"Clocks" is a song by the Britishrock bandColdplay. It was released on 17 March 2003 byParlophone in the United Kingdom. It was written and composed as a collaboration among all the members of the band for their second album,A Rush of Blood to the Head. The song is built around a pianoriff, and features cryptic lyrics concerning themes of contrast and urgency. Several remixes of the track exist, and its riff has been widelysampled.
The record was initially released in the United States as the album's secondsingle on 11 November 2002, reaching number 29 on theBillboard Hot 100 and number nine on theBillboardModern Rock Tracks chart. It was then released in the United Kingdom on 17 March 2003 as the third single fromA Rush of Blood to the Head, reaching number nine on theUK Singles Chart.Music critics praised the song's piano melody, and it went on to winRecord of the Year at the2004 Grammy Awards.
"Clocks" is considered to be one of Coldplay'ssignature songs, and is often ranked among the greatest songs of the 2000s and of all time. In 2010, the single was placed at 490th onRolling Stone's "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list. In 2011,NME placed it amongst the "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".
"Clocks" was written and composed during the late stages of production ofColdplay's second album,A Rush of Blood to the Head. Ariff popped intoChris Martin's mind late one night inLiverpool when he came into the studio, where he then developed it on piano. According to singer Chris Martin, "Clocks" was inspired by the Englishrock bandMuse.[1] Martin presented the riff to the band's guitarist,Jonny Buckland, who then added a layer ofguitar chords to the basic track:[2] "He picked up his guitar [a sure sign that he likes a song] and played these brilliant chords ... It was like a chemical reaction process."[3]
Before writing and composing "Clocks", the band had already written ten songs for the album.[2] However, becauseA Rush of Blood to the Head was nearing completion, they thought it was too late to include the new song on it.[3] Hence, they recorded ademo and saved it with other unfinished tracks, labelling it "Songs for #3"; the band intended these tracks for what would be their third album (which would eventually become the 2005 albumX&Y).[2]
By June 2002, Coldplay were ready to present the new album to their record labelParlophone. However, Martin felt it was "rubbish" and that the band were far from being completely satisfied with the album, so the release was ultimately delayed.[3] After a headlining tour, Coldplay went on working on their third album.Phil Harvey, the band's manager and a friend of Martin, heard it and pressed him to rework "Clocks" immediately. Harvey pointed out that, with its lyrics that speak of urgency, its meaning contradicted Martin's idea of stashing the track.[2][3] The singer further developed the song while the other band members supplemented his work with their ideas based on the main piano track, adding the guitars,bass and drums. After "Clocks" was finished, Harvey came up with the track's outro, but since he could not play guitar, he whistled the melody to guitarist Jonny Buckland.[4] Coldplay recorded the song very quickly because the schedule ofA Rush of Blood to the Head had already been delayed;[1] the album was released two months later.[3]
The themes of the lyrics include contrast, contradictions and urgency.[3] According to Jon Wiederhon ofMTV News, "Martin seems to address the helplessness of being in a dysfunctional relationship he doesn't necessarily want to escape."[2] The lyrics are cryptic; the ending lines of the second verse emphasise contradicting emotion: "Come out upon my seas/Cursed missed opportunities/Am I a part of the cure/Or am I part of the disease?"[2] The song's title also "metaphorically alludes" to its lyrics, "pushing one to wonder about the world's obsession with time while connecting it to the theory: make the best of it when we’re here, present and alive."[9]
The song is written in the key of E♭Mixolydian and a main chord progression of E♭–B♭m–Fm.[10][11] E♭ Mixolydian is the fifthmode ofA♭ major leading to some transcriptions using this key.
Coldplay released "Clocks" in the United Kingdom on 24 March 2003 as the album's third single.[12] The single was issued with twoB-sides: "Animals", which was one of the band's favourite songs performed on tour but was not included in the album, and "Crests of Waves". The single's cover, created bySølve Sundsbø, is a portrayal of Chris Martin.[13] In the United States, while preparing "The Scientist" as the album's second release, the band's label felt the song failed to "provide enough of a blood rush for American listeners"; instead, they released "Clocks" as the second single in the US on 11 November 2002, the same day that "The Scientist" was issued in the UK.[14][15][16]
A music video was filmed in support of the song. It was directed by British filmmaker Dominic Leung, and shot atDocklands'ExCeL Building in London.[13] It features the band performing the song, with a laser show, in front of a staged audience, mostly local college students. Stage effects and blue-red light transitions give the video a surreal feel, while a stoic crowd make up the audience. Martin hasmaketradefair.com scrawled on his left hand for the video to promote fair trade between countries and corporations, which can be seen at various moments throughout the video, especially when paused while he is playing piano at the 3-minute, 22-second mark. The website became defunct in 2004.
The song received widespread acclaim from music critics.Rob Sheffield from theRolling Stone magazine praised it as one of the album's highlights by saying that "[guitarist] Buckland shines in excellent psychedelic rockers such as 'Clocks'".[5] David Cheal ofThe Daily Telegraph commented how the song features a "hypnotic piano riff, a pounding, almost frantic rhythm, and a contagious tune, all building to a gorgeously serene climax with Martin's floaty voice singing."[17] Scott Floman fromGoldmine, described the track as "a stunningly pretty piano rocker, absolutely perfect and is simply one of the best songs of the decade".[18]Bono ofU2 named "Clocks" as one of 60 songs that saved his life.[19]
The single was successful in radio throughout 2003,[9] and appeared on several singles charts worldwide. It peaked at number nine in the United Kingdom,[20] and rose to number 29 in the United States.[21] The song also went number seven in Canada and number 28 in Australia. "Clocks" won aGrammy Award forRecord of the Year at the46th Annual Grammy Awards.Billboard ranked the song as the second-biggest hit inAdult Alternative Airplay history.[22][23] In 2024,PPL placed it at number three among the band's most played tracks on British media.[24]
"Clocks" has been regarded as one of Coldplay's finest achievements,[25] with the track's piano progression being their signature creation.[26] Many cuts fromX&Y feature influences from "Clocks", with Brian Cohen ofBillboard Magazine noting how it served as a "launching pad" for them in the band's third album: "several of which echo that song either in structure or feel".[27] "Speed of Sound", the first single fromX&Y, is similar to "Clocks".[26][28]
In 2010,Rolling Stone placed "Clocks" at 490 on their500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. In 2011,NME placed it amongst the "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[29] That same year, it ranked at number 155 onPitchfork's "Greatest Songs of the 2000s" list.[30] In 2021,Billboard featured "Clocks" in a list of the "100 Greatest Song Bridges of the 21st Century" as number 67.[31] The same publication previously ranked "Clocks" first on their list of "50 Best Coldplay Songs".[32]
"Clocks" was remixed several times. Norwegian duoRöyksopp produced a version of the song which received a 1,000 limited edition12" vinyl; 100 of which were made available through the band's official website.[54] Their remix placed at number five in theTriple J Hottest 100, 2003 (the original placed at number 69the previous year).[55][56] In addition, there have been several other dance remixes of "Clocks", including those by Clokx andDeep Dish plus amashup fromGabriel and Dresden's 2003Essential Mix which appeared on variousP2P networks. A remixed version of the song is included on the soundtrack of the 2007 video gameDance Dance Revolution Hottest Party for theWii console.
^"Hot Product: 'Rush' Hour".Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 26 August 2002.Archived from the original on 5 October 2014. Retrieved13 July 2008.
^"Top 2000 – Jaar 2007" [Top 2000 – Year 2007].NPO Radio 2 (in Dutch). 31 December 2023.Archived from the original on 12 January 2024. Retrieved12 January 2024.
