User:Pmlineditor/Fix You

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"Fix You"
Song by Coldplay
from the album X&Y
B-side"The World Turned Upside Down"
"Pour Me" (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)
Released5 September 2005
GenreAlternative rock, progressive rock
Length4:54 (album version)
4:37 (video edit)
4:07 (radio edit)
LabelParlophone
Songwriter(s)Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, Will Champion
Producer(s)Coldplay, Ken Nelson
Coldplay singles chronology
"Speed of Sound"
(2005) 		"Fix You"
(2005) 		"Talk"
(2005)

"Fix You" is a song by English alternative rock band Coldplay. It was written by all four members of the band for their third album, X&Y. The song is built around an organ. It also has slow tempo drums and vocals. It was released on 5 September 2005. It was the second single from X&Y. It reached number four in the United Kingdom Singles Chart. In the United States Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks, it reached number eighteen.

"Fix You" received positive reviews. Critics praised the song's music. Many singers have sampled the song sampled. There are also different covers and sounds. The song, itself, was nominated for many awards. The music video was made as a tribute to the 7 July 2005 London bombings.

Background[change | change source]

When writing the song, vocalist Chris Martin wanted to use a church organ for the track. Martin could not get such a church organ. Instead, he used an old keyboard that his late father-in-law, Bruce Paltrow, gave to his daughter Gwyneth.[1] Martin has said that "Fix You" is a copy of English alternative rock band Elbow's 2003 song "Grace Under Pressure" at other times.[2] Some sources say Martin wrote the song for his wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, after her father, Bruce Paltrow, died.[3][4]

When Martin was asked about how he starting composing the song, he said: "My father-in-law Bruce Paltrow bought this big keyboard just before he died. No one had ever plugged it in. I plugged it in, and there was this incredible sound I'd never heard before. All these songs poured out from this one sound. Something has to inspire you, and something else takes over. It's very cloudy."[5] Martin also noted that the song is "probably the most important song we've ever written".[6]

Coldplay bassist, Guy Berryman, has said that the song takes "a bit of inspiration" from Jimmy Cliff's 1969 song "Many Rivers to Cross". Berryman also added, "It becomes its own thing, kind of like points of inspiration that kind of lead you down certain paths. Whenever you want to write a song like someone else, it ultimately ends up sounding like something different anyway."[7]

Composition[change | change source]

The song features an organ and piano sound.[8] The song starts with a hushed electric organ ballad, including Martin's falsetto.[9] 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,[10] piano notes, acoustic and electric guitar riffs, drums, and a singalong chorus.[11]

The message throughout the song, in which Martin's sings, is words of encouragement: "Lights will guide you home / And ignite your bones / And I will try to fix you."[12][13][14] Michele Hatty of USA Weekend reported that Martin sings about recovering from grief in the song.[15] Travis Gass of the Bangor Daily News wrote that Martin offers his sympathies for the downtrodden, with "When you love someone and it goes to waste / What could be worse?". Gass goes on to interpret that the "booming drums" and chorus is that of Queen's 1975 song "Bohemian Rhapsody".[16]

Release[change | change source]

Coldplay released "Fix You" in the UK and US on 5 September 2005 as the second single of their third album.[17] The single was pressed with two B-side's: "The World Turned Upside Down" and "Pour Me".[17][18] On 14 September 2005, the band released the Fix You EP in the iTunes Store.[17] In response to Hurricane Katrina, all of the sales went to the American Red Cross Hurricane 2005 Relief and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences' MusiCares Hurricane Relief Fund.[17] Promotional singles were released in the UK and US.[17]

The track peaked at number four in the UK Singles Chart on 17 September 2005.[19] It peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 18 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks.[20] The song also charted on the Billboard Pop 100 and Hot Digital Songs.[20] The single appeared in Australia's Singles Chart in the number four position on 18 September 2005,[21] after retiring in the 58 spot.[21] It also appeared at number eight on the Irish Singles Chart and spent seven consecutive weeks on the chart.[22] On 14 November 2010, the song re-entered the Australian singles chart at number 37.[23]

In 2009, the song also appeared on Coldplay's live album, LeftRightLeftRightLeft.[24]

Reception[change | change source]

Chris Martin playing "Fix You" on a synthesizer during the band's 2008 Viva la Vida Tour

The song received positive reception from music critics. In the Rolling Stone review of the album, critic Kelefa Sanneh wrote: "One of the best is 'Fix You', an unabashedly sentimental song where Martin delivers words of encouragement in a gentle falsetto [...] Proving once more that no band can deliver a stately rock ballad like this one."[12] Paul McNamee of NME magazine wrote: "It’s a wonderful song that shifts from simple stark piano and voice to a ringing, clattering burst of intent and proto-prog four-part harmony."[25] Adrien Begrand of PopMatters in his review of the album, noted the song as the "best ballad" off X&Y.[26] In 2005, the song appeared at number two on Q magazine's "100 Greatest Tracks of the Year",[27] and was listed as one of the "Tracks of the Year" by NME in 2005.[28]

