Yellow (Coldplay song)
"Yellow" is a song by the British rock band Coldplay. The band wrote the song and co-produced it with British record producer Ken Nelson for their debut album, Parachutes (2000). The song was released on 26 June 2000 as the second UK single from Parachutes, following "Shiver", and as the lead single in the United States.
"Yellow"
- "Help Is Round the Corner"
- "No More Keeping My Feet on the Ground"
26 June 2000
4:29
- Ken Nelson
- Coldplay
"Yellow" reached number four on the UK Singles Chart, giving Coldplay their first top-five hit in the United Kingdom. It was Coldplay's breakthrough hit internationally, reaching number one in Iceland, number five in Australia, number nine in Ireland and number 48 in the United States. Helped by radio rotation and usage in television and movies, the song thrust the band into popularity. "Yellow" has since been covered by various recording artists worldwide, and remains one of the band's most popular songs.
Background and inspiration[edit]
"Yellow" was written in Rockfield's Quadrangle studio near Monmouth in South Wales, where Coldplay began working on their debut album, Parachutes.[1] One night after finishing recording "Shiver", the band took a break and went out of the studio.[2] Outside, there were few lights on and the stars in the sky were visible and "just amazing", according to the song's co-producer, Ken Nelson.[3] He told the band to look at the stars, which they did. Lead singer Chris Martin was inspired by the sight and the song's main melody, consisting of a chord pattern, popped into his head. At first, Martin did not take it seriously and sang the tune to the rest of the band in "his worst Neil Young impersonation voice". Martin has said, "The song had the word 'stars' and that seemed like a word you should sing in a Neil Young voice."[4] The melody "started off a lot slower", according to drummer Will Champion, and it sounded like a Neil Young song.[2][5] Not long after, despite not taking the song seriously, Martin's idea worked out when he had developed the tempo of the verse. When guitarist Jonny Buckland started playing it and supplemented it with his ideas, they had created the riff, "and it sort of got a bit heavier".[2]
While composing the song's lyrics, Martin could not find the right words. He was thinking of a specific word, which he deemed a missing keyword in the lyrics, to fit the song's concept. He looked around the studio and saw the Yellow pages.[6][4][5][7] The lyrics progressed from there, with the band collaborating. Bassist Guy Berryman came up with the opening line "Look at the stars". That night, having quickly composed the song, the band recorded it.
On The Howard Stern Show in November 2011, Chris Martin explained to Stern that he was impersonating Neil Young while entertaining guests when he came across the first chord of the song, which stuck with him for a bit; then in a Neil Young voice he sang "look at the stars". Martin went on to further explain that the word "yellow" has absolutely no meaning whatsoever and while writing the rest of the song he tried his best to change "yellow" to something else since every lyric before yellow made no sense but in the end the word "yellow" just sounded right. Martin also told Stern that through the years depending on the attitude and manner of whoever interviews him, he would make up some story about a song or album titles just to move on to the next question. Martin applauded Stern saying "I like you, Howard, so that's the first time I've ever told anyone the truth behind 'Yellow'."[8] When asked if the song was about a particular girl, Chris Martin said “It’s about all girls.”[9]
Recording and production[edit]
The band and Nelson produced the track. Nelson was acquainted with the band's music through the former's manager. Nelson's manager gave him a copy of an EP and single by Coldplay, and showed interest in working with them after seeing the band perform live. "Yellow" was initially recorded upstairs in the project studio, basically a demo room in Liverpool's Parr Street Studios.[1][2] The track was later mixed in New York City.
Nelson and the band encountered problems in producing some aspects of the song. According to Champion, "... it was really difficult to record because it worked at about five or six different tempos. It was a tough choice of choosing which tempo to play, because sometimes it sounded too rushed, and sometimes it sounded as if it was dragging..."[2] The band was trying to get the right tempo, according to Nelson, "because a beat either side of the tempo we picked didn't have the same groove". To improve the song, they recorded this part live and Buckland overdubbed his guitar. They recorded it two or three times until Nelson and the band were happy at the output. The backing vocals were recorded in the control room of Quadrangle.[1]
Nelson used an analogue 2-inch type tape in recording most of the tracks on the album. As the recording progressed, "Yellow" was one of a couple of songs that they "couldn't quite get on analogue". They recorded different versions but it did not satisfy their taste. So Nelson used Pro Tools "to get the feel of [the track] just right"; once all takes were recorded into the computer, "we then put it down to the 2-inch, which I found was a great way to do it", according to Nelson.[1]
Composition[edit]
"Yellow" has been called an alternative rock,[10] post-Britpop,[11] and pop rock song.[12] Martin has explained, "'Yellow' refers to the mood of the band. Brightness and hope and devotion." The references in some of the lyrics, including swimming and drawing a line, "are all metaphorical slants on the extent of his emotional devotion".[13] The drawing of a line refers to Martin's habit of writing lists, and underlining those important things on the list. Martin has commented that the song is about devotion, referring to his unrequited love for someone or something. Despite its lyrical theme, many fans have considered "Yellow" to be an upbeat track, although it is often interpreted as melancholy as well.[14] The song is written in the key of B major with a tempo of 88 beats per minute.[15]
Critical reception[edit]
The song received critical acclaim. Matt Diehl of Rolling Stone has noted "Yellow" is "unrepentantly romantic", adding that "the band creates a hypnotic slo-mo otherworld where spirit rules supreme".[21] "Yellow" has also won Best Single at the 2001 NME Awards and got nominated at the 2002 Grammy Awards for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.[22] Billboard said that "every time that electric-guitar riff barges in, you're hooked all over again."[23] In October 2011, NME placed it at number 139 on their "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years" list.[24] In a retrospective article from 2020, The Independent praised the band for how the song "made being heartfelt seem effortless".[25] In 2021, Billboard included "Yellow" at 35th place in their "Greatest Songs of 2001" list.[26]
Chart performance[edit]
In the United Kingdom, its midweek sales suggested that the single would reach the Top 10 of the chart. Although the band supposed "Yellow" would decline inside the Top 20, they would have considered its performance a triumph since the album's lead single, "Shiver", had only reached the 35th position. "Yellow"'s second-week sales were stronger than the first week, and the song eventually reached number four, giving the band their first Top 10 single in the United Kingdom.[27] The popularity of the song in British clubs, pubs and sporting events bolstered the album to debut at number one on the UK Albums Chart.[28] As of February 2015, the song has sold 530,000 copies in the UK.[29]
"Yellow" achieved popularity in the United States and was Coldplay's first American hit.[30] The single charted on eight different Billboard singles charts;[31] it also topped various US modern-rock radio playlists in the spring of 2001. The single performed as it did in Europe and has helped Parachutes be certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America during the single's stay on the chart.[32] As of October 2014, the song has sold over 2 million copies in the US.[33]
After Coldplay's appearance at Sound Relief in Australia, in the charting week starting 22 March 2009, the single made a return to the Australian ARIA Top 50, after almost eight years since its last appearance in the Top 50. It re-entered the chart at number 48. In the week starting 27 November 2023, the single once again returned to the same charts, entering at number 42.[34]
"Yellow" has been covered by many musicians across languages and musical styles.