X&Y

This article is about the album. For a system which uses one or more numbers to uniquely determine the position of a point or other geometric element, see Coordinate system.

X&Y
Studio album by Coldplay
Released	6 June 2005
Recorded	2004–2005
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	62:35
Label	Capitol, Parlophone
Producer	Danton Supple, Coldplay, Ken Nelson (4 tracks)
Coldplay chronology
A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002) X&Y (2005) Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008)
Latin American Tour Edition
Singles from X&Y
"Speed of Sound" Released: 23 May 2005 "Fix You" Released: 5 September 2005 "Talk" Released: 19 December 2005 "The Hardest Part" Released: 3 April 2006 "What If" Released: 27 June 2006 (France and Belgium only) "White Shadows" Released: June 2007 (Mexico only)

X&Y is the third studio album by English rock band Coldplay, released 6 June 2005 in the United Kingdom via the record label Parlophone. The album, which features influences of electronic music, was produced by the band and British record producer Danton Supple. Development of the album was often troubled; The album's original producer, British record producer Ken Nelson, was supposed to produce much of the album, however, many songs written during their sessions were ditched due to the band's dissatisfaction. The album's cover art is a combination of colours and blocks, which is a representation of the Baudot code.

The album contains twelve tracks and an additional hidden track, "Til Kingdom Come". It is omitted from the track listing on the album sleeve, but listed as "+" on the disc label and inside the album booklet. It was originally planned for American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash to record it with Martin, but Cash died before he was able to do so.^[1] The song "Talk" appeared on the main track listing, although it was thought to have been downgraded to a B-side for the album's subsequent single releases, after it leaked online in early 2005.^[2]

Originally titled Zero Theory, X&Y was released after a considerable amount of hype and was a significant commercial success, reaching the top spot of many charts worldwide, including the United Kingdom and United States, the latter being their first. With accumulated sales of 8.3 million units in 2005 alone, X&Y was the best-selling album released in 2005 worldwide. To date, the album has sold over 13 million copies worldwide.

Despite critical reaction being mixed to positive,citing that it was inferior to its predecessors, it received a score of 72/100 on Metacritic meaning "generally favorable reviews". The album has spawned the singles "Speed of Sound", "Fix You", "Talk", "The Hardest Part", "What If" and "White Shadows".

Background

In March 2004, Coldplay announced details in the working of X&Y. Initial plans were to stay out of the public eye throughout the year. Vocalist Chris Martin stated, "We really feel that we have to be away for a while and we certainly won't release anything this year, because I think people are a bit sick of us." This plan, however, was not due to the pressure their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, had induced but they were trying "to make the best thing that anyone has ever heard".^[3]

Prior to the announcement, Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, and British record producer Ken Nelson had started recording demos while in Chicago, Illinois. The band then entered a London studio in January 2004.^[4]

Recording

The band spent eighteen months working on the album.^[5] The released album is the third version which the band had produced during their late sessions, and some have even considered it as their fifth album.^[6] The band was not satisfied with the outputs of their initial sessions with Nelson, who produced the band's previous two albums. As a result, they towed the songs from those sessions away, and Nelson was fired, making him banned from producing a Coldplay album.

The initial set release date was 2004, and the band had to delay the album to January 2005. But as the new target date was approaching, the band again discarded songs, which they deemed "flat" and "passionless".^[6] Sixty songs were written during these sessions, fifty-two of which were ditched.^[7] The band started rehearsing the songs for a planned tour, but felt the songs sounded better live compared to their recorded versions: "We realized that we didn't really have the right songs and some of them were starting to sound better because we were playing them than they did on record, so we thought we better go back and record them again." Guitarist Jonny Buckland has said that the band had pushed themselves "forward in every direction" in making the album, but they felt it sounded like they were going backwards compared to their earlier works.^[8]

In search of perfection, Coldplay had to "step it up a few notches and work hard at it to get it right".^[6] The band chose Danton Supple, who mixed the bulk of A Rush of Blood to the Head, to oversee the production of X&Y.^[9] When January went, the band had to finish the album; they were conscious of the pressure as "expectations for the record grew larger" and "completing it became tougher and tougher".^[6] Finally, the band was settled with the song "Square One", which Martin has described as "a call to arms" and a "plea" to each of them "not to be intimidated by anything or anyone else". Once finished, the band felt like they could do their own songs and not have to think of anyone else's demands.^[6] During this month, the band was into the final weeks of production and had put the finishing touches on the tracks.^[9]

Drummer Will Champion later admitted that the band was not in a rush in completing the album "because the prospect of touring again was so daunting that we felt we should take our time, and also we wanted to make sure that it was the best it could possibly be". The band had no deadline, according to him, which caused them not to feel pressured into finishing something. Once a proper deadline was imposed onto the band, they became more productive than previous sessions. At this juncture, the band had written "about 14 or 15 songs".^[10] Martin added that the reason why they ended up late was that they "... kept [adding] finishing [touches to] the record until it was way too late ... [they] don't listen to it at the moment, because [they would] just find something to go back and change."^[6]

Composition

Music

Coldplay received permission from Kraftwerk to use the main riff from "Computer Love" for the track "Talk".

