Fix You
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| “Fix You” | |||||
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| Single by Coldplay from the album X&Y |
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| B-side | "The World Turned Upside Down", "Pour Me" | ||||
| Released | 5 September 2005 (see release history) |
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| Format | 7", CD, download | ||||
| Genre | Alternative rock | ||||
| Length | 4:54 (album version) 4:37 (no intro, video edit) |
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| Label | Parlophone | ||||
| Producer | Coldplay, Ken Nelson | ||||
| Coldplay singles chronology | |||||
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| X&Y track listing | |||||
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| Music sample | |||||
"Fix You" is a song by English rock band Coldplay and is the fourth track on their 2005 album, X&Y. During live performances of the song all four members of the band sing, although on record only Chris and Will do. It was also released as the second single from that album in various countries. In the United Kingdom it was released on 5 September 2005 to avoid competition with Oasis' "The Importance of Being Idle" (released 22 August 2005) in the UK Singles Chart.[1]
On 14 September 2005, Coldplay released the Fix You EP on the iTunes Music Store. In response to Hurricane Katrina, all of the sales went to the American Red Cross Hurricane 2005 Relief and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences' MusiCares Hurricane Relief Fund. This song was also played on Shelter from the Storm. It has also become a tribute song for the victims and eventually became the anthem for the event.
This album has been released with the Copy Control protection system in some regions.
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[edit] Writing the song
When writing the song, Chris Martin was influenced by Muse's use of a church organ on the track "Megalomania" from their album Origin of Symmetry. Unable to gain access to one, Martin instead used an old keyboard that his late father-in-law (Bruce Paltrow) gave to his daughter Gwyneth Paltrow.[2] However, in other instances Martin has claimed that "Fix You" is a copy of Elbow's 2003 anthem "Grace Under Pressure".[3]
Some sources claim Chris Martin wrote the song for his wife Gwyneth Paltrow after she suffered depression following the death of her father, Bruce Paltrow.[4]
This song is written in E-flat major.
[edit] Music video
The music video for "Fix You", directed by Sophie Muller, was shot at the end of two concerts on 4 July and 5 July 2005 at Reebok Stadium in Bolton, England. The concert goers doubled as extras for the video shoot, which required two takes on each day to complete.[5]
In the first half of the video, Chris Martin wanders the streets of London, while the slogan "Make Trade Fair" is projected onto the National Film Theatre, using the same ITA2 colour scheme on the cover of X&Y. The tunnels that Martin is seen wandering within are located near London Bridge station. The bridge that he walks across is Waterloo Bridge connecting the Southbank with The Strand. As soon as the electric guitar kicks in, Martin darts through streets corners until finally reaching the Reebok Stadium, where he joins the rest of the band for the song's finale. The metal steps signal the start of the Reebok Stadium scene.
After the video was released, rumours in the United States suggested that, given the location of some of the footage, the video was a tribute following the 7 July 2005 London bombings. Although this is impossible as the filming took place in June, it is suggested this due to references such as the construction site in the background as one scene with a sign for King's Cross in the corner, which may referring to rebuilding the damage at station. The band themselves have never denied such a connection.
[edit] Young@Heart
The song was performed in 2006 by the New England octogenarian chorus group Young@Heart. The group's performance was led by chorus member Fred Knittle, who suffers from congestive heart failure and breathes through an oxygen tank[citation needed]. The performance was originally planned to be a duet between Knittle and another chorus member, Bob Salvini, but Salvini succumbed to illness shortly before the show. Fred decided to go ahead and perform the song alone as a tribute to his friend.
The performance was initially recorded for a British documentary that aired on Channel 4; footage of the performance was uploaded to YouTube in November 2006 to positive response.[6][7] An expanded version of the film, titled Young@Heart, debuted at the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival and was released in United States theatres in 2008.
[edit] Track listing
- "Fix You" (edit) - 4:37
- "The World Turned Upside Down" - 4:32
- "Pour Me" (Live at the Hollywood Bowl) (featured on the UK Enhanced CD, Australian, and U.S. iTunes EP versions) - 5:01
- "Fix You" (video) (featured on the UK Enhanced CD and U.S. iTunes EP versions) - 4:56
[edit] Chart performance
The song was supported by 60 alternative rock radio stations in the United States, including 99X (Atlanta), KNDD (Seattle), XTRA (San Diego), and WFNX (Boston). The band also performed the track at Saturday Night Live and Live 8.
The song debuted on the U.S. Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart on 28 August 2005. It reached #18 on the chart. "Fix You" also reached #42 on the Billboard Pop 100, #24 on the Adult Top 40, and #29 on the Hot Digital Songs chart. The song peaked at #4 on the UK singles chart.
[edit] Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 25 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 13 |
| Latvian Airplay Top | 8 |
| UK Singles Chart | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 59 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 18 |
[edit] Release details
| Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalog |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 2005-09-05 | Parlophone | 7" | R6671 |
| digipak Enhanced CD | CDRS6671 | |||
| Australia | 2005-09-12 | Capitol Records | CD | 3410002 |
| United States | 2005-09-13 | EMI, Capitol | iTunes download | |
| Japan | 2005-09-14 | Toshiba-EMI | CD | TOCP-40184 |
[edit] References
- ^ Coldplay Avoids A Duel With Oasis (5 July 2005). Retrieved on 2006-12-03.
- ^ Kennedy, John. "Coldplay on X&Y", XFM.
- ^ Coldplay Admit Fix You Is A Copy Of Elbows Track. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.
- ^ Devin Gordon. Newsweek. "Hot for Coldplay." 30 May 2005 issue. Accessed 15 February 2007.
- ^ www.nme.com
- ^ Jake Coyle. "Young@Heart bridges the age gap", Deseret Morning News, Associated Press, 2007-06-24. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ Ronni Gordon. "'Young@Heart' documentary at Academy", The Republican, 2007-03-09. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
[edit] External links
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