"Up&Up" by Coldplay, Sunday, February 21, 2021

 

I remember the first time I saw Coldplay's video for "Trouble" on MTV. That was my introduction to the band. I thought that this interesting Radiohead-like pop band could be an interesting addition to music scene. The band grew out of the dreary piano ballads and has cultivated a diverse sound. Their sophomore album, A Rush of Blood to the Head was much more inclined to pop music. What the band started to perfect after ARoBttH was the use of the recording studio. X & Y wasn't so much about the talent of the live music, but what kinds of sounds could be produced in the studio. Their follow-up Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends extended those ideas with string sessions. Mylo Xyloto saw the band collaborate with Rhianna, and next month I'll talk about this album's collaboration with Beyonce.  By the band's seventh album A Head Full of Dreams, listeners should be aware Coldplay isn't recording songs to get back to stadium tours. They're composing an album with full intentionality, and the producer is as much a part of the band as any member. The video for this song reminds me of a calendar my mom bought me. Every month had an optical illusion painted by surrealist painter Rob Gonsalves.

IT'S IN YOUR BLOOD. Today is my mom's birthday, so I'm dedicating a song to her. In my teenage years I vowed to never be like my mom, as far as her musical tastes go. My mom is the daughter of a concert violinist and violist. But being forced to take piano and violin lessons, my mom grew to hate playing music. This was a major contrast to my musical upbringing because once I started playing guitar, I practiced for hours. As far as listening to music, I grew up around music. From kids songs both religious and secular to soothing-classically inspired hymns, my mom played the same music over and over again. I remember when she got her ten CD set of baroque classics, which included The Four Seasons, Water Music, The Brandenburg Concertos and other works by Bach, Handel, Telemann, and others. When we moved to North Carolina, she started listening to light Contemporary Christian Music. It was just something that was on in the car. But slowly, as the kids got older, she started listening to some of her favorites from the '70s and '80s. We listened to Elton John's greatest hits, Journey, Chicago. She wouldn't tolerate anything new. Until she heard Coldplay's "Viva la Vida." From then on she was hooked on Coldplay and slowly she started listening to other "newer" music too.

FIXING UP A CAR, DRIVING IT AGAIN. In my early 30s, I understand my mom a lot better, as far as music goes. I'm writing a blog about mostly old music which is connected to some of my memories. It's exhausting to keep up with the teens on Tick Tok to find out what's cool and what's not. My idea of new music is going onto Apple Music and finding albums I missed from artists I already know. When she heard "Viva La Vida" she bought the album and it's all that we listened to in the car for about a year. She listened to their other albums, including this one. My dad complained about "too much Coldplay" on a family trip up to New York, which sparked a fight for miles until they found something else to fight about. Family road trips are now a thing of the past, but you never forget being cramped into the back seat of a Toyota Corolla with your two sisters, my mom's music blaring. As a teenager you think it will keep going forever. Happy birthday, Mom!

https://genius.com/Coldplay-up-up-lyrics