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Britishrock bandColdplay have released 76 music videos,[a] 5 video albums and 6 films,[b] appearing in a wide range of television shows throughout their career as well. They were formed inLondon byChris Martin (vocals, piano),Jonny Buckland (lead guitar),Guy Berryman (bass guitar),Will Champion (drums, percussion) andPhil Harvey (management).[2] Before their recording contract withParlophone in 1999,[3] a music video for "Bigger Stronger" was shot and directed byMat Whitecross, who ultimately became one of the long-time collaborators of the band.[4] It was followed by the singles "Shiver", "Yellow", "Trouble" and "Don't Panic" fromParachutes (2000), with the third earning aMTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction.[5]
To promoteA Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), Coldplay made "In My Place" and "The Scientist" available. The latter won threeMTV Video Music Awards and ran forBest Short Form Music Video at the46th Annual Grammy Awards.[6] Publicity affairs were completed in the following year with "Clocks", "God Put a Smile upon Your Face" andLive 2003, their first video album. Released in 2005,X&Y spawned "Speed of Sound", "Fix You", "Talk" and "The Hardest Part". They were succeeded by "Violet Hill", which came out in anticipation forViva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008).
The band later shot two different versions of "Viva la Vida", one where they are performing the track and the other referencingDepeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence". Additional music videos encompassed "Lovers in Japan", "Lost!", "Life in Technicolor II" and "Strawberry Swing", which received threeUK Music Video Awards. In 2010, Coldplay launched "Christmas Lights" as a holiday single,[7] while the subsequent year saw Whitecross directing "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall", "Paradise" and "Charlie Brown" forMylo Xyloto (2011). The record featured "Princess of China" and "Hurts Like Heaven" as well, having its promotion concluded byLive 2012. Two years later,Ghost Stories (2014) was made available with five music videos: "Midnight", "Magic", "A Sky Full of Stars", "True Love" and "Ink". The marketing campaign wrapped in November with itsnamesake live album.[8]
In 2015, Coldplay released "Adventure of a Lifetime" as the lead single forA Head Full of Dreams, following it with the visuals for "Birds", "Hymn for the Weekend", "Up&Up", "A Head Full of Dreams" and "Everglow" over the succeeding year. Moreover, the band got twoD&AD Awards and two silver prizes at theCannes Lions International Festival of Creativity for the third.[9] They later launchedThe Butterfly Package (2018), a set containing their fifth live (Live in Buenos Aires) and video (Live in São Paulo) albums plusa documentary directed by Whitecross.Everyday Life (2019) brought six music videos, including "Orphans", "Daddy", "Everyday Life" and "Champion of the World". Coldplay performed the full album at theAmman Citadel and transmitted the concert onYouTube as well. Between 2021 and 2022,Dave Meyers directed "Higher Power", "My Universe" and "Let Somebody Go" forMusic of the Spheres, which later received three more clips anda film. "Feelslikeimfallinginlove", "We Pray", "The Karate Kid" and "All My Love" supportedMoon Music (2024).
