Violet Hill

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"Violet Hill"
Song
B-side"A Spell a Rebel Yell", "Lost?"

"Violet Hill" 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. Built around a repeating guitar sound, there's a marching tempo that's supported by the pianos and rhythms which accompanies this song's lyrics.

"Violet Hill" was made available as a free download on the band's website and was downloaded more than two million times. The song was received with positive reviews. The track was released in the United States as the lead single from Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, and has reached number nine in Billboard's Hot Modern Rock Tracks, and has reached number eight in UK Singles Chart.

Background and writing

Chris Martin described the song as having a "chalky, pastel feeling" which he said reminds him of his childhood. "Imagine a pseudo guitar-like circus music with a pinch of Chicago... It's something new from us and you will be impressed."[1] The song is the first anti-war protest song from the band,[2][3] and borrows its rhythm from the Beatles; "Violet Hill" is a street near Abbey Road.[4]

Martin revealed that the band wrote the first line and the first little melody of the song years ago, but didn’t finish it until last year.[5] Martin told Rolling Stone that lyrics from the song about "a carnival of idiots on show" and how a "fox became God" were a commentary on Fox News.[6][5] "One day I was watching Bill O’Reilly, and I was like, 'I know how to finish that song,'" as Martin explained, "My best friend, Tim, he’s a musician in a band called the High Wire, but he also has to work in a bar. He was having trouble with his boss, and it made me think that so many people spend their lives being told what to do by people that they just don’t like. So it was that idea, and watching Bill O’Reilly, and all these words just came out."[5][6]

During an interview with MTV, Guy Berryman revealed that the song was one of the older songs that the band had been working on and that they had to move it to one side from the list of songs that were going to appear in the album. Phil Harvey, the band's manager, urged them to include the track in the album, which led to the band to drag it back to the short list.[7]

Music and lyrics

"Violet Hill" is a synthesizer-and-guitar fuzz song. That momentum of the song builds around guitarist Jonny Buckland, who throws in a curling solo.[8] The track opens with a jagged distorted guitar riff,[9] which soon follows with a piano melody. Martin sings about medieval imagery of carnivals, cathedrals, religion and war, culminating in a soaring chorus that will become one of their most anthemic live moments.[10] The lyrics are cryptic, as they start off with frontman Chris Martin's falsetto recalling: "Was a long and dark December/From the rooftops I remember there was snow" and ending with "If you loved me/Why'd you let me go?".[8][10][11]

Release and promotion

The band announced on 28 April 2008 that the single would be released on the official Coldplay website on 29 April 2008 for free for one week before the paid download on 6 May.[12][13] The song received its first radio play on 29 April 2008, on Radio 1 at 12:13. "Violet Hill" was downloaded for free by over 600,000 people in the 24 hours since it was made available at 12:15pm on 29 April.[14] In the subsequent week, the single was downloaded 2 million times from the Coldplay website.[15]

Coldplay released "Violet Hill" in the US on 9 May 2008 as the album's first single. A promotional 7" vinyl release of the single was given away free in the 10 May issue of NME, including non-album track "A Spell a Rebel Yell" on the B-side.[16] On subsequent physical releases, "Lost?", an acoustic recording of album track "Lost!" serves as "Violet Hill"'s B-side instead.[16]

On 28 May, it was announced that "Violet Hill" would be featured in Guitar Hero III as downloadable content.[17] Drum and bass group Pendulum covered the song in BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge. The song also featured on an episode of TV sitcom Hollyoaks.

Reception

Critics were positive towards the song. In the Los Angeles Times review of the album, critic Todd Martens wrote: "The song's first guitar crush arrives after a lengthy ambient intro, and brings an electrifying jolt to the striking piano melody. Martin brings a booming confidence to his vocals that has been more evident in Coldplay's live shows than on record."[18] Simon Vozick-Levinson from Entertainment Weekly wrote: "'Violet Hill' opens with a thin synth wash that's very Music for Airports, and proceeds from there to some droning, stabbing guitar textures that sound cooler than most any Coldplay tunes I can think of. [...] Still, the songcraft itself feels lacking. The melody's fine, if nothing special; I can accept that Chris Martin may have spent up all his truly indelible melodies on the band's first few albums."[19] Kristina Feliciano of Paste magazine wrote: "You know you’re in for a different kind of Coldplay experience when Chris Martin ditches his anguished falsetto for a deep, doomy basso profundo, as he does on 'Violet Hill'".[20] Mikael Wood of Spin magazine wrote: "'Violet Hill' pulls a similar fake-out, bludgeoning a delicate Eno-style soundscape with big Black Sabbath guitars."[21] Darcie Stevens of the Austin Chronicle wrote: "While the band's fourth LP begins light and pretty, its power breaks late-album with Old West tangent 'Violet Hill'".[22]

