When Coldplay debuted in 2000, I had a far different image of them than I would several years later.
My first exposure was through the video for the band’s first U.S. single, ‘Yellow.’ In that clip, lead singer Chris Martin walks around on a dreary beach looking like a cross between a heroin addict and Gollum from The Lord of the Rings. At least that’s how I remember it.
Two years later, the band released the alt-rock stunner A Rush of Blood to the Head and Chris Martin was engaged to Gwyneth Paltrow and as close to a sex symbol as a pale English singer-songwriter can get.
Looking back, Parachutes certainly laid the groundwork for the music to come. And Martin was probably as charismatic then as he would be a couple of years later. I blame my misconception on the lighting in that video.
By a stroke of luck, the Random Weekend fairy has settled on the loveliest track on Parachutes. ‘Sparks’ owes a tremendous debt to Nick Drake but Martin, through his stellar vocals, makes it his own.
I know what you’ll say,
You say, “Oh, sing one we know”,
But I promise you this,
I’ll always look out for you,
That’s what I’ll do.
I say “oh,”
I say “oh.”
My heart is yours,
It’s you that I hold on to,
That’s what I do,
And I know I was wrong,
But I won’t let you down,
(Oh yeah, yeah, yes I will)
I say “oh”,
I cry “oh”.
And I saw sparks,
Yeah I saw sparks,
And I saw sparks,
Yeah I saw sparks,
Sing it out.
La, la, la, la, oh
La, la, la, la, oh
La, la, la, la, oh
Meet Me In Montauk 
Charismatic? I don’t get it. While I find myself enjoying an odd Coldplay track now and again, I don’t ever understand what all the fuss is about. How did THIS band manage to break through to become such megastars, while so many equally talented artists don’t manage to get much radio play at all? A question for the ages, I know.
I didn’t get the appeal of Coldplay at first, but the more I heard, the more I liked. Not sure I would describe him as charismatic, but certaintly talented,
There are far less talented bands that have become far more popular, so I don’t think Coldplay should be the subject of that question for the ages, Amy. They deserve success, even if I can name personal favorites I feel deserve it even more.
Martin has struck me as more personally appealing in recent years, with his SNL appearances and the like. Maybe spending time with the Hollywood crowd has rubbed off on him.