Coldplay has cited various influences in the album. The German electronic music pioneer Kraftwerk is evident on the song "Talk", which borrows its synthetic hook from 1981's "Computer Love".^[5] Also present is 1970s electronic music from the likes of English musician David Bowie and Brian Eno. Eno, who would later produce Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends and Mylo Xyloto, played backing synthesizer on the track "Low". The first single, "Speed of Sound", also takes inspiration from the drumbeat of English singer-songwriters Kate Bush's song "Running Up that Hill".^[11] According to Jon Pareles of The New York Times, the band attempts to "carry the beauty of 'Clocks'" across the album, borrowing some of its features to songs like "Speed of Sound".^[12] The opening track "Square One" features the famous motif from Also Sprach Zarathustra, known better as the title theme of Stanley Kubrick's 1968 science-fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey. The three-note sequence is used as a synthesizer hook, as well as a part of the chorus, showcasing Chris Martin's trademark falsetto voice.

"Fix You" features an organ and piano sound.^[13] The song starts with a hushed electric organ ballad, including Martin's falsetto.^[14] The song then builds with both an acoustic guitar and piano sound. The sound then shifts with a plaintive three-note guitar line, ringing through a bringing rhythm upbeat tempo. Its instrumentation is varied with the sound of church-style organs hovering throughout the background,^[15] piano notes, acoustic and electric guitar riffs, drums, and a singalong chorus.^[16] "The Hardest Part" features a faster piano ballad sound, and starts with a repeating two-note piano riff, and features an instrumentation of a singsong guitar.^[17] It also includes a slow tempo with a drumming rhythm. The track ends with the band playing the repeated instrument riffs.^[17] "Talk" is built around a simple guitar lick by Jonny Buckland.^[18][19] The track includes a hypnotic pace, with Will Champion adding a metronomic beat to the drums.^[18][19] The song features a synthesizer hook notable from Kraftwerk's "Computer Love". It also adds a chiming note to more abrasive riffs during the breakdown near the end of the song.^[18][19] "Speed of Sound" is a silmar song musically based on the piano. The song benefits from an insistently ornate keyboard riff and a busy but less-hummable chorus,^[20][21] in which the song builds into a huge drum beat and a synthesizer-heavy chorus, which also includes an upbeat tempo.

Lyrics

Lyrically, X&Y made an apparent shift from its predecessors. On their previous works, Martin sang mostly in the first person "I", but moves to the second person "you".^[12] Accordingly, the songs on the album are reflection of Martin's "doubts, fears, hopes, and loves" with lyrics that are "earnest and vague".^[22]

Packaging

The Baudot Code was the subject for X&Y's artwork.

The artwork for X&Y was designed by graphic design duo Tappin Gofton, formed by Mark Tappin and Simon Gofton. The image, which is visualized through a combination of colours and blocks, is a graphical representation of the Baudot code, an early form of telegraph communication using a series of ones and zeros to communicate. The code was developed by Frenchman Émile Baudot in the 1870s, and was a widely used method of terrestrial and telegraph communication.^[23]

The alphabet of the code is presented in the liner notes of X&Y, and if applied to the code of the cover image, reveals "X&Y". The track listing, included on the booklet, CD, and back of the album, uses "X#" on tracks 1–6, and "Y#" on tracks 7–12, rather than the conventional track numbering system. This is a reference to the title of the album. Many pages in the booklet include photos of the band working on the album. The final page of the booklet contains the slogan "Make Trade Fair", the name of the international organization which Chris Martin continues to support.^[23] The band dedicates the album to "BWP" that is presented also inside the liner notes; it stands for Bruce W. Paltrow, the late father of Martin's wife, Gwyneth Paltrow. All singles released from the album feature their titles in the same code on their respective covers.^[24] Martin sometimes wears coloured tape on his hands while on stage, as a reference to the album.^{[citation needed]}

Release and promotion

The Twisted Logic Tour promoted X&Y from 2005 to 2006.