| † | Indicates a music video with two or more versions |
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| Title | Year | Directors | Details | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Bigger Stronger" | 1999 | Mat Whitecross | A man enters a lift and gets transported to a beach, where he finds the band's members buried in the sand. Despite publishing the music video on their website, Coldplay never released it officially onYouTube. | [10] |
| "Shiver" | 2000 | Grant Gee | The band perform the song in a studio. In July 2020, all music videos fromParachutes (2000) were remastered in celebration of its 20th anniversary.[11] | [12] |
| "Yellow" | James & Alex | Aslow motion sequence of Martin walking along the beach as he sings and the sunlight arrives. The music video was meant to include the other band members, but the funeral of Champion's mother was held on the same day.[13] | [14] | |
| "Trouble" † | Tim Hope | The original music video was directed bySophie Muller and features Martin as a prisoner in a dark warehouse, while Buckland and Champion struggle to tie Berryman to a chair in a slow motion sequence.[15] It was replaced by Hope's version for being "too grisly" for American audiences.[16] His take combined an animated world with real-life footage of the band and earned aMTV Video Music Award for Best Art Direction.[5] In 2012, a fan published the European version onYouTube and received a license fromParlophone.[17] | [18] | |
| "Don't Panic" | 2001 | A diagram of thewater cycle is shown as a house with the band doing chores inside. The animation style used is vaguely similar to "Trouble", but without real-life footage. | [19] | |
| "In My Place" | 2002 | Sophie Muller | The band perform the song in a large white room as Martin sings directly to the camera. The two women sitting on a step in the background are members of the crew. In August 2022, the music video was remastered along with "The Scientist" and "Clocks" to celebrate the 20th anniversary ofA Rush of Blood to the Head (2002).[20] | [21] |
| "The Scientist" | Jamie Thraves | The music video usesreverse motion, beginning with Martin lying on a mattress, continuing with him wandering through various locations and revealing he was involved in a car accident along with a woman played by Irish actressElaine Cassidy. It won threeMTV Video Music Awards.[22] | [23] | |
| "Clocks" | 2003 | Dominic Leung | A stoic crowd watches the band perform the song with a laser show and other stage light effects. A link to theMake Trade Fair website can be seen on Martin's left hand. | [24] |
| "God Put a Smile upon Your Face" | Jamie Thraves | The music video intercutsblack and white footage of the band performing the song with the story of a man who bumps into a mysterious stranger and starts to disappear. He is played by English actorPaddy Considine. | [25] | |
| "Speed of Sound" | 2005 | Mark Romanek | Coldplay perform the song in asound stage behind largeLED displays. The lights were synthesised to showcase an animation made from Martin's vocal track. | [26] |
| "Fix You" | Sophie Muller | Martin wanders the streets ofLondon at night as the song's tempo picks up. He finishes the music video by performing with the band atReebok Stadium, inBolton. | [27] | |
| "Talk" | Anton Corbijn | In this black and white,science fiction-themed music video, the band are astronauts landing on an alien planet, where they re-activate a dormant robot. It tries to kill them and destroy their spaceship as the group attempts to fly away. | [28] | |
| "The Hardest Part" | 2006 | Mary Wigmore | The music video uses footage fromAttitudes (1985), which was then digitally enhanced to appear as though Coldplay were performing the song along with dancers Barbara Moseley and Gene Spencer. Their set was filmed in 1990. | [29] |
| "Violet Hill" † | 2008 | Asa Mader | The band climbs a hill and reach a quiet town to play the song with different instruments. They can also be seen dancing and walking aroundMount Etna. Days later, an alternative version named Dancing Politicians, directed byMat Whitecross, was released. It features numerous shots of political figures combined with scenes of war. | [30] |
| "Viva la Vida" † | Hype Williams | Coldplay perform the song in a blurry, warped version of theLiberty Leading the People (1830) painting. The band members crumble into rose petals as the song ends. An alternative music video directed byAnton Corbijn was released on the same day as a tribute toDepeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence".[31] It portrays Martin as the king from the lyrics and ties the loose ends from "Violet Hill".[31] | [32] | |
