Christmas Lights (song)
Encyclopedia
"Christmas Lights" is a song by British alternative rock
band Coldplay
released on Wednesday December 1, 2010, at 8PM GMT as a digital download
. Described by the band as "a mid-tempo number" in the key of G major, the song was released to very positive reviews. The cover art is by Yu Matsuoka Pol.
Coldplay released three 'making-of' videos through their iTunes Ping
page, showing the creation of the music video. Another video was also released on their website, giving a preview of the music video and the song itself, plus more 'making-of' footage.
It was originally thought that "Christmas Lights" would be a song from the band's fifth studio album Mylo Xyloto, but this was confirmed not to be the case by Coldplay's official fan-question answer system The Oracle on two separate occasions.
For the week ending December 18, 2010, "Christmas Lights" both debuted and peaked at position number 25 on the U.S.
Billboard
Hot 100 singles chart and position number 12 on Billboards Hot Digital Songs
chart.
' video for "All You Need Is Love
", with the band and friends at the studio. But that idea was left out as Coldplay were in the middle of making an album, so it could disrupt the flow of the recording. Another idea for the video included filming at the Willesden Music Hall. Finally they decided to invite the designer Misty Buckley to the project and the ideas for the final video started to take shape. After a meeting at the studio called The Bakery all the ideas had been set up and the only thing missing was the location for the shooting. Some places suggested were the tunnels under Waterloo and the roof of John Lewis. However they opted for the South Bank just five days before the shooting of the video, to tie in a line about the meeting of the sea and the city.
Coldplay began filming the music video on November 24. The video appears to be one continuous shot, and while it might have been filmed with a single camera, all we know is that several hours and many takes went into the video. Whether this means the finished product is a mix of many clips seamlessly stitched together is unknown. It begins with the starting up of a record player, and the camera panning across a multicoloured player piano
, then the four members of the band. Martin begins to sing the first verse as the camera pans and zooms out to show the piano - which is now next to him - then back. Martin has changed his position, and the rest of the band are nowhere to be seen. Martin rises up from the stage where he is lying, then begins to play the piano, which is now on a stage in front of the Thames. Curtains open to reveal the rest of the band, who join in playing the song, accompanied by fireworks and three violin-playing Elvises (who are friends of the band: the British actor Simon Pegg
, the 'fifth member' of Coldplay Phil Harvey
and Tim Crompton, friend of the band and frontman of The High Wire). One hundred fans of the band appear in the music video; they release coloured balloons from a boat on the Thames whilst singing along to part of the song.
"Credo Elvem Etiam Vivere" is written across the top of the stage. In Latin
this means "I Believe Elvis Yet Lives". This is likely connected to the three Elvises appearing in the video, which is, in turn, connected to the lyrics of the song.
The video was directed by Mat Whitecross, a long-time friend of the band and director of several of Coldplay's other music videos, such as "Bigger Stronger", "Lovers in Japan
" and more recently, their newest video, "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall
".
Just hours after the release of the video it was removed from YouTube
after the IFPI
claimed a breach of copyright, despite the video being on one of Coldplay's official channels. However, as of 21 December 2010 this has been fixed.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
released on Wednesday December 1, 2010, at 8PM GMT as a digital download
Music download
A music download is the transferral of music from an Internet-facing computer or website to a user's local computer. This term encompasses both legal downloads and downloads of copyright material without permission or payment...
. Described by the band as "a mid-tempo number" in the key of G major, the song was released to very positive reviews. The cover art is by Yu Matsuoka Pol.
Release and promotion
The single's release date was announced through the official Coldplay website on November 24, 2010. A countdown in minutes and seconds to December 1, 8pm GMT, appeared on the homepage of the website, accompanied by an animated GIF of the album art.Coldplay released three 'making-of' videos through their iTunes Ping
ITunes Ping
iTunes Ping, also known simply as Ping, is a software-based, music-oriented social networking and recommender system service developed and operated by Apple. It was announced and launched on 1 September 2010 as part of the tenth major release of iTunes...
page, showing the creation of the music video. Another video was also released on their website, giving a preview of the music video and the song itself, plus more 'making-of' footage.