In 2005, Coldplay performed the song live on Saturday Night Live and the Live 8 event in July.[29] "Fix You" was also played on Shelter from the Storm.[17] It has also become a tribute song for the victims and eventually became the anthem for the event.[17] The song was featured in an episode of the American teen drama television series The O.C..[30][31] The half part of the song was played over the trailer for the 2006 film World Trade Center.[32][33] It was also featured in the 2006 movie You, Me and Dupree.[34] The track was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award in the category of Best Song musically and lyrically.[35][36] The song was also nominated for an UK Festival Award in the category of Anthem of the Summer.[37] On 14 March 2009, the band performed a rendition of the song at the relief concert, Sound Relief, in Sydney, Australia.[38]

The song appears in The Acoustic Album (2006). It was performed in 2006 by the New England octogenarian chorus group Young@Heart. The group's performance was led by former chorus member Fred Knittle, who suffered from congestive heart failure and breathed with assistance from an oxygen tank. The performance was originally planned to be a duet between Knittle and Bob Salvini, another former chorus member, but Salvini died shortly before the show. Knittle performed it as a solo, as a tribute to his friend.[39] The performance was initially recorded for a British documentary that aired on Channel 4; footage of the performance was uploaded to YouTube in November 2006 to positive response.[40][41] An expanded version of the film, titled Young@Heart, debuted at the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival and was released in US theatres in 2008.[42][43]

Music video[change | change source]

The music video for "Fix You" was directed by Sophie Muller, who had previously worked with the band for their 2002 video "In My Place".[44] The video was filmed at the end of two concerts on 4 July and 5 July 2005 at Reebok Stadium in Bolton, England.[45] The concert goers doubled as extras for the video shoot, which required two takes on each day to complete.[17][46]

In the first half of the video, Martin wanders the streets of London, while the slogan "Make Trade Fair" is projected onto the Royal National Theatre, using the same ITA2 colour scheme on the cover of X&Y. The tunnels that Martin is seen wandering within are located along Tooley Street which is near London Bridge station. The bridge that he walks across is Waterloo Bridge, which connects the Southbank with The Strand. As soon as the electric guitar kicks in, Martin darts through streets corners until finally reaching the Reebok Stadium, where he joins the rest of the band for the song's finale. The metal steps signal the start of the Reebok Stadium scene.

The video debuted on 1 August 2005.[47] The music video was nominated at the 15th annual Music Video Production Association Awards in the category of Adult Contemporary.[47] After its release, the music video was garnered as a tribute to the 7 July 2005 London bombings.[17]

Track listing[change | change source]

  1. "Fix You" (edit) – 4:37
  2. "The World Turned Upside Down" – 4:32
  3. "Pour Me" (Live at the Hollywood Bowl) – 5:01 (featured on the UK Enhanced CD, Australian, and US iTunes EP versions)
  4. "Fix You" (video) (featured on the UK Enhanced CD and US iTunes EP versions)

Charts[change | change source]

Chart (2005) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[48] 25
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[49] 58
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Flanders)[50] 5
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[51] 3
Canadian Hot 100[52] 4
Italy (FIMI)[53] 13
Ireland (IRMA)[54] 8
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[55] 54
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[56] 17
Polish Singles Chart[57] 4
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[58] 26
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[59] 53
UK Singles (OCC)[60] 4
US Billboard Hot 100 59
US Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks 18
US Billboard Pop 100 42

References[change | change source]