| "Lovers in Japan" | Mat Whitecross | The music video intercuts footage of the band playing in a courtyard and each member makinglight drawings. Their performance ends with a rain of butterfly-shaped confetti. | [33] | |
| "Lost!" † (solo or featuringJay-Z) | Both the original version and theJay-Z remix have Coldplay performing on theViva la Vida Tour as the music video, with the rapper appearing through a television in the latter.[34] A fan contest for "Lost?", the song's piano iteration, took place months later.[35] The winning (directed by Paul O'Brien) and runner-up (directed by Martin Buzora) entries gained tickets to see the band live atthe O2 Arena.[36] | [37] | ||
| "Life in Technicolor II" | 2009 | Dougal Wilson | A group of children are waiting for a traditionalPunch and Judy performance, however, the band appear as puppets "onstage" playing the song on an increasingly extravagant show. Harvey appears as one of the parents with a camera. | [38] |
| "Strawberry Swing" | Shynola | The music video consists of Martin lying on the floor as he interacts withstop motion animated chalk drawings. His character sees a woman being held hostage by a giant squirrel, which leads him to turn into a superhero and save her. It won threeUK Music Video Awards.[39] | [40] | |
| "Christmas Lights" | 2010 | Mat Whitecross | Whitecross edited the music video in aone-shot format. It begins with the band lying on the floor, until Martin gets up to play the piano and the others disappear. The set is later revealed to be a stage nearRiver Thames and the rest of the group show up again, now accompanied by threeElvis impersonators: Tim Crompton, Harvey andSimon Pegg.[41] | [7] |
| "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" | 2011 | The band play across various backdrops sprayed with colourful, stop motion animated graffiti, which were painted byMylo Xyloto (2011) art director Paris. | [42] | |
| "Paradise" † | A runaway elephant played by Martin escapes the zoo and embarks on a journey to find his friends inCape Town. The music video was filmed in anature documentary style and had a scrapped version directed byShynola, who posted their take separately later.[43] Harvey and Crompton made an appearance as the zookeepers chasing the elephant. | [44] | ||
| "Charlie Brown" | 2012 | A hooded young man played byElliott Tittensor meets up with his girlfriend (played byAntonia Thomas) and they steal a car together, which is used for going to a colourful rave where the band are playing. Coldplay also released a live performance version co-directed by Mark Rowbotham before the official one was finished.[45] | [46] | |
| "Princess of China" (withRihanna) | Adria Petty Alan Bibby | The music video portrays Martin and Rihanna as lovers with a complicated story as they engage in a sword fight. It contains visual references to Chinesewuxia films. | [47] | |
| "Hurts Like Heaven" | Mark Osborne | An animated version of theMylo Xyloto (2011)comics' first issue. The story is set on a futuristic dystopian world where sound and colour are completely forbidden. | [48] | |
| "Midnight" | 2014 | Mary Wigmore | The music video was mostly shot with thermalinfrared imaging andnegative imagery, incorporating various visual effects. It shows glimpses of a wandering wolf and sped-up cityscapes, the band can be seen in a forest as well. | [49] |
| "Magic" † | Jonas Åkerlund | Starring Chinese actressZhang Ziyi, the music video is a tribute tosilent films. She plays the stage magician Cecile, who performs in a travelling circus with her young assistant Christophe (played by Martin). As their work continues, he begins to notice theabusive relationship Cecile has with her husband Claude (also played by Martin), a famous, but alcoholic magician. Christophe then formulates an idea to relieve Cecile of her troubles as he learnslevitation. The story happens in the present despite the early 20th century influences. A director's cut with a guest appearance fromPeter Fonda was included onGhost Stories Live 2014.[50] | [51] | |
| "A Sky Full of Stars" † | Mat Whitecross | Martin walks throughKing Street inSydney dressed as aone-man band. He then reaches Berryman, Buckland and Champion, who are also dressed as one-man bands. They play the instrumental refrain of the song and he continues his walk alone, being followed by a crowd of fans (including Harvey dressed as a koala).[52] The music video ends with the band reuniting again and finishing the song with their fans as paper-made stars are blown into the square. An alternative scrapped version directed by Artisan was later posted separately, one shot from it can be seen on the official take when Martin passes by a television store.[53] | [54] | |