It was originally thought that "Christmas Lights" would be a song from the band's fifth studio album Mylo Xyloto, but this was confirmed not to be the case by Coldplay's official fan-question answer system The Oracle on two separate occasions.
For the week ending December 18, 2010, "Christmas Lights" both debuted and peaked at position number 25 on the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100 singles chart and position number 12 on Billboards Hot Digital Songs
Hot Digital Songs
The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of...
chart.
Music video
The discussions about the video started about one month before its release. The original plan was to film a simple video at Oxford Street, as the place is mentioned in the song's lyrics. After that many other options were analysed, like a similar video to The BeatlesThe Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
' video for "All You Need Is Love
All You Need Is Love
"All You Need Is Love" is a song written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. It was first performed by The Beatles on Our World, the first live global television link. Watched by 400 million in 26 countries, the programme was broadcast via satellite on 25 June 1967...
", with the band and friends at the studio. But that idea was left out as Coldplay were in the middle of making an album, so it could disrupt the flow of the recording. Another idea for the video included filming at the Willesden Music Hall. Finally they decided to invite the designer Misty Buckley to the project and the ideas for the final video started to take shape. After a meeting at the studio called The Bakery all the ideas had been set up and the only thing missing was the location for the shooting. Some places suggested were the tunnels under Waterloo and the roof of John Lewis. However they opted for the South Bank just five days before the shooting of the video, to tie in a line about the meeting of the sea and the city.
Coldplay began filming the music video on November 24. The video appears to be one continuous shot, and while it might have been filmed with a single camera, all we know is that several hours and many takes went into the video. Whether this means the finished product is a mix of many clips seamlessly stitched together is unknown. It begins with the starting up of a record player, and the camera panning across a multicoloured player piano
Player piano
A player piano is a self-playing piano, containing a pneumatic or electro-mechanical mechanism that operates the piano action via pre-programmed music perforated paper, or in rare instances, metallic rolls. The rise of the player piano grew with the rise of the mass-produced piano for the home in...
, then the four members of the band. Martin begins to sing the first verse as the camera pans and zooms out to show the piano - which is now next to him - then back. Martin has changed his position, and the rest of the band are nowhere to be seen. Martin rises up from the stage where he is lying, then begins to play the piano, which is now on a stage in front of the Thames. Curtains open to reveal the rest of the band, who join in playing the song, accompanied by fireworks and three violin-playing Elvises (who are friends of the band: the British actor Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg
Simon Pegg is an English actor, comedian, writer, film producer, and director. He is best known for having co-written and stared in various Edgar Wright features, mainly Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and the comedy series Spaced.He also portrayed Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the 2009 Star Trek film...
, the 'fifth member' of Coldplay Phil Harvey
Phil Harvey (manager)
Phil Harvey is the former manager and sometime 'creative director' of the English rock group Coldplay....
and Tim Crompton, friend of the band and frontman of The High Wire). One hundred fans of the band appear in the music video; they release coloured balloons from a boat on the Thames whilst singing along to part of the song.
"Credo Elvem Etiam Vivere" is written across the top of the stage. In Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
this means "I Believe Elvis Yet Lives". This is likely connected to the three Elvises appearing in the video, which is, in turn, connected to the lyrics of the song.
The video was directed by Mat Whitecross, a long-time friend of the band and director of several of Coldplay's other music videos, such as "Bigger Stronger", "Lovers in Japan
Lovers in Japan
"Lovers in Japan" is a song by English alternative rock band Coldplay. It was written by all members of the band for their fourth album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. The song is built around an introductory tack piano sound, then followed by chiming guitars and soaring choruses,...
" and more recently, their newest video, "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall
Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall
"Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" is a song by English alternative rock band Coldplay. It was released on 3 June 2011, as a digital download except in the United Kingdom where it was released on 5 June 2011. It was released as the lead single from their fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto. The song...
".
Just hours after the release of the video it was removed from YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
after the IFPI
IFPI
The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland...
claimed a breach of copyright, despite the video being on one of Coldplay's official channels. However, as of 21 December 2010 this has been fixed.
Charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Slovakia (IFPI) | 72 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Singles Chart | 97 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 97 |