A Rush Of Blood To The Head
Coldplay
2002
Album Summary
A Rush of Blood to the Head is the second studio album by British rock band Coldplay. It was released on 26 August 2002 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom, and a day later by Capitol Records in the United States. Recording started after the band became popular worldwide with the release of their debut album Parachutes (2000), and one of its singles in particular, "Yellow". The album was produced by the band and Ken Nelson, and makes greater use of the electric guitar and piano than its predecessor. The album topped the UK Albums Chart upon its first week of release in the United Kingdom, and became the eighth biggest-selling album of the 21st century in the UK. The British Phonographic Industry has since certified the album 10× Platinum for its accumulated sales of over 3 million units in the UK and the album has sold 15 million copies worldwide. The album spawned the hit singles "In My Place", "The Scientist", and "Clocks". "God Put a Smile upon Your Face" was also released, but was significantly less successful. A Rush of Blood to the Head has been critically acclaimed, and the band received three Grammy Awards for the album; the 2003 Grammy for Best Alternative Album, which was the band's second win in a row, the 2003 Grammy for Best Rock Performance with the song "In My Place", and the 2004 Grammy for Record of the Year with the song "Clocks". In 2020, it was ranked number 324 on Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". It was also among ten albums nominated for the best British album of the previous 30 years by the Brit Awards in 2010, ultimately losing to (What's the Story) Morning Glory? by Oasis.
WikipediaI will risk being called a math nerd but I need to use that side of the brain to try to show why the number of Coldplay listens on Spotify is so confusing. So - some simple math. On Spotify The Scientist has 1.2 billion - that's with a B - listens. That's more than 15% of the world's population. I can't believe more than 1 in 10 people want to hear this song. But wait - it's far worse! Spotify has only 200 million subscribers. So on average, each Spotify subscriber has listened to this song six times and if only 5% of subscribers (being 10 million which sounds way too high) actually like - and listen to - this song, then those soup lovers have listened to this 120 times each. Why would anyone do that? Who are these people? Do you know any? I know none of my friends listen to it. Ditto for my enemies. But those people must exist. There can't be just one Gen Yer playing it over and over 24 hours per day.
2.4 + Had a burned copy of this in 2002 when I was going through a tough breakup. Initially some of these songs hit well but after about a week the goopy sincerity and simplistic song structures and lyrics began to grate. This is a Paulo Coelho-esque, universalist, "we're-all-in-this-together" soundtrack, where the songs paint a very basic emotional landscape - vaguely sad, vaguely longing, vaguely hopeful - such that anyone can fill in the broad strokes with their own flourishes and colors. It's lowest common denominator music aimed at drawing a broad swath of listeners, likely those with less discerning musical palates who seek affirmation in music and eschew any challenge. I imagine it also helps if your English language skills are still developing - Chris Martin's voice labors deliberately through stanzas of simple words, enunciating every "F", "C" and "S." Here's another album that makes me question the premise behind this exercise - is this really an album to hear before I die??
I’m sorry for judging you Coldplay. This is honestly a great album. There’s something about the writing and tone, simplicity and emotion in the lead vocals that really get you
Its alright, it goes on a bit, as i listen to it i can image in parallel worlds people in wandsworth necking white wine around the kitchen table and talking about that time they went to a live gig and in another chris martin counting his spotify royalties whilst idly penning a tweet telling other people how to live Tbf this was the album they made before falling completely into the chasm of being superstar nobs so most of the tracks are still very listenable...clocks, the scientist and in my place are all great songs but its hard for me to listen to it without going to a mental place where chris martin is a nob and coldplay are boring which is a shame as this and 9parachutes were great in their time.
Coldplay gets a bad rap for being bland or corny but these songs are compelling enough to me that I enjoyed the album quite a bit! Varied songwriting and solid hooks that keeps the runtime fresh, exceptional production that plays to that songwriting, and a few hit songs to keep things fresh at the halfway point. My biggest problem, however, is the runtime. A couple of songs in the back half could easily be axed to allow for a more digestible album, but instead it ends up feeling a bit bloated and kills the momentum near the end. The CD era of albums is certainly to blame for this, but alas.
I’ve never been a fan of Coldplay but also never really listened to them, so in a strange way was looking forward to this record to either surprise me or confirm my dislike of them. Good lord they are the most boring, whiny, self indulgent band of all time. I will never understand the appeal of this band
I couldn't even make it two full tracks in. I wanted to give it a more thorough listen and lay out all the reasons why Coldplay is boring music for boring people, but life is too short to waste listening to Coldplay.
Some great songs, but also a fair bit of filler. Struggled to make it to the end! Between a 3 and a 4, but as it’s Coldplay I’ll round down.