| "True Love" | Jonas Åkerlund | The music video portrays Martin as a janitor and Canadian actressJessica Lucas as an aspiring ballerina, both using giant body suits. As they are not taken seriously as dancers or people, the pair face various humiliations on their daily life until meeting each other. Åkerlund commented his idea was "about just being different in the world, where life is a struggle and then you meet somebody who understands you and then it all falls into place". | [51] | |
| "All Your Friends" | Simon Hargood | Released forRemembrance Sunday, the music video pays tribute to "all those from all nations who fought in theFirst World War" with archival footage.[55] It was released as part of the bonus content forGhost Stories Live 2014.[50] | [56] | |
| "Always in My Head" | Alasdair Brotherston Jock Mooney | An animated version of theGhost Stories (2014) album cover. The music video displays the numerous illustrations present in the wings and was released as part of the bonus content forGhost Stories Live 2014.[50] | [57] | |
| "Ink" † | Matthew Encina | The original music video was an animated interactive project in the style ofChoose Your Own Adventure (1979) and told the story of a men travelling across the world in search of his lost lover.[58] It had 300 possible outcomes and a final version was published on Coldplay'sYouTube channel based on the fans' most selected options.[59] | [60] | |
| "Ghost Story" | 2015 | Campbell Hooper | Black and white shots of the band performing the song fade into each other. The music video was released as part of the bonus content forGhost Stories Live 2014.[50] | [56] |
| "Adventure of a Lifetime" | Mat Whitecross | Filmed atthe Imaginarium, the music video follows a group of chimpanzees that come across aBeats Pill and become inspired to form a band. Each one of them was designed to resemble the members of Coldplay. | [61] | |
| "Birds" | 2016 | Marcus Haney | The music video follows the band at theSalvation Mountain as they shoot photos that were later used for the promotion campaign ofA Head Full of Dreams (2015). | [62] |
| "Hymn for the Weekend" | Ben Mor | Coldplay pays a visit toMumbai,India. The video was also inspired by theHoli festival and feature appearances fromBeyoncé andSonam Kapoor. | [63] | |
| "Up&Up" | Vania Heymann Gal Muggia | Featuring surrealistic elements such as a popcorn-spouting volcano, racehorses galloping on water and a turtle floating down a subway platform, the music video alludes to various contemporary issues and received two silver prizes at theCannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.[9] | [64] | |
| "A Head Full of Dreams" | Marcus Haney | The band wanders around the streets ofMexico City on bicycles as they make their way to a concert of theA Head Full of Dreams Tour. The music video also uses a snippet fromCharlie Chaplin'sThe Great Dictator (1940). | [65] | |
| "Everglow" † | Ben Mor | Martin performs the song on a piano. A scrapped version directed by Joe Connor was made available separately in 2017.[66] It features an ice dancer (played byTanja Kolbe) who is coping with loss as she dances with a partner who is no longer there.[66] Afansite published the take onYouTube and received a license fromParlophone as well.[67] | [68] | |
| "Something Just Like This" (Tokyo Remix) (withthe Chainsmokers) | 2017 | Mat Whitecross | The music video intercuts footage of Coldplay'sTokyo Dome show, the Chainsmokers performing at a festival and a boy wearing asuperhero costume as he plays with toys on his bedroom. It also uses a kaleidoscope effect. | [69] |
| "Orphans" | 2019 | Starting with a voice note from Martin, in which he is heard playing what would become the song's main riff, the music video shows how the track was developed from its earliest roots to the fully polished version that was released. It won aMTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video.[70] | [71] | |
| "Daddy" | Åsa Lucander | The music video combines live action puppetry, digitally painted sets andtraditional animation to tell the story of a young girl lost at sea and sailing towards the unknown, symbolising the memories she has of her father. It won two silver prizes at theClio Awards.[72] | [73] | |
