X&Y is the third studio album by the Britishrock bandColdplay. It was released on 6 June 2005 byParlophone in the United Kingdom, and a day later byCapitol in the United States. Produced by Coldplay and producerDanton Supple, the album was recorded during a turbulent period for the band, during which their manager and creative director,Phil Harvey, briefly departed.[5] ProducerKen Nelson was originally tasked with producing the record; however, many songs written during his sessions were discarded due to the band's dissatisfaction with them. The album's cover art combines colours and blocks to represent the title inBaudot code.
The album contains twelve tracks, divided into respective halves labeled "X" and "Y", and an additional hidden song, "Til Kingdom Come", which is listed as "+" on the disc label and inside the record's booklet. It was originally planned for American country starJohnny Cash to record it with lead singerChris Martin, but Cash died before he was able to do so.[6] At a runtime of 62 minutes and 30 seconds, it is Coldplay's longest studio album.
After facing high anticipation globally,X&Y received positive reviews overall and was a significant commercial success, reaching the number-one position on the charts of 32 countries, including the United Kingdom (where it had the third-highest sales week in history at the time) and the United States (where it became Coldplay's first album to top theBillboard 200 chart). With 8.3 million copies sold worldwide,X&Y was the best-selling album of 2005, eventually becoming one of thebest-selling albums of the 21st century with over 13 million units sold by December 2012.[7] It spawned the singles "Speed of Sound", "Fix You", "Talk" and "The Hardest Part". Despite its success, the band's opinion of the album has soured over time, largely due to the turbulent dynamic they experienced during recording, as well as their disappointment in the final product.
Coldplay announced details aboutX&Y in March 2004 while the album was being recorded. Their initial plans were to stay out of the public eye throughout the year. Lead singerChris Martin stated, "We really feel that we have to be away for a while and we certainly won't release anything this year, because I think people are a bit sick of us." This plan was not carried out, because of the pressure their second albumA Rush of Blood to the Head had induced; but they were trying "to make the best thing that anyone has ever heard".[8] Prior to the announcement, Martin, lead guitaristJonny Buckland and British record producerKen Nelson had started recordingdemos while inChicago. The band then entered a London studio in January 2004.[9]
The band spent all of 2004 producingX&Y.[10] The released album is the third version the band had produced during the recording sessions, and some have even considered it as their fifth album due to constant changes in track lists and re-recordings.[11] The band members were not satisfied with the output of their initial sessions with Nelson, who had produced the band's previous two albums,Parachutes (2000) andA Rush of Blood to the Head (2002). It also remains the only Coldplay album in which they had been through the creative process withoutPhil Harvey's "presence, influence and guidance".[12]
The initial set release date was late 2004, but was later pushed back to January 2005. As the new target date was approaching, the band again discarded songs, which they deemed "flat" and "passionless".[11] Sixty songs were written during these sessions, fifty-two of which were ditched.[13] The band started rehearsing the songs for a planned tour, but felt the songs sounded better live compared to their recorded versions: "We realized that we didn't really have the right songs and some of them were starting to sound better because we were playing them than they did on record, so we thought we better go back and record them again." Guitarist Jonny Buckland has said that the band had pushed themselves "forward in every direction" in making the album, but they felt it sounded like they were going backwards compared to their earlier works.[14]
Attempting to perfect their work, Coldplay had to "step it up a few notches and work hard at it to get it right".[11] The band chose Danton Supple, who mixed the bulk ofA Rush of Blood to the Head, to oversee the production ofX&Y.[15] When January went, the band had to finish the album; they were conscious of the pressure as "expectations for the record grew larger" and "completing it became tougher and tougher".[11] Finally, the band were settled with the song "Square One", which Martin has described as "a call to arms" and a "plea" to each of them "not to be intimidated by anything or anyone else". Once finished, the band felt like they could do their own songs and not have to think of anyone else's demands.[11] During this month, the band were into the final weeks of production and had put the finishing touches on the tracks.[15]
DrummerWill Champion later admitted that Coldplay did not rush to complete the album "because the prospect of touring again was so daunting that we felt we should take our time, and also we wanted to make sure that it was the best it could possibly be". According to him, the band had no deadline, which allowed them not to feel pressured into finishing something. Once a proper deadline was imposed onto the band, they became more productive than in previous sessions. At this juncture, the band had written "about 14 or 15 songs".[16] Martin added that the reason why they ended up late was that they "... kept [adding] finishing [touches to] the record until it was way too late ... [they] don't listen to it at the moment, because [they would] just find something to go back and change."[11] The late release of the album was blamed for a drop in EMI'sshare price. In response, Chris Martin said "I don't really care about EMI. I thinkshareholders are the great evil of this modern world."[17][18]
Coldplay received permission fromKraftwerk to use the main riff from "Computer Love" for the track "Talk".