X&Y was initially intended for a 2004 release, although early news reported it would not be released until 2005;^[4] however, because of personal preferences, songs recorded in several sessions were scrapped and had pushed the expected release date to January 2005. However, the new date went by and the band had to set another schedule. By early 2005, the album, rumoured to be called Zero Theory, had a target release date between March and May 2005.^[9][25] By early April, the band had finalized the track listing of the album.^[2] Eventually, the album was released on 6 June 2005 in the United Kingdom via record label Parlophone. It was issued on 7 June in the United States by Capitol Records. The album has been released with the Copy Control protection system in some regions. In 2008, Capitol released a remastered version of the album on two 180-gram vinyl records as a part of the "From the Capitol Vaults" series.

Around three months prior to the album release, Coldplay began performing several songs from the album during live performances. The band made a headlining performance at public radio station KCRW-FM's annual A Sounds Eclectic Evening, staging five songs from X&Y and some of their old favourites. For the song "The Scientist", Martin sang one of its verses backward, a technique he learned in shooting its music video.^[26]

The album has four main singles that were released internationally: "Speed of Sound", "Fix You", and "Talk" in 2005, and "The Hardest Part" in 2006. A fifth single, "What If", was released in June 2006 to radio stations in France and the French-speaking portions of Belgium and Switzerland. A commercial CD was also released in Belgium and features the same B-side as "The Hardest Part" ("How You See the World" recorded live at Earls Court), which was released in other European markets as well as Japan and Australia. This single features the "Tom Lord-Alge Mix" of "What If" as the A-side which differs from the usual album version. Finally, in 2007, "White Shadows" was released as a single in Latin America, to coincide with the band's 2007 Latin America Tour. This also complemented the special "Tour Edition" of the album that was released in these regions.^[27]

Reception

Critical response

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	(72/100)[28]
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[29]
Robert Christgau	(B)[30]
Entertainment Weekly	(B)[31]
The Guardian	[5]
NME	(9/10)[32]
Pitchfork Media	(4.9/10)[33]
PopMatters	(7/10)[18]
Q	[28]
Rolling Stone	[34]
Spin	(B+)[35]

Overall reactions to X&Y upon its release in 2005 were mixed to positive. According to review aggregator website Metacritic, the album received an average critic score of 72 out of 100, based on 33 reviews.^[28] Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic praises X&Y as "...a good record, crisp, professional, and assured, a sonically satisfying sequel to A Rush of Blood to the Head", stating it as "impeccable" and "a strong, accomplished album". However, Erlewine has sentiments to Martin's songwriting, commenting that the album reveals his "solipsism is a dead-end, diminishing the stature of the band".^[22] Alexis Petridis, in his March 2005 review for the British newspaper The Guardian, had mixed feelings. Petridis praised some of the album's songs, writing that they are "mostly beautifully turned"; however, he panned the lyrics, claiming "they are so devoid of personality that they sound less like song lyrics".^[5] Pitchfork Media, in contrast to the album's positive write-ups, gave it a negative review and rated it 4.9 out of 10, claiming it was "...Bland but never offensive, listenable but not memorable."^[33]

A number of critics (particularly mainstream media) have stated that the album fell short of the standards set by A Rush of Blood to the Head, X&Y's predecessor. Coldplay has also received criticism for the similarities between the lead single, "Speed of Sound", and "Clocks", one of the band's most popular songs to date. Others have noted the obvious similarities to the Irish band U2's sound that can be heard throughout the album.^[12][22][36] Kelefa Sanneh of Rolling Stone magazine was less contented with X&Y, writing it "is something less exciting" compared to A Rush of Blood to the Head that "was a nervy bid for bigness". Sanneh notes that the album is "the sound of a blown-up band trying not to deflate" and "a surprising number of songs here just never take flight". Despite such, he compliments the album for featuring "lovely ballads that sound, well, Coldplay-ish".^[36]

Commercial performance

Coldplay performing at Pavilhão Atlântico, Lisboa, Portugal during the Twisted Logic Tour in 2005.

X&Y was a commercial success in Europe. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart (making it Coldplay's third consecutive number-one debut) with sales totalling 464,471 the third highest opening sales week in UK history, behind Take That and Oasis.

