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23 of Coldplay's biggest singles, ranked from worst to best

Look at the stars…

THEY’RE ONE OF the biggest acts in the world. Sure, didn’t they only play in Croke Park last night?

But what are Coldplay’s best songs? Allow us to present a ranking of every single of theirs that has ever charted in Ireland.

23. Something Just Like This

ChainsmokersVEVO / YouTube

This is technically a perfectly acceptable EDM song, but I just cannot in good conscience condone any collaboration with The Chainsmokers.

22. Christmas Lights

Coldplay Official / YouTube

This is Coldplay’s profoundly dull attempt at writing a Christmas song. The fact that I forgot this song existed until now speaks to how successful they were. It sounds like they auditioned to be featured in a John Lewis ad about a stuffed giraffe before being deemed too mopey.

21. Lost!

Coldplay Official / YouTube

A collaboration between Coldplay and Jay-Z ought to be cause for excitement, but this is fairly forgettable. Far from a standout, let’s put it that way.

20. Atlas

Coldplay Official / YouTube

Atlas was written for Hunger Games: Catching Fire and while it certainly works in the context of Jennifer Lawrence shooting arrows or whatever, I’m not convinced it’s a song anybody would be especially arsed listening to while walking to work, say.

19. Life in Technicolor II

Coldplay Official / YouTube

Life in Technicolor ii is perfectly fine, if a little by-the-numbers. It sounds like it was written for those moments Chris Martin has to leave the stage to wipe sweat from his brow and change his t-shirt.

18. Talk

Coldplay Official / YouTube

Talk is a low-key banger but loses marks for being a cover of Kraftwerk’s Computer Love.

17. Violet Hill

Coldplay Official / YouTube

Not exactly the uplifting fare we’ve come to expect from Coldplay, but solid nonetheless. Even if it contains frankly student-y lyrics likening banks to cathedrals. (We don’t worship God anymore, you see. We worship money.)

16. Magic

Coldplay Official / YouTube

Positively understated when compared to Coldplay’s recent music catalogue. Magic isn’t an Absolute Tune, but it makes for pleasant background music.

15. Hymn For The Weekend

Coldplay Official / YouTube

It may be the musical equivalent of taking a gap year trip to Bali that’s totally life-changing, man, but there’s no denying Hymn For The Weekend is a bop. Much respect to Beyoncé for getting a feature credit on this song for basically singing background vocals.

14. Adventure of a Lifetime

Coldplay Official / YouTube

Adventure of a Lifetime has everything you could possibly want from a pop song – dancing apes and a beat that sounds faintly Irish.

Boom.

13. A Sky Full of Stars

Coldplay Official / YouTube

It may be the musical equivalent of taking a photo of a sunset and writing, “You absolute beaut,” but it helped solidify Coldplay’s status as EDM banger merchants. Fun thing to do: replace the lyrics in A Sky Full Of Stars to “a bag full of cans”.

12. Charlie Brown

Coldplay Official / YouTube

This is very “epic montage to get you psyched for a hurling quarter-final” but it’s also classic Coldplay. Cheery, catchy and perfect for jumping around to in a field.

11. Every Teardrop is a Waterfall

Coldplay Official / YouTube

I will concede that the song title is woegus, but Every Teardrop is a Waterfall serves its purpose. We defy you to listen to and not involuntarily nod your head.

10. Princess of China

Coldplay Official / YouTube

I COULD’VE BEEN A PRINCESS, YOU’D BE A KING. COULD’VE HAD A CASTLE AND WORN A RING. 

The best of Coldplay’s collaborations by a country mile. A testament to Rihanna’s abilities to improve any song she’s a part of.

9. Paradise

Coldplay Official / YouTube

If ever there was a song made for roaring along to and violently punching the air, it’s Paradise. Lighters up now.

8. In My Place

Coldplay Official / YouTube

Do you want to hear something horrifying? In My Place is 15 years old now. Conceivably there could be teens that age at the Croke Park gig. Anyway, In My Place is a good early noughties rock track to wail along to while elongating every vowel.

Yeaaaaah, how loooong must you wait foooor meeee? 

7. Speed of Sound

Coldplay Official / YouTube

 

AND BIRDS GO FLYING AT THE SPEED OF SOUND/TO SHOW YOU HOW IT ALL BEGAN

6. Trouble

Coldplay Official / YouTube

A melancholy number from Coldplay’s debut album about being a bit of a shit to your other half basically. Play it the next time you accidentally throw your partner’s important white top into a wash with a vivid pink vest.

5. The Scientist

Coldplay Official / YouTube

Not only does this have an iconic, mind-bending music video, it’s also a quality Sad Banger™ and one that might make you well up depending on how hungover and/or hormonal you are.

4. Fix You

Coldplay Official / YouTube

Okay, Fix You might be the butt of jokes now that it’s the go-to bop for weddings and inspirational Comic Relief montages, but you have to admit that it’s a bona fide anthem. Any song that can bring that much joy to people counts as special even if it’s not your cup of tea.

3. Viva La Vida

Coldplay Official / YouTube

By far the best of Coldplay’s forays into uplifting pop. Listen to Viva La Vida and you’ll feel overcome with Chris Martin’s contagious optimism. “Maybe the world isn’t so bad after all! Trump and Brexit can’t bring me down! Viva la vida!”

2. Clocks

Coldplay Official / YouTube

That piano riff, though. There’s a reason this one was named Record of the Year at the Grammy Awards.

1. Yellow

Coldplay Official / YouTube

It couldn’t be anything else, could it? Coldplay’s debut single still stands among their best. It’s romantic, it’s lovely, it’s whopper. Just ask Beyoncé and Jay-Z.

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