Highlights: God Put A Smile On Your Face, The Scientist, Daylight I've always thought of Coldplay as the alternate-universe version of Radiohead that continued to explore the Pablo Honey sound and style; and surely there is room for both versions. As such, I never understood the hate that Coldplay gets...They're one of the biggest acts in the world and every one of their albums top charts. For good reason, too; Chris Martin's instantly-recognizable voice is the backbone of every song, accompanied by Buckland, Berry, and Champion, every song feels bigger than the sum of its parts, but not overwhelming. God Put A Smile... is enrapturing and captivating, probably one of the band's strongest cuts, but then it's followed by The Scientist, which is almost as fantastic. Clocks and Daylight at the crest of the record keep the highs going...Near the closer is the title track which also serves as an apt description. Rush of Blood might be peak Coldplay, but it would be be a disservice to the listener to stop the journey here.
I find the popularity of Coldplay's dull music kinda irritating. Has anyone ever said "I got into music and formed a band because of Coldplay"? But to it's hard to knock the accessibility of their songwriting and ignore some of the megahits on this album. 7/10
One of my favorite albums of all-time. Finished right after 9/11, it truly reflects vulnerability and pain.
This is a great album. Coldplay’s overplayed hits & media personas may lead one to lose sight of their innovation and artistry. ‘The Scientiist’ is cleverly crafted and executed perfectly. The album’s concepts and sequencing are very well thought out - great opener with a touch of turmoil, plenty of soaring chorus builds bathed in reverb, and somehow the sparseness of the guitar makes it that much more impactful. On a personal note, I will never forget performing Green Eyes’ at my friends Rob & Peggy’s wedding.
I feel like a lot of people are overly critical of Coldplay, more so than they need to be. These seem to be the same people I get into arguments with about the importance of pop music. Anyway, this album reminds me of a very specific time in my life so I can't help but like it.
It was inoffensive. I need a 2.5 star option. This falls right at neither agree nor disagree.
With this project I find it hard to break away from the nostalgia of albums I loved in younger years. Conversely it's the same to listen to music of bands I hate. I tried but it's still shit. The music is dull the lyrics are so ernest I want to barf . His vocals are those of a bored supply teacher. I hate this so much.
Estoy convencido de que ColdPlay fue el grupo representativo de los 2000's. Aunque varias canciones tienen un tono melancólico, tienen a la vez mucha energía y pasión. Es música que anuncia el comienzo de un nuevo milenio, aunque después como que perdieron el rumbo y se descompusieron, a mi gusto.
Este disco me lo regalaron mis padres. Son 5 estrellas solo con ver la portada de nuevo. El primer tirón del disco es impresionante: Politik, In my place, God put a smile upon your face, The scientist y Clocks. 5 obras maestras del pop. Y por no hablar de "Green eyes" con ese toque folk-country-americana music.
Politik representan el disco. De lo saturado a lo simple, así el disco. Este oed8es como hablar de los discos más valiosos con bandas que son agridulces. Lo escucharemos siempre 30 veces, la neta
Barely a weak moment - a band at their peak. Politik sets the bar really high from the off and it flies from there for me. God put a smile on your face, Clocks, The Scientist, Warning Sign. A couple of weaker moments but it finishes on a total high with A rush of blood to the head being another standout track - an easy ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I enjoyed this album. Has a good vibe to have on while trying to get work done. very mellow.
Maybe the best Coldplay album? I always forget how into them I was for those first few albums.
I like this. Not my favorite album, but has the best song - The Scientist <3
So incredible!! What else can I say? Brilliant lyrically and sonically.
I've said it many times, and I'll say it again. Coldplay has 3 perfect albums, and this is one of them! Incredible songs all the way through, with lots of variation and genre blending. A thoughtful progression of tracks and sounds.
I'm biased because I'm a massive fan of the old Coldplay but I think this is a great album. The lyrics speak to me on a different level. The simplicity and tone of the music and vocals just hits the right spots.
okay this album was actually really good I would call myself a Coldplay fan (because the fanbase is pretty annoying) but I can say that this album is a 10/10 and I started listening to it being biased against it every song just performs exactly the way it’s supposed to, it’s really well done still I don’t think I’ll listen to these songs in my free time, I can still value the work that went into this, creating such a high quality product
Instant classic, one of the well defined albums of Coldplay that makes them who they are now. Politik - Chill start in the album. Beats Instrumental sets the stone. Voices supplement the overall mood that the song is portraying. Great buildup midway of the song
One of my favorites. Great album to work to, to sleep to, or to listen. Really takes me back. Solid songwriting and musicianship. A master pop album.
increíble que hayan hecho un disco tan lindo como este y después se hayan convertido en una imitación de U2 de cuarta. Clocks es una obra maestra.