To date, the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) has certified the album eight-times platinum.^[37] The album placed at number nine on the list of United Kingdom's 20 biggest-selling albums of the 21st century, published by the British trade paper Music Week.^[38]

The American press have considered X&Y a landmark achievement of Coldplay.^[39] The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 737,000 copies despite the highly competitive retail week. The album gave the band their first US number-one album by debut,^[40] and its initial sales surpassed the band's previous album releases; Parachutes amassed over 6,500 copies in its debut and A Rush of Blood to the Head with sales of under 141,000. X&Y became the second highest first week sales in the United States for 2005, behind American rapper 50 Cent's second album The Massacre, which sold over one million units in its first week of release.^[39] X&Y also emerged as the biggest-selling debut under rock genre.^[40] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has since certified the album three-times platinum for accumulated shipments of over three million units.^[41] In Canada, the album debuted at #1 and sold 105,000 copies in its first week, making it the biggest-selling debut of 2005 in Canada.^[42] It ended up being certified 5× Platinum in December 2008 for shipping of 500,000 copies.^[43] Altogether, the album emerged as 2005's best-selling album worldwide, accumulating over 8.3 million units despite the aggregate three percent fall of sales.^[44] According to EMI, by the end of 2006 it sold 9.9 million copies.^[45]

Awards

The album earned the band several awards. In 2006, it won the Best British Album accolade at the BRIT Awards,^[46] and International Album of the Year at the Juno Awards which Coldplay shared with American hip hop group The Black Eyed Peas.^[47] X&Y had scored Coldplay their third consecutive Mercury Prize nomination. It was also nominated for Best Rock Album at the 48th Grammy Awards, but it lost to U2's album How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.^[48]

Track listing

All songs written by Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin, except where noted.

Main CD
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Square One"	4:47
2.	"What If"	4:57
3.	"White Shadows"	5:28
4.	"Fix You"	4:54
5.	"Talk" (Berryman, Buckland, Champion, Martin, Hütter, Bartos, Schult)	5:11
6.	"X&Y"	4:34
7.	"Speed of Sound"	4:48
8.	"A Message"	4:45
9.	"Low"	5:32
10.	"The Hardest Part"	4:25
11.	"Swallowed in the Sea" (Berryman, Buckland, Champion, Martin, Menken, Schwartz)	3:58
12.	"Twisted Logic" (actually only 4:31 long, followed by silence until 5:01)	5:01
13.	"Til Kingdom Come" (hidden track)	4:10
Total length:		62:35

Bonus Tracks
No.	Title	Length
14.	"How You See the World" (only available in some Japan releases)	4:04

Tour edition DVD

To coincide with Coldplay's tour of Australia, Southeast Asia, and Latin America, the album was re-released in those territories as a "Tour Edition", which also includes all the B-side tracks and music videos of X&Y's singles on a bonus DVD:

Audio Only Section
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Things I Don't Understand"	4:56
2.	"Proof"	4:11
3.	"The World Turned Upside Down"	4:33
4.	"Pour Me" (Live at the Hollywood Bowl)	5:01
5.	"Sleeping Sun"	3:09
6.	"Gravity"	6:12

Audiovisual Section
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Speed of Sound" (video)
2.	"Fix You" (video)
3.	"Talk" (video)
4.	"The Hardest Part" (video)

Tour edition CD

In addition a rare "Japan Tour Special Edition" (Cat. No. TOCP-66523) was released in 2006. This is the only "Tour Edition" which has the bonus disc as a CD (CD Extra) (Cat. No. NCD-3013), and without Copy Control. All other "Tour Editions" have Copy Control protection. The tracklist is exactly the same as in other "Tour Editions".

Charts, sales and procession

Charts Chart (2005) Peak Position Argentina Albums Chart[49] 1 Australia Albums Chart[50] 1 Austrian Albums Chart[50] 1 Belgian Albums Chart[51] 1 Canadian Albums Chart[52] 1 Danish Albums Chart[53] 1 Dutch Albums Chart[54] 1 European Top Albums Chart[55] 1 Finnish Albums Chart[56] 1 French Albums Chart[57] 1 German Albums Chart[58] 1 Irish Albums Chart[59] 1 Italian Albums Chart[60] 1 Mexican Albums Chart[61] 69 New Zealand Albums Chart[62] 1 Spanish Albums Chart[50] 2 Swedish Albums Chart[63] 1 Swiss Albums Chart[50] 1 UK Albums Chart[64] 1 US Billboard 200[65] 1

