Coldplay got their big break in the music industry with their first studio album, Parachutes. Released on July 10, 2000, Parachutes was positively received by critics worldwide because of its pop-rock elements. The album was produced by the band with help from British producers, Chris Allison and Ken Nelson through Parlophone Records. Each song on this album presents its own story, narrated with the vocals of the main singer, Chris Martin. It consists of 10 songs and runs for about 40 minutes. Was Coldplay’s fame from Parachutes deserved?
It certainly earned its reputation.
Introduction
After releasing their EP, The Blue Room, Chris Allison saw major success in Coldplay’s future. He decided to help create an album with the band. In Parachutes, we see lots of similar styles to their EP with different tones. The album is majorly rock with hints of pop included. They started off creating an entire rock album and throughout the process of its creation, added in more pop elements like upbeat vocals. The album’s popularity is often credited to the vocals on the tracks, as Chris Martin delivers a jammed-pack performance on each song. The album showcases themes of unconditional love, heartbreak, and security with a message being thrown into every lyric. As their first album, Coldplay did an impressive job with its creation.
Production
In 1999, Coldplay started to produce Parachutes after their debut EP. They choose to add more pop on this album than their prior project. The album is carried by a guitar that constantly conveys the emotions of the singer. With bass and drums being added throughout the album, the album feels deep even though it has simple elements. On “Sparks”, a soft guitar plays that collides with Martin’s vocals in the right way that gives the listener a quiet, yet passionate song that correlates to the listener’s need. On the other hand, in “Yellow,” there are more aggressive drums that come together with the vocals that creates a happy and eventful song for the listener. Each song has its own feeling in Parachutes that can have something for every listener.
Vocal Performance
Throughout the entirety of the album, the tracks move along smoothly due to lead singer, Chris Martin’s, strong tone. He has total control of his voice in the higher parts of the music and knows exactly how to channel his emotion into his music. His voice is unique because of his slight accent and wide range. The musical instruments blend perfectly with Martin’s strong vocals and enhance the music environment and feeling due to the clarity between the two components. The emotion of each song is elevated with Martin’s tone, because one can feel exactly how Martin is just based on his pronunciation. He delivers his best performance on this album with “Yellow” by showcasing his ability to achieve high notes. The album feels whole and passionate, with heavy thanks to Chris Martin’s miraculous performance.
Meaning
Each song on the album has some kind of meaning of love, heartbreak, or security. Chris sings of being passionate in love with a woman, and that he will do anything for her. He makes sure that she will be safe, as said in “We Never Change”. The meaning behind this album pairs extremely well with Chris’s voice and create a powerful feeling to it. Every track conveys this sensitive meaning in its own way. The album title, Parachutes, also carries a meaning of safety and security. The singer feels like he can protect his lover no matter what and “will always look out for her,” as sang in “Sparks”. The meaning behind Parachutes only enhances the complexity of the album by creating an experience for the listener that touches their own feelings.
Conclusion
Coldplay did an amazing job creating this album that allows each listener to have their own emotions for every song. The production added key components that elevated the feeling of each song. Chris’s vocals give a sense of empowerment towards the music and created a peaceful, yet passionate atmosphere around the album. The themes hit home with many listeners as they struggle with their own feelings of love and hate. Coldplay is an immaculate band and deserve the praise they receive.
Song Rankings:
- “Sparks”
- “Yellow”
- “We Never Change”
- “High Speed”
- “Shiver”
- “Trouble”
- “Spies”
- “Don’t Panic”
- “Parachutes”
- “Everything’s Not Lost”
Strongest Track ~ “Sparks” is the best song on this album, because it shows the sensitivity of the singer and how passionate he truly is about his love. The guitar throughout the song enhances the song perfectly to create an experience anyone can appreciate. It is the perfect length and one can hear how emotional the vocals in the song are. It is one of the best songs Coldplay ever created.
Weakest Track ~ “Everything’s Not Lost” is too long to be consider a great song. The song is very repetitive and could be cut down to just a few minutes. It could become a great song if there was more definition in the music and more flavor. The song adds to the album by creating a feeling of ending, but the length is just unnecessary.
Final Notes
Song rankings are always subject to change over time, so don’t take these too to heart. They also are just our opinion. We would love to hear your opinions, so leave them in the comment section below. We also suggest subscribing to our blog. To do so, go under the tab “Contact” and fill out the form. That will allow you to receive emails of new blogs and maybe get them ahead of time. Finally, go give Parachutes a listen for yourself.