  1. ↑ Kennedy, John. "Coldplay on X&Y". Xfm. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
  2. ↑ "Coldplay admit 'Fix You' is a copy of Elbow's track". Female First. 2005-06-08. Retrieved 2008-11-27.
  3. ↑ Gordon, Devin (2005-05-30). "Hot for Coldplay". Newsweek. MSNBC. Retrieved 2007-02-15.
  4. ↑ Breimeier, Russ (2005). "Coldplay: X&Y". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on July 9, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-13.
  5. ↑ Gundersen, Edna (2005-06-02). "Catch Coldplay". USA Today. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
  6. ↑ Gordon, Devin (2005-05-30). "Hot For Coldplay". Newsweek. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  7. ↑ Spout, Gene (2005-08-12). "Stardom and anonymity: Coldplay's bassist has the best of both worlds". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
  8. ↑ "Coldplay — Fix You". NME. 2005-09-19. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  9. ↑ "Coldplay — Fix You review". Virgin Media. 2005-09-05. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  10. ↑ "New Singles". Daily Mirror. 2005-09-02. Retrieved 2009-05-22.
  11. ↑ Hubbard, Michael (2005-09-05). "Coldplay — Fix You — Track reviews". MusicOMH. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Sanneh, Kelefa (2005-06-16). "X&Y — Coldplay". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 6, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  13. ↑ "Fix You Lyrics". MTV. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  14. ↑ Downer, Adam (2005-10-28). "Coldplay — X&Y Review". Sputnik Music. Retrieved 2008-11-27.
  15. ↑ Hatty, Michele (2005-07-24). "Now hear this". USA Weekend.
  16. ↑ Gass, Travis (2005-06-17). "Coldplay's new album brilliant, pompous". Bangor Daily News: 10.
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 17.7 17.8 "Coldplay Ezine: Issue 15" (PDF). Coldplay.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 8, 2006. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  18. ↑ "Fix You by Coldplay". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo!. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  19. ↑ "Chart Stats — Coldplay". Chart Stats. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Artist Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-10-28. [dead link]
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Austria Top 40". Austrian Charts. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  22. ↑ "Fix You". Irish Charts. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  23. ↑ "Top 50 Singles Chart". Aria Charts. 2010-11-15. Retrieved 2010-11-16.
  24. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (2009-05-01). "Coldplay Reward Fans With Free Live LP "LeftRightLeftRightLeft"". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2009-05-21. [dead link]
  25. ↑ McNamee, Paul (2005-05-23). "Coldplay: X&Y". NME. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  26. ↑ Begrand, Adrien (2005-06-05). "Coldplay: X&Y review". PopMatters. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  27. ↑ Akbar, Arifa (2005-12-02). "Sensitive souls of rock 'n' roll show their strength with album prize". The Independent. Retrieved 2009-04-14.
  28. ↑ "NME Tracks Of The Year 2005". NME. Retrieved 2009-01-29.
  29. ↑ "Coldplay Ezine: Issue 14" (PDF). Coldplay.com. July 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on August 8, 2006. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  30. ↑ J. J. Philbin and Michael Lange (2005-05-12). "The O.Sea". The O.C. Season 2. Episode 23. 42 minutes in. Fox.
  31. ↑ Tannenbaum, Rob (2005-05-29). "Chill Factor". New York. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  32. ↑ World Trade Center (DVD). Paramount Pictures. 2006.
  33. ↑ "World Trade Center information". Sound Track Info. 2006-08-08. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  34. ↑ You, Me and Dupree (DVD). Universal Pictures. 2006.
  35. ↑ Gibson, Owen (2006-04-25). "Arctic Monkeys among Novello award hopefuls". The Guardian. guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-10-28. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  36. ↑ "Coldplay top Ivor nomination list". BBC News. BBC. 2006-04-24. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  37. ↑ "Coldplay Ezine: Issue 16" (PDF). Coldplay.com. December 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 18, 2007. Retrieved 2008-10-28.
  38. ↑ Moran, Jonathon (2009-03-15). "Coldplay are Aussies for a day at Sound Relief". The Daily Telegraph (Australia). News Corporation. Retrieved 2009-03-16.
  39. ↑ Ansen, David (2008-03-18). "Songs in the Key of Life". Newsweek. Archived from the original on March 30, 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-27.
  40. ↑ Jake Coyle (2007-06-24). "Young@Heart bridges the age gap". Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
  41. ↑ Ronni Gordon (2007-03-09). "'Young@Heart' documentary at Academy". The Republican. Retrieved 2008-03-13.
  42. ↑ "Young@Heart - 2008". Variety. 2008-04-09. Retrieved 2008-10-29. [dead link]
  43. ↑ Horn, John (2008-04-10). "'Juno' set high box office standard for fest fare". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
  44. ↑ Wiederhorn, Jon (2002-08-12). "Single Saves Coldplay". MTV News. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
  45. ↑ Montgomery, James (2005-08-02). "Coldplay's Clip For 'Fix You': All-New Footage Of Chris Martin Walking Around". MTV News. Retrieved 2008-09-04.
  46. ↑ "Bolton Wanderers". BBC Manchester. BBC. 2007-08-31. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
  47. ↑ 47.0 47.1 "Coldplay - "Fix You"". Mvdbase.com. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
  48. ↑ "Coldplay – Fix You". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  49. ↑ "Coldplay – Fix You" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  50. ↑ "Coldplay – Fix You" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  51. ↑ "Coldplay – Fix You" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  52. ↑ "Coldplay > Charts & Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 2009-09-22.
  53. ↑ "Coldplay – Fix You". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  54. ↑ "Chart Track: Week 37, 2011". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  55. ↑ "Coldplay – Fix You" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  56. ↑ "Coldplay – Fix You". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  57. ↑ "Polish Singles Chart".
  58. ↑ "Coldplay – Fix You". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  59. ↑ "Coldplay – Fix You". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 17 June 2011.
  60. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.

External links[change | change source]

Category:2005 singles Category:Coldplay songs Category:Rock ballads Category:Hurricane Katrina relief charity singles Category:Parlophone singles Category:Music videos directed by Sophie Muller Category:Enhanced CDs Category:Songs written by Chris Martin Category:Songs written by Guy Berryman Category:Songs written by Jonny Buckland Category:Songs written by Will Champion

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