Sales and certifications Region Certification Sales/shipments Argentina (CAPIF)[66] 3× Platinum 120,000x Argentina (CAPIF)[66] Latin American Tour Edition 2× Platinum 80,000x Australia (ARIA)[67] 4× Platinum 280,000^ Austria (IFPI Austria)[68] Platinum   Belgium (BEA)[69] 2× Platinum 100,000* Brazil (ABPD)[70] Gold 50,000* Canada (Music Canada)[71] 5× Platinum 500,000^ Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[72] Platinum 40,000^ Finland (IFPI Finland)[73] Platinum 34,222[73] France (SNEP)[74] 2× Platinum 400,000* Germany (BVMI)[75] 3× Platinum 600,000^ Ireland (IRMA)[76] 8× Platinum 120,000x Mexico (AMPROFON)[77] Platinum 100,000^ Netherlands (NVPI)[78] Platinum 80,000^ New Zealand (RIANZ)[79] Includes Special Edition 4× Platinum 60,000^ Spain (PROMUSICAE)[80] Platinum 100,000^ Sweden (IFPI Sweden)[81] Platinum 60,000^ Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[82] 2× Platinum 80,000x United Kingdom (BPI)[83] 8× Platinum 2,400,000^ United States (RIAA)[84] 3× Platinum 3,000,000^ Summaries Europe (IFPI)[85] 5× Platinum 5,000,000* *sales figures based on certification alone ^shipments figures based on certification alone xunspecified figures based on certification alone

Chart procession and succession

Preceded by The Emancipation of Mimi by Mariah Carey	Billboard 200 number-one album 19 June 2005 – 9 July 2005	Succeeded by Somewhere Down in Texas by George Strait
Preceded by Don't Believe The Truth by Oasis	UK number one album 19 June 2005 – 18 July 2005	Succeeded by Back to Bedlam by James Blunt
	Irish Album Chart number-one album 7 June 2005 – 28 June 2005
Preceded by Monkey Business by The Black Eyed Peas	French Album Chart number-one album 7 June 2005	Succeeded by Caravane by Raphaël
	Australian Albums Chart number-one album 13–19 June 2005	Succeeded by In Your Honor by Foo Fighters
	German Album Chart number-one album 14 June 2005	Succeeded by Never Gone by Backstreet Boys
	New Zealand RIANZ Album Chart number-one album 14 June 2005	Succeeded by In Your Honor by Foo Fighters
	Swiss Album Chart number-one album 21 June - 9 August 2005	Succeeded by Back to Bedlam by James Blunt
Preceded by Mezmerize by System of a Down	Austrian Albums Chart number-one album 7 June - 5 July 2005	Succeeded by Banaroo's World by Banaroo
Preceded by Forever Faithless - The Greatest Hits by Faithless	Belgian Albums Chart number-one album 14 June - 12 July 2005	Succeeded by Het Album - De Beste Songs by Star Academy
Preceded by La Ultima / Live in Berlin by Böhse Onkelz	German Album Chart number-one album (second run) 5–26 July 2005	Succeeded by Fijación Oral Vol. 1 by Shakira