The music ofX&Y consists of multi-layered production with heavy electronic influences, featuring the extensive use ofsynthesizers. Musical characteristics that contribute to the album's multi-layering and grandiosity includefast tempos (in contrast to the two previous albums), dynamic drum patterns,distorted guitar riffs, and driving basslines.
Coldplay have also cited various other influences in the album. That of Germanelectronic music pioneersKraftwerk is evident on the song "Talk", which borrows (with permission) its hook from 1981's "Computer Love", with the riff being played on electric guitar instead of on asynthesizer.[10] Also present is large electronic musical influences, from some of the likes of English musiciansDavid Bowie andBrian Eno. Eno, who would later produceViva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, also played backing synthesizer on the track "Low". The first single, "Speed of Sound", also takes inspiration from thedrumbeat of English singer-songwriterKate Bush's song "Running Up that Hill".[19] According to Jon Pareles ofThe New York Times, who wrote a controversial article extensively criticizing the album, the band attempts to "carry the beauty of 'Clocks'" across the album, borrowing some of its features in songs like "Speed of Sound".[20] The opening track "Square One" also features the famous motif fromAlso sprach Zarathustra, known better as the title theme ofStanley Kubrick's 1968 science-fiction film2001: A Space Odyssey. The three-note sequence is replicated in the song by distorted guitar riffs, with a backing synthesizer added for musical texture. The sequence also transitions as a part of the song's chorus, showcasing Chris Martin's trademarkfalsetto voice.
"Fix You" features an organ and piano sound.[21] The song starts with a hushed electronic organ ballad, including Martin's falsetto.[22] The song then builds with both an acoustic guitar and piano sound. The sound then shifts with a plaintive three-note guitar line, ringing through a bringing rhythm upbeat tempo. Its instrumentation is varied with the sound of church-style organs hovering throughout the background,[23] piano notes, acoustic and electric guitar riffs, drums, bass guitar, and a singalong chorus.[24] "The Hardest Part" features a faster piano ballad sound, and starts with a repeating two-note pianoriff, and features an instrumentation of a singsong guitar.[25] It is mid-tempo, with a laid back, steady rhythm. The track ends with the band playing some repeated riffs as it fades out.[25] "Speed of Sound" is musically centered around an ornate keyboard riff and features a busy chorus,[26][27] during which the song builds into a huge drum beat surrounded by synthesized sounds. The song is upbeat, with a driving bassline and echoing, distorted guitar riffs being heard throughout. Kevin Devine fromHybrid Magazine wrote that Buckland's "gleaming guitar sound givesX&Y a euphonic radiance", and thematically, the album contains a "running thread of importance of trying, as well as the need for basic communication amongst the cacophony of confusion in the world".[28]
Lyrically,X&Y made an apparent shift from its predecessors, with many lyrics focused on a questioning and philosophical view of the world. On their previous works, Martin sang mostly in the first person "I", but here moves to the second person "you".[20] Accordingly, the songs on the album are a reflection of Martin's "doubts, fears, hopes, and loves" with lyrics that are "earnest and vague".[29]
The artwork forX&Y was designed by graphic design duoTappin Gofton, formed byMark Tappin andSimon Gofton; Mark Tappin had previously worked for Coldplay on the covers forParachutes and its associated singles. The image, which is visualised through a combination of colours and blocks, is a graphical representation of theBaudot code, an early form of telegraph communication using aseries of ones and zeros to communicate. The code was developed by FrenchmanÉmile Baudot in the 1870s, and was a widely used method of terrestrial and telegraph communication.[30]
The alphabet of the code is presented in theliner notes ofX&Y. The track listing, included on the booklet, CD, and back of the album, uses "X#" on tracks 1 to 6 and "Y#" on tracks 7 to 12, rather than the conventional track numbering system. Many pages in the booklet include photos of the band working on the album. The final page of the booklet contains the slogan "Make Trade Fair" in the Baudot code, a reference to the name of the international organisation which Chris Martin continues to support.[30] The band also dedicates the album to "BWP" in the liner notes; it stands forBruce W. Paltrow, the late father of Martin's wife at the time,Gwyneth Paltrow. All singles released from the album feature their titles in the same code on their respective covers.[31]
X&Y was initially intended for a 2004 release, although early news reported it would not be released until 2005;[9] because of personal preferences, songs recorded in several sessions were scrapped and doing so had pushed the expected release date to January 2005. However, the new date went by and the band had to decide on another schedule. By early 2005 the album, rumoured to be calledZero Theory, had a target release date between March and May 2005.[15][32][full citation needed] By early April the band had finalised the track listing of the album.[33] The album was finally released on 6 June 2005 in the United Kingdom via record labelParlophone. It was issued on 7 June in the United States byCapitol. It has been released with theCopy Control protection system in some regions. Capitol released a remastered version of the album in 2008, on two 180-gram vinyl records, as part of the "From the Capitol Vaults" series.
