"Speed of Sound" is a song by Britishrock bandColdplay. It was released as the lead single for their third studio album,X&Y (2005), on 19 April 2005, following its radio premiere on the previous day atSteve Lamacq'sBBC Radio 1 show. Written by all members of the band, the song was built around a piano and guitarriff, peaking into a synthesiser-heavy chorus. A physical version of the single was issued on 23 May in the United Kingdom, containing the B-sides "Things I Don't Understand" and "Proof".
Vocalist and pianistChris Martin stated that the song was written after the band had listened to English singerKate Bush. Upon release, it charted in theUK Singles Chart at number two. In the United States, it debuted at number eight on theBillboard Hot 100,[3] becoming their first top ten hit and highest-peaking song until "Viva la Vida" went number one in 2008.
In an interview, Coldplay vocalistChris Martin revealed that "Speed of Sound" was written in mid-2004 and was inspired by Martin's daughter,Apple, and Englishalternative rock singerKate Bush: "That's a song where we were listening to a lot of Kate Bush last summer, and we wanted a song which had a lot of tom-toms in it. I just had my daughter up also, and was kind of feeling in a sense of awe and wonderment, so the song is kind of a Kate Bush song about miracles."[4] The drumbeat of the song was inspired by Bush's 1985 song "Running Up that Hill".[5] In a separate interview, bassistGuy Berryman said: "We were really trying to recreate the drums on that song for this song, and the chords. Some bands are reluctant to admit that they take things from other artists and bands that they listen to and we're shameless in that respect, we don't mind telling."[6]
The band's opinion towards the song, however, has soured. Martin has said that he dislikes "Speed of Sound", saying in a 2011 interview, "We never got it right."[7] Due to this, Martin is reluctant to perform the song live, citing his feelings towards the song, noting that during an interview withHoward Stern that "an audience can pick up real fast if something is clearly missing."[8]
"Speed of Sound" is a piano-based song with an upbeat tempo. The song begins with the insistently ornate keyboard melody,[9][10]with a backingsynthesizer that is heard throughout the song. The melody then transitions into the first verse being sung by lead singer Chris Martin. It repeats, with the song then transitioning into its second verse. The verses of song feature the rest of the band as the song continues to build. It then climaxes with the anthemic chorus, which features a huge roar of instrumentation that includes electric and bass guitars, drums, and synthesizers. The song then ends with the chorus and its grandiose sound. "Speed of Sound" is written in the key of AMixolydian.[citation needed]
The lyrics in the song are cryptic. The ending lines of the chorus emphasise belief and assurance: "If you could see it then you'd understand/Ah, when you see it then you'll understand." This belief is restated in the third verse: "Some things you have to believe/others are puzzles puzzling me."[11] The fourth line in the second verse alludes to discovering one's place in the world: "How long am I gonna stand/with my head stuck under the sand."[11][12]
"Speed of Sound" premiered on 18 April 2005 duringSteve Lamacq's show at theBBC Radio 1, receiving a digital download release in the following day.[1] However, since tracks had to be made available both digitally and physically to enter theUK Singles Chart, the band issuedCD and7" editions on 23 May.[1][14] The single was pressed with twoB-sides: "Things I Don't Understand" and "Proof".[15]
The song was met with a polarised response from critics.PopMatters felt that the song "comes close to sounding too safe, almost like the band is on autopilot."[16] Several critics felt that the song resembled Coldplay's earlier single "Clocks".MusicOMH commented that "Speed Of Sound, the lead single, has 'Clocks'-like drumming contrasts with synth sequences that remind more ofEnya thanrock music" and criticised it for sounding "familiar and far older than it is."Pitchfork Media likewise criticised the song's "uncanny resemblance to 'Clocks'" and continued "Certainly, it rarely hurts to stick with what works, but this is not just a near-exact replica of its successful predecessor; it's also a less memorable song riding a piano hook that has so deeply infiltrated the pop-culture landscape that I've become numb to it." The reviewer did, however, comment that "the track's vocal melody outperforms the one from 'Clocks' by a hair."
The Village Voice felt that the song was "unusually accomplished, fresh, and emotional."[17]Paste Magazine praised the song, saying that it "reveals the hand [Coldplay are] playing: a piano riff as memorable as the one in 'Clocks,' ringing guitars, martial drums, orchestral pomp and, in the center, Chris Martin's keening vocal, so vulnerable and yet forceful enough to stand out from the mass of sonic detail."The New York Times, contrariwise, dingedX&Y for "trying to carry beauty of 'Clocks' across an entire album – not least in its first single, 'Speed of Sound,' which isn't the only song on the album to borrow the 'Clocks' drumbeat."Rolling Stone magazine gave a mixed review, calling it "an appealing but not thrilling song" and noted "...it sounds a bit like...'Clocks' but without the swagger."[18]Blender had the track at number 16 on their "100 Greatest Songs of 2005" editorial.[19] In 2007,NPO Radio 2 ranked the song at number 334 on their annualTop 2000.[20]
"Speed of Sound" was beaten to the number one spot on theUK Singles Chart by thenovelty song "Axel F" by theCrazy Frog,[21][22] instead peaking at number two for a week, although it did stay in the Top 75 for sixteen non-consecutive weeks.[23] However, it became Coldplay's first UK download number one.[21]
It also became Coldplay's first and (at that point) biggest single to chart in the top 10 of theBillboard Hot 100, debuting as well as peaking at number eight,[24] making it the band's most successful single until "Viva la Vida" reached number one in 2008.[25] The single marked the first time a British band entered directly in the top 10 of theBillboard Hot 100 chart sincethe Beatles.[24] The song was also the billionth song downloaded fromApple, Inc.'siTunes Store.[26][27] A ringtone was available fromCingular Wireless, which had a song clip from "Speed of Sound" available a week before it was heard on radio.[28] The song was also included in"Weird Al" Yankovic's polka medley "Polkarama!" from his 2006 albumStraight Outta Lynwood. In 2024,PPL ranked "Speed of Sound" as Coldplay's tenth-most played song across radio and television in the United Kingdom.[29]
The music video has a two-story-highLED display in the background
The video promo for "Speed of Sound" was shot on aLos Angelessound stage on 22 and 23 April 2005.[37] Shooting took place on large sets backed by largelight-emitting diode (LED) displays developed by Element Labs.[38] The performance-based video was directed byMark Romanek.[39][40] The video features the band performing in front of a curved ellipse wall that consists of 640 Element Labs' VersaTubes placed on 6-inch (150 mm) centres.[41]
The on-set animations were programmed and performed live during the shoot via the suggestion of visualist Ash Beck.[42][43] Romanek wanted the song'sstem "split out" and to have the drums, bass, guitar, and vocals on separate tracks, which were then animated, and the lights were synthesised to each of the tracks. In the end, Romanek and Michael Keeling, the lighting designer, opted to use Chris Martin's vocal track to animate "because it had such dynamics. Roughly 75% of the video is driven by voice-activated animation", said Keeling.[41]
The video opens in pitch-black, followed by a light framing Martin as he reaches skyward out of the shadows. The scene then shifts to the band, as they play the song. When Martin spread his hands, the two-storey-high LED lights erupt in a colour of rainbow hues. The LED background changes colours as the band continues. The video concludes its ending with the band lined up, one-by-one, and the LED set displaying a white light background.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^"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.
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