References

1. ^ Parker, Lyndsey (11 March 2006). "X&Y From A To Z". Yahoo! Music. http://music.yahoo.com/read/interview/25476511. Retrieved 2008-09-17. 
2. ^ ^{a b} Cohen, Jonathan (4 April 2005). "Coldplay Finalizes New Album Track List". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc). http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/search/google/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000865610. Retrieved 2008-09-18. 
3. ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (10 March 2004). "Coldplay Want Next LP To Be 'Best Thing Anyone Ever Heard'". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1485667/20040310/coldplay.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-09-16. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Orshoski, Wes (29 January 2004). "Coldplay Enter London Studio To Begin Work On Third Album". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1484682/20040129/coldplay.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-09-16. 
5. ^ ^{a b c d} Petridis, Alexis (27 May 2005). "Coldplay, X and Y". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2005/may/27/popandrock.shopping3. Retrieved 2008-09-18. 
6. ^ ^{a b c d e f} Montgomery, James (26 May 2005). "Coldplay's Third Album Is Actually Their Fifth ... At Least". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1503007/20050526/coldplay.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-09-16. 
7. ^ Wild, Debs (2003). "Coldplay ezine: Issue 10" (PDF). Coldplay.com. p. 5. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20070928140912/http://www.coldplay.com/content/ezine/documents/ezine10.pdf. Retrieved 2008-09-25. 
8. ^ Brandle, Lars (11 March 2005). "'Sound' To Precede Third Coldplay Album". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc). http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/search/google/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000836704. Retrieved 2008-09-25. 
9. ^ ^{a b c} Cohen, Jonathan (12 January 2005). "Coldplay Goes Back To Basics On New Album". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc). http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/search/google/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000750912. Retrieved 2008-09-16. 
10. ^ Montgomery, James (17 February 2005). "The Ticking Clocks: New Coldplay Album Pushed Back". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1497213/20050217/coldplay.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-09-17. 
11. ^ "Coldplay Premiere 'X&Y' In NYC". Xfm News. 19 May 2005. http://www.xfm.co.uk/news/2005/coldplay-premiere-xy-in-nyc. Retrieved 2009-03-30. 
12. ^ ^{a b c} Pareles, Jon (2005-06-05). "The Case Against Coldplay - New York Times". Nytimes.com. http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/05/arts/music/05pare.html. Retrieved 2011-10-10. 
13. ^ "Coldplay — Fix You". NME. 19 September 2005. http://www.nme.com/reviews/coldplay/7766. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
14. ^ "Coldplay — Fix You review". Virgin Media. 5 September 2005. http://www.virginmedia.com/music/reviews/singlereviews/coldplay_fixyou.php. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
15. ^ "New Singles". Daily Mirror. 2 September 2005. http://www.mirror.co.uk/tv-entertainment/music/2005/09/02/new-singles-115875-15920468/. Retrieved 2009-05-22. 
16. ^ Hubbard, Michael (5 September 2005). "Coldplay — Fix You — Track reviews". MusicOMH. http://www.musicomh.com/singles/coldplay-5_0705.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-28. 
17. ^ ^{a b} "Coldplay — The Hardest Part". Last.fm. April 2006. http://www.last.fm/music/Coldplay/_/The+Hardest+Part. Retrieved 2008-11-17. 
18. ^ ^{a b c d} Begrand, Adrien (2005-06-05). "Coldplay: X & Y". PopMatters. http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/coldplay-xandy. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
19. ^ ^{a b c} "Coldplay — Talk". Last.fm. December 2005. http://www.last.fm/music/Coldplay/_/Talk. Retrieved 2008-11-18. 
20. ^ Scoppa, Bud (1 June 2005). "Coldplay — X&Y Review". Paste. http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2005/06/coldplay-xy.html. Retrieved 2008-08-29. 
21. ^ Tangari, Joe (7 June 2005). "X&Y". Pitchfork Media. http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/16253-xy. Retrieved 2008-08-29. 
22. ^ ^{a b c} Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "X&Y: Coldplay". Allmusic. Macrovision Company. http://www.allmusic.com/album/r740790. Retrieved 2008-09-18. 
23. ^ ^{a b} Montgomery, James (8 June 2005). "Coldplay's Album Cover Decoded (And You Thought The Lyrics Were Geeky ...)". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1503742/20050608/coldplay.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-09-18. 
24. ^ (2005) Artwork for X&Y by Coldplay. Capitol (CDP 7243 4 74786 2 8).
25. ^ "Coldplay - New Album Details Emerge". Xfm. 14 February 2005. http://www.xfm.co.uk/Article.asp?b=news&id=67190. Retrieved 2009-07-24. 
26. ^ Corey, Moss (14 March 2005). "Coldplay Return To Stage, Debut Five Songs". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1498101/20050314/coldplay.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-09-16. 
27. ^ "What If". Coldplaying.com. http://www.coldplaying.com/page.php?file=/html/discography/whatif.htm. Retrieved 2008-09-17. 