| "Everyday Life" | Karena Evans | Footage of the band performing the song on a beach is combined with scenes from around the globe in countries such asUkraine,South Africa andMorocco. The music video is themed after theXhosa word "ubuntu", which can be translated to "humanity". | [74] | |
| "Cry Cry Cry" | 2020 | Dakota Johnson Cory Bailey | The music video shows a couple played by Meshach Henry and Ida Saki dancing as they age from young lovers to old married partners while Coldplay perform the song. | [75] |
| "Champion of the World" | Cloé Bailly | Martin plays a bullied schoolboy who is forced to repeatedly escape reality and enter his own dreamworld. | [76] | |
| "Trouble in Town" | Aoife McArdle | Inspired byGeorge Orwell'sAnimal Farm (1944), book the music video showsNew York City plagued by crimes and homelessness under the regime of a pig dictator. Proceeds from the song were donated to the Innocence Project and the African Children's Feeding Scheme. | [77] | |
| "Higher Power" † | 2021 | Dave Meyers | Landing on a post-apocalyptic planet, Martin explores its cities and meets a group of alien holograms. He dances with them as Berryman, Buckland and Champion appear playing the song and their combined energy allows him to fly intoouter space. A visualizer of the band performing the track on a container depot, directed by Paul Dugdale, was released in anticipation for the official version.[78] Following the latter's debut, a choreography video was issued with the Ambiguous Dance Company.[79] | [80] |
| "My Universe" (withBTS) | The music video depicts Coldplay,BTS and fictional alien band Supernova 7 performing the song together on different planets. The groups are then united as holograms through alien DJ Lafrique, who broadcasts the performance with her radio ship. They are being hunted by the Silencers from theMylo Xyloto (2011)comics, suggesting its universe is connected withMusic of the Spheres (2021).[81] | [82] | ||
| "Let Somebody Go" (withSelena Gomez) | 2022 | Martin and Gomez try to reach out for each other as a city pulls them apart until they finally manage to have a final hug. The black and white music video drew comparisons toInception (2010), byChristopher Nolan. | [83] | |
| "People of the Pride" | Paul Dugdale | The music video intercuts footage of the band playing the song atClimate Pledge Arena and animated scenes which were used as their stage backdrop during concerts. | [84] | |
| "Biutyful" | Mat Whitecross | After meeting each other at a local bar, a fictional puppet group named The Weirdos try to have a successful musical career while living in a humans-only world. | [85] | |
| "Humankind" | Stevie Rae Gibbs Marcus Haney | Coldplay perform the song atForo Sol. The music video featurestime-lapsed images of Mexico City seen through an "alien camera" as well. Its interface and footage include the name of cities such asBarcelona,Cardiff,Zürich andAmsterdam written both regularly and in the fictional alien languages created for the track'sparent album, leading fans to speculate those places would hostMusic of the Spheres World Tour shows.[86] | [87] | |
| "Feelslikeimfallinginlove" † | 2024 | Ben Mor | Natasha Ofili and the Coro de Manos Blancas join the band to play the song in sign language over a dark background, which changes to a concert at theOdeon of Herodes Atticus inAthens. Footage was rendered in black and white, being made available inDisability Pride Month.[88] An alternative one-shot version, directed by Ant Barrett, was later released for theZerb remix.[89] It presents a helmeted man dancing throughHelsinki with Martin.[90] Mor published his director's cut with coloured frames separately as well.[91] | [92] |
| "We Pray" † (featuringLittle Simz,Burna Boy,Elyanna andTini) | James Zwadlo | Three music videos were released: theLittle Simz version is considered the original, mixing footage of the collaborators with artworks and lyrics; theTini version sees them together atGrafton Street inDublin, as directed by Ben Mor;[93] and theElyanna version comes from their performance atCroke Park, shot by Ant Barrett.[94] | [95] | |
| "The Karate Kid" | Chris Candy | Ralph Macchio busks on the streets ofMelbourne with a keyboard to get money for dinner. Rejected by onlookers, he changes his performance to tap dancing, consequently meeting ascalper that offers Coldplay tickets in exchange for a watch and a toy. During the show, Martin faces vocal issues and Macchio helps him to finish the track. | [96] | |
