"Glass of Water" is a song by English alternative rock

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...

. It was first released on the band's 2008 EP, Prospekt's March

Prospekt's March

-Personnel:*Andy Rugg – assistant engineer, engineer*Andy Wallace – mixing*Bob Ludwig – mastering*Brian Eno – producer, sonic landscapes*Brian Thorn – assistant engineer, engineer*Chris Martin – performer*Dan Green – assistant engineer, engineer, photography...

. The song was originally written during sessions for their fourth studio album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends

Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends

Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, often referred to as simply Viva la Vida is the fourth studio album by British rock band Coldplay, released on 11 June 2008 on Parlophone. The album was named after a Spanish phrase that translates in English as "long live life"...

, but failed to make the final tracklisting. However, the song features heavily in the booklet of the album. Its title appears on a big painting pictured in the booklet's centrefold, above some of the song's lyrics, and the very first page of the album is a map of Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

 with lyrics from "Glass of Water" scribbled over it in crayon. However, the song's lyrics have drastically changed since the painting was made.

A live version of the song appeared on Coldplay's live album, LeftRightLeftRightLeft

LeftRightLeftRightLeft

LeftRightLeftRightLeft is a live album by English alternative rock band Coldplay, released at 9:00 am GMT on 15 May 2009. The album was given away for free at all of the remaining concerts on the Viva la Vida Tour and is available as a free download on the band's official website...

.

Writing and composition

The song's name was introduced alongside with an unrealeased song, "Famous Old Painters", in a journal at coldplay.com on October 26, 2007. The announcement also suggested further delays of the Viva la Vida album release, but the writer of the message assured readers that "the self insured deadline...still stands". The writer, that used the pseudonym Prospekt, also said that "Chris is up and down like a yo-yo." that description could explain the heavy, and massive, feeling of the song, different of most Coldplay songs released until that date.

The song's chorus moves in a time signature and has piano rolls in the softer sections of the song. The ending also has a coda, instead of a generic tonic crash ending.

Live

Glass Of Water debuted live on the final concert of Coldplay's 2008 European leg of the Viva la Vida Tour

Viva la Vida Tour

Viva la Vida Tour was the fourth concert tour by English band Coldplay. The tour was in support their fourth studio album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. The tour was a massive commercial and critical success visiting Europe, Asia, the Americas and Australasia...

, at the Sportpaleis in Antwerp, Belgium. It became a regular part of the setlist, it was the second song from the Prospekt's March EP to do so. A live video excerpt of the performance was posted on coldplay.com just on the day after the concert.

A live version of the song later appeared on Coldplay's live album LeftRightLeftRightLeft

Charts

Chart (2008)	Peak position
Canadian Singles Top 100 Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays....	92
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	134
U.S. 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... Bubbling Under Hot 100	23