28. ^ ^{a b c} "Critic Reviews for X&Y". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. http://www.metacritic.com/music/xy/critic-reviews. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
29. ^ Thomas, Stephen Thomas. "X&Y – Coldplay". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/album/xy-r740790/review. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
30. ^ Christgau, Robert. "Consumer Guide Reviews: Coldplay". Robertchristgau.com. http://robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=coldplay. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
31. ^ Browne, David (2005-06-17). "X&Y Review". Entertainment Weekly (825): 77. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,1070629,00.html. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
32. ^ McNamee, Paul (2005-05-23). "Coldplay : X&Y". NME. http://nme.com/reviews/coldplay/7656. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
33. ^ ^{a b} Tangari, Joe (2005-06-06). "Coldplay: X&Y". Pitchfork Media. http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/1541-xy/. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
34. ^ Sanneh, Kelefa (2005-06-15). "Music Reviews: X&Y". Rolling Stone (976). http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/x-y-20090617. Retrieved 2011-10-26. 
35. ^ Wood, Mikael. "Ballad of Big Everything". Spin 21 (6): 99–100. 
36. ^ ^{a b} Sanneh, Kelefa (16 June 2005). "Coldplay: X&Y". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/7372421/review/7373521/xy. Retrieved 2008-09-18. 
37. ^ "Certified awards". British Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on 18 October 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071018123448/http://bpi.co.uk/platinum/platinumright.asp?rq=search_plat&r_id=32694. Retrieved 2008-09-17. 
38. ^ Jones, Alan (12 March 2008). "The 20 biggest selling albums of the 21st Century". Music Week. http://www.musicweek.com/story.asp?storycode=1033488. Retrieved 2008-09-17. 
39. ^ ^{a b} Harris, Chris (15 June 2005). "Coldplay Beat Peas And Stripes By A Mile With X&Y". MTV. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1504142/20050615/coldplay.jhtml. Retrieved 2008-09-16. 
40. ^ ^{a b} Whitmire, Margo (15 June 2005). "Coldplay Earns First Billboard 200 No. 1". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media, Inc). http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/search/google/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000961567. Retrieved 2008-09-17. 
41. ^ "Gold and Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&artist=Coldplay&format=&debutLP=&perPage=25. Retrieved 2008-09-17. 
42. ^ Williams, John (15 June 2005). "Coldplay burns up album charts". Jam!. http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/C/Coldplay/2005/06/15/1089740.html. Retrieved 6 April 2011. 
43. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Coldplay – X&Y". Music Canada. http://www.musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=X%26Y&sa=Coldplay&smt=0. 
44. ^ "Coldplay tops worldwide sales for 2005". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 31 March 2006. Archived from the original on 2008-06-17. http://replay.waybackmachine.org/20080617025339/http://www.cbc.ca/arts/story/2006/03/31/musicsales-coldplay.html. Retrieved 2008-09-18. 
45. ^ Paul Cashmere (13 January 2007). "Undercover News: EMI Share Price Drops On Restructure Announcement". undercover.fm. http://www.undercover.fm/news/1275-emi-share-price-drops-on-restructure-announcement. Retrieved 21 March 2011. 
46. ^ "Triple Brits success for Kaisers". BBC News (BBC). 15 February 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4713424.stm. Retrieved 2009-07-06. 
47. ^ "2006 Juno Awards". CTV Television Network. Bell Globemedia. http://www.ctv.ca/mini/junos2006/static/winners/index.html. Retrieved 2008-09-17. 
48. ^ "Five Grammy wins for rockers U2". BBC News (BBC). 9 February 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/cbbcnews/hi/newsid_4690000/newsid_4695900/4695940.stm. Retrieved 2009-07-06. 
49. ^ "Argentinian Albums Chart". Capif.org.ar. 13 December 2009. http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?CodOp=ESCS&CO=6. Retrieved 2009-12-31. 
50. ^ ^{a b c d} Steffen Hung. "Hung Medien summary". Lescharts.com. http://www.lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Coldplay&titel=X%26Y&cat=a. Retrieved 2010-11-25. 
51. ^ "Belgian Flanders Albums Chart". Ultratop.be. 26 December 2009. http://www.ultratop.be/nl/weekchart.asp?cat=a. Retrieved 2009-12-31. 
52. ^ "Canadian Albums on Billboard". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/search/?keyword=Coldplay&x=&y=#/artist/coldplay/chart-history/401639?f=309&g=Albums. Retrieved 2010-11-25. 
53. ^ "Danish Albums Chart". Hitlisterne.dk. http://hitlisterne.dk/. Retrieved 2009-12-31. 
54. ^ Steffen Hung (6 March 2009). "Dutch Albums Chart". Dutchcharts.nl. http://dutchcharts.nl/weekchart.asp?cat=a. Retrieved 2009-12-31. 
55. ^ "European Albums Chart". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/charts/chart_display.jsp?g=Albums&f=European+Top+100+Albums. Retrieved 2009-12-31. 
56. ^ "Finnish Albums Chart". Yle.fi. http://www.yle.fi/lista/listat/albumit.php. Retrieved 2009-12-31. 