| "All My Love" (Director's Cut) † | Spike Jonze Mary Wigmore | Dick Van Dyke dances and meditates on aging, family and love at his house inMalibu. The music video also includes footage from the actor's greatest works. A final cut directed byNigel Crisp was premiered on his 99th birthday.[97] The visual for thePnau remix accompanies Crisp having beach day, as documented by Chris Candy.[98] | [99] | |
| "Man in the Moon" | 2025 | Ben Mor | Young locals from different backgrounds exploreSingapore and its prominent landmarks while Coldplay are performing the song atMarina Bay, bringing the groups together. | [100] |
| Title | Details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Video [101] | AUS DVD [102] | AUT DVD [103] | BEL (FL) DVD [104] | BEL (WA) DVD [105] | DEN DVD [106] | ITA DVD [107] | NLD DVD [108] | POR DVD [109] | US Video [110] | |||
| Live 2003 | — | — | 2 | 8 | — | — | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | ||
| Live from Austin City Limits |
| Released exclusively oniTunes United States | N/A | |||||||||
| Live 2012 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ||
| Ghost Stories Live 2014 |
| 2 | — | — | 6 | 3 | — | — | 4 | — | — |
|
| Live in São Paulo |
| Part ofThe Butterfly Package and not sold separately | N/A | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||
| Title | Year | Channel | Details | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rage | 2001 | ABC TV | 24 February 2001: Guest appearance | [124] |
| All Eyes on Coldplay | 2005 | MTV Live | Exclusive interview and broadcast of a secret performance at the Round Chapel | [125] |
| 100% | Fuse | 6 December 2005: Exclusive interview | [126] | |
| Max Masters: Coldplay | 2008 | Max | 7 June 2008: Exclusive documentary | [127] |
| MuchOnDemand | MuchMusic | 31 July 2008: Exclusive interview | [128] | |
| 60 Minutes | 2009 | CBS | Season 41, Episode 18: Exclusive interview | [129] |
| The South Bank Show | ITV | Season 33, Episode 2: Exclusive documentary | [130] | |
| The Simpsons | 2010 | Fox | Season 21, Episode 11: Guest appearance | [131] |
| Boombox All Access with Coldplay | Boomerang | 5 February 2010: Exclusive interview | [132] | |
| Saturday Night Live | 2011 | NBC | Season 37, Episode 6: "Someone Like You" sketch[c] | [133] |
| Coldplay: Ghost Stories | 2014 | Sky Arts | Ghost Stories premiere including a special programme, interview and performance | [8] |
| Dynamo: Magician Impossible | Watch | Guest appearance performing a magic trick withDynamo | [134] | |
| Game of Thrones: The Musical | 2015 | NBC | Mockumentary forRed Nose Day | [135] |
| Rockfield: The Studio on the Farm | 2020 | BBC Two | Guest appearance telling their history withRockfield Studios | [136] |
| Dynamo Is Dead | 2023 | Sky Max | Guest appearance offering advice toDynamo | [137] |
| Title | Year | Details | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| How We Saw the World – Live in Toronto | 2006 | Concert film directed byHamish Hamilton and released in television channels worldwide[d] | [138] |
| A Head Full of Dreams | 2018 | Music documentary directed byMat Whitecross and released in cinemas worldwide | [139] |
| Everyday Life – Live in Jordan | 2019 | Music film directed by Paul Dugdale and released onYouTube | [140] |
| Reimagined | 2020 | Music short film directed byAndy Hines and released onApple Music | [141] |
| Music of the Spheres: Live at River Plate | 2023 | Music film directed by Paul Dugdale and released in cinemas worldwide | [142] |
| Tutto Passa – A Tribute to Napoli | 2024 | Tribute short film directed by Stillz and released onYouTube | [143] |
| A Film for the Future | 2025 | Music film executive produced by Ben Mor and released onYouTube | [144] |
| Company | Year | Product | Theme song | Region | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apple Inc. | 2008 | iTunes Store | "Viva la Vida" | United States | [145] |
| Target Corporation | 2014 | Ghost Stories | "A Sky Full of Stars" | [146] | |
| Beats Electronics | 2015 | Beats Pill | "Adventure of a Lifetime" | Various | [147] |
| BMW | 2021 | BMW iX · BMW i4 | "Higher Power" | [148] | |
| DHL | 2022 | Music of the Spheres World Tour | "Yellow" | [149] | |
| Kia | 2024 | Kia EV9 | "Wish I Was Here" | United States | [150] |
| DHL | Music of the Spheres World Tour | "Good Feelings" | Various | [151] |
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Live albums | |
| Compilations | |
| Extended plays | |
| Concert tours | |
| Films | |
| Lists | |
| Legacy | |
| Related | |