Peak coldplay. Definitely a singer-songwriter vibe with atmospheric elements and everything is pretty passionate and enjoyable. Easy to put on anytime.
An absolute gem. Clocks is a brilliant song, but it's an undeniably solid album from front to back.
While I'm not a fan of what Coldplay has become, there's a reason they got to be so huge and this album is an absolute masterpiece. It's moody, has great heart and emotion, it's so easy to get into this and every song is a banger. There's a huge run of hits but even the tunes that didn't become radio hits are all great, Politik is an excellent opener. The band went on to lose the magic that made this album so fantastic, and their new tunes are all focus-group pop music to appeal to the masses. But despite the future that comes, this album stands on it's own and is worth five stars easily.
They're no Beatles but Coldplay is still one of the best acts to ever come out of Ol' Blighty even if it does seem like poor Chris Martin is always desperately in need of a hug. Not all of the songs are bangers but that's not really the Coldplay vibe so I'm not bothered. Any of the non-hits would be cornerstone tracks for any other band. Their brilliance is just dimmed because they sit in the shadow of tracks like "Clocks" and "Amsterdam" which are monsters. It's a great album, no contest.
one of my favorite albums ever - a true masterpiece front to back. Amsterdam is such an underrated song. Coldplay's best album bar none, and one of the best of the last 25 years
I loved this album so much when I was a teenager. I remember when it came out I had 14, and it was beatiful. So deep, so well constructed.
Não consigo apontar uma música ruim nesse album, em sua proposta ele é impecável. Musicas prediletas: -In My Place; -God Put a Smile upon your face -The Scientist -Clocks -Daylight -Green eyes (Foi a musica que mais ouvi em 2021 segundo lastfm) -Warning Sign -Amsterdam Datalhes desse album: O Segundo album de coldplay; Produzido pela própria banda; Extremamente autoral, Rock alternativo e melodico, com o tom meio cinza que a banda carregou e carregou a banda (rs) nos primeiros 4 albuns.
Very consistent set of perfect pop songs, with a warm sound and comforting voice.
It does not blow me away like it did in the early naughties, but the album still sounds great throughout, so I'll be generous and give it 5 stars.
I've listened to this enough times to know this is a really amazing album. While it has some of their most popular singles, the deep cuts offer more variety than straight piano ballads. It's much more rocking and offers the same warm and uplifting feeling from the last album. It's a classic album and one of Coldplay's best effort (aside from their next release after this one).
Fantastic album, totally listenable. All bar one song which is pretty impressive.
I miss when Coldplay were this good. I love this album from top to bottom. It’s not the bands best moment…they’re past it at this point, but it’s still stellar top to bottom.
I have always enjoyed Coldplay but I had never listened to this album the full way through. Wonderful experience, so many good songs on one album.
It put a smile upon my face. Essential early 00s british alternative. It's melancholy on a disc.
Surprised to see this instead of Parachutes, but it’s still a great album
I know it is fun to hate on these guys, but their first two albums - this being the second are really good. This one was ubiquitous to the point that I knew all the songs before I ever listened to it through the first time. It catapulted them to a level that may have sucked some of life from them until they made vida.
Much better than Parachutes. "Politik" was a nice song. I actually enjoyed listening to it.
Wow, I'm really impressed. This is sort of like what Radiohead might have ended up doing if they had kept their The Bends-era sound. Occasionally it was a little poppy for my tastes, but if I did a PCA on this there's no way it would end up in the John Mayer cluster. Anyone who thinks it's uncool to like these guys is a moron. Best song: Daylight (although there are quite a few to choose from). Musically dense, and I'm a sucker for the combo of strings and loopy bass.
Very chill, some great tracks. Easy to listen to, but not the most exciting sound.
Say what you want about Coldplay, their second studio album is fantastic. Ignoring the overplayed popular hits like The Scientist and Clocks, this album is just banger after banger. I am a Coldplay stan though so maybe i'm biased here. The first track Politik sets the tone and is a great opening. The closing track Amsterdam is one of my favourites, I love the crescendo at the end there. The weakest track IMO is A Whisper, but it's still great.
It’s hoot hour! Feed a bad sloth and you have to expect a good outcome, as they say. Pretty good and not grinding for a mainstream-y band. Takes me back to a trip home from Louth Races in TR’s car after I’d been bitten by a redback spider, tripping balls
First half good, second half bad. Gave me good mems of Glasto 2005 so it gets an extra star for that.
When Coldplay were top of their game, they were pretty good. I’ll save my 5 five for Parachutes