57. ^ "lescharts.com - Coldplay - X&Y". lescharts.com. http://lescharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Coldplay&titel=X%26Y&cat=a. Retrieved 4 April 2011. 
58. ^ "German Albums Chart" (in (German)). Musicload.de. http://www.musicload.de/officialcharts. Retrieved 2009-12-31. 
59. ^ "Irish Albums Chart". Irma.ie. 18 November 2010. http://www.irma.ie/aucharts.asp. Retrieved 2010-11-25. 
60. ^ "italiancharts.com - Coldplay - X&Y". italiancharts.com. http://italiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Coldplay&titel=X%26Y&cat=a. Retrieved 4 April 2011. 
61. ^ "mexicancharts.com - Coldplay - X&Y". mexicancharts.com. http://mexicancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Coldplay&titel=X%26Y&cat=a. Retrieved 4 April 2011. 
62. ^ "charts.org.nz - Coldplay - X&Y". charts.org.nz. http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Coldplay&titel=X%26Y&cat=a. Retrieved 4 April 2011. 
63. ^ Steffen Hung (19 November 2010). "Swedish Albums Chart". Swedishcharts.com. http://swedishcharts.com/weekchart.asp?cat=a. Retrieved 2010-11-25. 
64. ^ "UK Albums Chart". Theofficialcharts.com. http://www.theofficialcharts.com/top40_albums.php. Retrieved 2010-11-25. 
65. ^ http://www.billboard.com/search/?keyword=Coldplay&x=&y=#/artist/coldplay/chart-history/401639?f=305&g=Albums
66. ^ ^{a b} "Argentinian album certifications – Coldplay – X&Y". Argentine Chamber of Phonograms and Videograms Producers. http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=Coldplay&album=X%26Y&LanDesde_MM=0&LanDesde_AA=0&LanHasta_MM=0&LanHasta_AA=0&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP. 
67. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2006 Albums". Australian Recording Industry Association. http://www.aria.com.au/pages/ARIACharts-Accreditations-2006Albums.htm. 
68. ^ "Austrian album certifications – Coldplay – X&Y" (in German). IFPI Austria. http://www.ifpi.at/?section=goldplatin.  Enter Coldplay in the field Interpret. Enter X&Y in the field Titel. Select album in the field Format. Click Suchen
69. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina - 2006". Ultratop & Hung Medien / hitparade.ch. http://www.ultratop.be/nl/certifications.asp?year=2006. 
70. ^ "Brazilian album certifications – Coldplay – X&Y" (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos. http://abpd.org.br/certificados_interna.asp?sArtista=Coldplay&tmidia=1. 
71. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Coldplay – X & Y". Music Canada. http://www.musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=X+%26+Y&sa=Coldplay&smt=0. 
72. ^ "Danish album certifications – Coldplay – X&Y". IFPI Denmark. http://www.ifpi.dk/index.php?pk_menu=94. 
73. ^ ^{a b} "Finnish album certifications – Coldplay – X&Y" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. http://www.ifpi.fi/tilastot/artistit/Coldplay. 
74. ^ "French album certifications – Coldplay – X&Y" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. http://www.disqueenfrance.com/fr/pag-259165-CERTIFICATIONS.html?year=2008&type=13. 
75. ^ "German album certifications – Coldplay – X&Y" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/?action=suche&strTitel=X%26Y&strInterpret=Coldplay&strTtArt=alben&strAwards=checked. 
76. ^ "Irish album certifications – Coldplay – X&Y". Irish Recorded Music Association. http://www.irishcharts.ie/awards/multi_platinum.htm. 
77. ^ "Mexican album certifications – Coldplay – X & Y" (in Spanish). Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. http://www.amprofon.com.mx/certificaciones.php?artista=Coldplay&titulo=X+%26+Y&categoria=ALBUM&contenido=buscar. 
78. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Coldplay – X&Y" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. http://www.ifpi.nl/nvpi/pagina.asp?pagkey=61112&documentid=1238117. 
79. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Coldplay – X&Y". Recording Industry Association of New Zealand. http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart.asp?chartNum=1532&chartKind=A. 
80. ^ "Spanish album certifications – Coldplay – X&Y" (in Spanish) (PDF). Productores de Música de España. http://promusicae.es/files/listassemanales/albumes/historial/TOP%20100%20ALBUMES%2006_45.pdf. 
81. ^ "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2006" (in Swedish) (PDF). IFPI Sweden. http://www.ifpi.se/wp/wp-content/uploads/ar-20061.pdf. 
82. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Coldplay; 'X&Y')". Hung Medien. http://www.swisscharts.com/search_certifications.asp?search=Coldplay+X%26Y. 
83. ^ "British album certifications – Coldplay – X and Y". British Phonographic Industry. http://www.bpi.co.uk/certifiedawards/search.aspx.  Enter X and Y in the field Search. Select Title in the field Search by. Select album in the field By Format. Click Go
84. ^ "American album certifications – Coldplay – X&Y". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?artist=%22X%26Y%22.  If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
85. ^ "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 2010". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_news/plat2010.html. 

External links

• Official website
• XFM Album Playback with Chris Martin and Johnny Buckland
• Yahoo! Music Interview: X&Y From A To Z
• Marcus du Sautoy: How do you decode the new Coldplay album cover?, The Guardian, 2 June 2005