Around three months prior to the album release, Coldplay began performing several songs fromX&Y during live performances. The band made a headlining performance at public radio stationKCRW-FM's annual A Sounds Eclectic Evening, playing five new songs and some of their old favourites.[34]
The album has four mainsingles that were released internationally: "Speed of Sound", "Fix You", and "Talk" in 2005, and "The Hardest Part" in 2006. A promotional single, "What If", was released in June 2006 to radio stations in France and the French-speaking portions of Belgium and Switzerland.[35] A commercial CD was also released in Belgium and features the sameB-side as "The Hardest Part" ("How You See the World" recorded live atEarls Court), which was released in other European markets as well as Japan and Australia. This single features the "Tom Lord-Alge Mix" as the A-side, which differs from the album version.[36]
X&Y received generally positive reviews frommusic critics. AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received anaverage score of 72, based on 33 reviews.[42]Blender hailed it as Coldplay's "masterpiece."[43]NME described it as "confident, bold, ambitious, bunged with singles and impossible to contain," and added that it reinforces Coldplay as "the band of their time".[45]Q magazine found it "substantially more visceral and emotionally rewarding experience than both its predecessors."[47] James Hunter ofThe Village Voice said that it is remarkably "accomplished, fresh, and emotional".[51]Uncut assertively called it "an exceptional pop record".[42]Spin magazine's Mikael Wood praised Coldplay for "recasting their nerdy-student Britpop as Important Rock Music" without having to compromise Martin's unpretentious songwriting style.[49] In his review forAllMusic,Stephen Thomas Erlewine praised it as "a good record, crisp, professional, and assured, a sonically satisfying sequel toA Rush of Blood to the Head", stating it as "impeccable" and "a strong, accomplished album".[29]
In a less enthusiastic review forEntertainment Weekly,David Browne felt that Coldplay's attempt at more grandiose music works "only part of the time", even though he found their effort to mature commendable.[44] Rhyannon Rodriguez fromKludge wrote that the album feels "a little forced", describing the overall sounds as "overtly weak".[52]Alexis Petridis, writing inThe Guardian, said that some of the songs are "mostly beautifully turned", but marred by lyrics that are "so devoid of personality that they sound less like song lyrics than something dreamed up by a creative at [an] ad agency".[10]Pitchfork's Joe Tangari called it "bland but never offensive, listenable but not memorable."[46]Mojo wrote that the album is "awash with cliches, non-sequiturs, and cheap existentialism; at times it all becomes nigh on unbearable".[42] In a negative review forThe Village Voice,Robert Christgau namedX&Y "dud of the month" and called Coldplay a "precise, bland, and banal" band, giving the album a B grade.[50]
The band has received some criticism for the similarities between "Speed of Sound" and "Clocks", one of the band's most popular songs.[20][29][48]Kelefa Sanneh ofRolling Stone was less contented withX&Y in comparison toA Rush of Blood to the Head, arguing that "the sound of a blown-up band trying not to deflate" and "a surprising number of songs here just never take flight". Despite such, he compliments the album for having "lovely ballads that sound, well, Coldplay-ish".[48]Billboard included "Til Kingdom Come" on their 40 Best Deep Cuts of 2005 list at number 25, complimenting the combination ofJohnny Cash's style with the group's own.[53]
Despite leaking a week before release,[85]X&Y reached number one in 32 countries worldwide.[86] It became the best-selling album of 2005 with over 8.3 million copies shifted globally, while the overall music industry saw a three per cent drop in sales.[87] OniTunes, it was the first time a digital pre-order topped the charts in all of the 19 countries the store was available.[88] In March 2006,EMI stated that the record had already moved 9.9 million copies.[89] It debuted atop theUK Albums Chart with 464,471 units, becoming Coldplay's third chart-topping work and the third-biggest opening week in the country's history at the time.[90] As of January 2025,X&Y remains the sixth-fastest-selling album in the United Kingdom, behindTake That,the Beatles,[91]Ed Sheeran,Oasis andAdele.[92]
It spent 13 consecutive weeks at number one on theEuropean Top 100 Albums chart, between June and August 2005.[93] In July 2013, theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified the record 9× Platinum,[94] whileMusic Week ranked it at number nine on their "Biggest-Selling Albums of the 21st Century" editorial.[95] As of October 2021,X&Y has sold more than 2.8 million units in the United Kingdom, making it the second biggest Coldplay album, afterA Rush of Blood to the Head (2002).[96]
