song. Not so much on Coldplay.

Not trying to say that Chris Martin is this amazing lyricist, but you're cutting him no slack and then trying to credit Bono for songs where he does use similar cliches and metaphors and the sort. I mean, it's still not even remotely close in my eyes, too. But I'm not going to just disregard Chris Martin's work. It's in many ways similar to Bono's writing at points.

 

[bono_212]

Care to back that statement up with...facts?

 

[LemonMelon]

Well, that's great that Chrissy can write like Bono. After a decade of U2 fandom and lyric dissection, I could probably mimic him also. But that's what separates an inspired writer and a functional writer: Bono inserts observations that imply experience and a personal touch, whereas Chrissy's more general/sweeping observations don't communicate that. Anyone can connect with the latter, but can you truly feel what's being sung? A good frontman can pull it off. Bono doesn't have to.

I've been listening to Coldplay for only a couple years less than I have U2, about 8 or 9 by now, and I've never heard anything that makes the two writers worth comparing. It's not like I've ignored their presence all this time.

 

[PhilsFan]

You've got a few songs on there that many other non-U2 fans would question. You've got an internal bias. Your ears are way more open to dissecting every single U2 song. Not so much on Coldplay.

Not trying to say that Chris Martin is this amazing lyricist, but you're cutting him no slack and then trying to credit Bono for songs where he does use similar cliches and metaphors and the sort. I mean, it's still not even remotely close in my eyes, too. But I'm not going to just disregard Chris Martin's work. It's in many ways similar to Bono's writing at points.

I'm as likely as anyone to rip Bono for cliched lyrics. But Bono's a way better lyricist than Martin, and it's not even close.

2000s Bono and Martin are more comparable, but Bono has 20 years operating on a level Martin hasn't shown he is capable of operating on.

 

[LemonMelon]

If I tried to dissect a Coldplay song, it would start crying.

 

[cobl04]

They are incomparable, Bono and CMart. One of the many reasons I really hate the U2/CPlay comparisons.

 

[LuckyNumber7]

I'm as likely as anyone to rip Bono for cliched lyrics. But Bono's a way better lyricist than Martin, and it's not even close.

2000s Bono and Martin are more comparable, but Bono has 20 years operating on a level Martin hasn't shown he is capable of operating on.

As I noted in my post... I too think that it's not on the same level. Like I said, it's really not close. I'm just saying that it's not a reason to discredit Chris Martin because Bono is a good writer. And it's certainly not smart to discredit Chris Martin for cliches and metaphors and then praise Bono's writing when he does the exact same thing (on a greater level).

Care to back that statement up with...facts?

What are 'facts' in a highly subjective topic?

 

[bono_212]

My point.

 

[PhilsFan]

I think the main reason for people discrediting Martin is because he's never done anything that made you say, "Hey, that was impressive." Not because of cliches or something else. Every writer uses cliches at some point; they're unavoidable.

 

[cobl04]

Yeah I can't think of a Coldplay song whose lyrics have blown me away. Plenty that I really, really like (Don't Panic, Trouble, Yellow, Spies, Sparks, The Scientist, Strawberry Swing, others) but certainly none that floor me.

 

[zooropop40]

it seems on this forum no one can ever bring up Coldplay, a band that is NOT U2, without reverting to comparisons and jabs.

Look, we probably all agree, U2 are better than Coldplay and influenced them a lot.... now that that is out of the way, why not get back to discussing Coldplay here and U2 on every other section?