In the United States, the American press consideredX&Y a landmark achievement for the band.[97] The album debuted at number one on theBillboard 200 with 737,000 copies sold during a highly competitive week at retail, which included releases from theBlack Eyed Peas,Shakira andthe White Stripes.[97] Coldplay also achieved the highest first week sales for a new release inCapitol history.[98] They spent three weeks atop theBillboard 200, marking the longest stay for a British group since the Beatles in December 2000 and January 2001.[99] TheRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the record 3× Platinum for shipments of more than three million units.[100] In Canada, it debuted at number one with 105,000 copies, doubling the previous biggest debut of the year.[101]X&Y was certified 5× Platinum in December 2008 for shipments of 500,000 copies.[102]
Discussing the album onPitchfork, Paul de Revere credited it with solidifying Coldplay's status as one of the biggest rock groups in the world.[103] On the other hand, Carl Williott fromIdolator mentioned that "in the garage rock-reviving times of 2005, flaws were still a marker of authenticity for guitar-wielding acts, so the clinical and calibrated richness ofX&Y was immensely uncool" upon release, which made the band a subject of backlash.[104]Stereogum's Ryan Leas said that "the original Coldplay template" reached its logical endpoint with the album, leading to the experimental approach ofViva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008).[105] In 2017, the album was added toV&A Museum's collection.[106]
The members of Coldplay have spoken several times over the years about their dissatisfaction ofX&Y. Martin commented he wants to remake it.[107] He also stated that "[X&Y] has some good melodies and some good songs. But we failed, basically, on that whole album to get any of them produced right or edited right. It's too long. There's too many songs. I'm singing about the same thing too much".[108] "Speed of Sound" and "Talk" have been singled out as two songs members of the band dislike.[109] Conversely, the singer declared he is proud of "Fix You" because it helped the band through "a really difficult two years".[110] BassistGuy Berryman also saidX&Y would benefit from being edited again.[107] GuitaristJonny Buckland described the American leg of theTwisted Logic Tour as the lowest point of their career, as they were "quite miserable" and "confused".[111]
Released to promote the album duringTwisted Logic Tour's visit to Australia, Southeast Asia and Latin America. Includes all the single B-sides and music videos on a bonus DVD.
In addition a rare "Japan Tour Special Edition" (Cat. No. TOCP-66523) was released in 2006. This is the only "Tour Edition" which has the bonus disc as a CD (CD extra) (Cat. No. NCD-3013), and withoutCopy Control. All other "Tour Editions" have Copy Control protection. The track listing is exactly the same as in other "Tour Editions". Along with the tour editions, there was also a "Special Dutch Edition", released only in The Netherlands. It consisted of 2 discs, the first containing the entirety of X&Y, and the second containing the B-sides from the tour editions. No audiovisual content was included.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^Kornhaber, Spencer (7 November 2015)."All Hail Disco Coldplay".The Atlantic.Archived from the original on 15 August 2017. Retrieved14 October 2021.X&Y is the best sounding ambient-space-rock album anyone could ask for; Viva la Vida is the best sounding fake revolution on CD; "Adventure of a Lifetime" is the best sounding psychedelic four-on-the-floor document of life after conscious uncoupling imaginable.
^Parker, Lyndsey (11 March 2006)."X&Y From A To Z". Yahoo! Music. Archived fromthe original on 12 December 2008. Retrieved17 September 2008.
^Kara, Scott (25 October 2012)."Big band theory: who are the brightest stars?".The New Zealand Herald.Archived from the original on 4 December 2012. Retrieved18 November 2019.Albums sold worldwide. Parachutes (8.5 million); A Rush of Blood to the Head (15 million); X&Y (13 million); Viva La Vida (10 million); Mylo Xyloto (6 million).
^"All Time Greatest Albums".WXPN 88.5 FM (Enter search parameter "Coldplay"). 8 December 2021.Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved21 April 2024.
^"Nominowani i Laureaci 2005" [Nominees and Winners 2005].Fryderyk (in Polish). 2005.Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved28 November 2022.
^"Ganadores Anteriores" [Previous Winners].Premios Oye! (Select the "Premio Oye! 2005" photo) (in Spanish). 2012. Archived fromthe original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved3 December 2022.
^Murrells, Joseph (1978).The Book of Golden Discs (2, illustrated ed.).Barrie & Jenkins.ISBN0-214-20480-4.this LP reached advance orders of 270,000 in Great Britain (a record then) and sold 530,000 copies within 1 week after release
^2005 년 – Pop 총결산 음반 판매량 [2005 – Total Pop Album Sales] (in Korean). Recording Industry Association of Korea. 30 September 2002. Archived fromthe original on 18 July 2007. Retrieved8 June 2025.
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