Music videos

The music video for the song was filmed in Sicily and was filmed by director/visual artist Asa Mader.[7] The official video for the single was released on 18 May. An alternative music video, named 'Dancing Politicians', was posted on Coldplay's official website on 17 May.[7] The video is made up of clips, sometimes looped, featuring various politicians and scenes of war, as well as firework displays at the end. It prominently features George W. Bush, presenting clips of him in a mocking manner. Prominent 20th century personalities, such as Fidel Castro, Richard Nixon, Hugo Chávez, Robert Mugabe, Osama bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Boris Yeltsin, Barack Obama, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Tony and Cherie Blair, and Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip are featured in this alternate video.[23] This video is shown at live shows (Viva La Vida Tour) on a small on-stage TV screen.

The official video for "Violet Hill" is nominated for Best Special Effects for the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards.[24]

Track listings

Digital download

  1. "Violet Hill" – 3:49

Promotional CD

  1. "Violet Hill" [radio edit] – 3:21

Promotional 7" (free with NME)

  1. "Violet Hill" – 3:49
  2. "A Spell a Rebel Yell" – 2:40

CD release

  1. "Violet Hill" – 3:49
  2. "Lost?" – 3:39

Charts

Chart (2008) Peak
position
Australia Singles Chart[25] 9
Canada Hot 100[26] 6
Europe Hot 100[27] 9
Dutch Mega Top 50[28] 1
France Singles Chart[29] 36
German Singles Chart[30] 10
Irish Singles Chart[31] 13
Italy Singles Chart[32] 9
Japan Hot 100[33] 39
Luxemburg Singles Chart[34] 1
New Zealand Singles Chart[35] 5
Norway Singles Chart[36] 8
Sweden Singles Chart[37] 8
U.K. Singles Chart[38] 8
U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks[39] 9
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[40] 40
U.S. Billboard Pop 100[41] 38

References

  1. ^ Hawthorne, Jackob (2008-04-28). "Coldplay Single is free from today". RTÉ. Retrieved 2008-04-28. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ Willman, Chris (2008-06-13). "Viva La Vida Review". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  3. ^ Meares, Josh. ""Violet Hill" by Coldplay". Planet Wisdom. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  4. ^ Harvilla, Rob (2008-06-17). "Coldplay's Insurmountable Fire". Village Voice. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  5. ^ a b c Stelter, Brian (2006-06-12). "Coldplay Lyrics Take a Swipe at Bill O'Reilly". New York Times. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
  6. ^ a b Hiatt, Brian (2008-06-26). "The Jesus of Uncool" (1055). Rolling Stone: 54. {{cite journal}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ a b c Montgomery, James (2008-06-29). "Coldplay Give Track-By-Track Tour Of Viva La Vida, Explain Handclaps, Tack Pianos And The Number 42". MTV. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  8. ^ a b Montgomery, James (2006-04-28). "Coldplay Single Preview: Read About 'Violet Hill' Here Before You Download It On Tuesday!". MTV. Retrieved 2008-08-22. Track transitions from stomping guitar chords to hushed vocals, indicating the rest of the album's atmospheric sound.
  9. ^ Serpick, Evan (2008-02-27). "Coldplay at Work on "Something Different" for Upcoming Album". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  10. ^ a b Youngs, Ian (2008-06-06). "Joining Coldplay's musical journey". BBC. Retrieved 2008-08-22.
  11. ^ Montgomery, James (2008-06-04). "Coldplay's Viva La Vida: Everything To Everyone, In Bigger Than The Sound". MTV. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  12. ^ "News Ticker: Guns N' Roses, Britney Spears, Coldplay". Rolling Stone. 2008-04-21. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  13. ^ Brandle, Lars (2008-04-28). "Coldplay Prep Album With Free Download, Concerts". Billboard. Retrieved 2008-04-28.
  14. ^ "Coldplay single downloaded by 600,000 people". NME. Retrieved 2008-05-01.
  15. ^ "Coldplay song downloaded 2m times". BBC. Retrieved 2008-05-06.
  16. ^ a b "NME to give away new Coldplay songs free". NME. 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  17. ^ Halperin, Shirley (2008-05-28). "Coldplay to make 'Guitar Hero' debut". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  18. ^ Martens, Todd (2008-06-13). "Coldplay's 'Viva La Vida': 10 track-by-track reactions". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
  19. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (2008-05-01). "Snap judgment: Coldplay's 'Violet Hill'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  20. ^ Feliciano, Kristina (2008-06-12). "Coldplay: Viva la Vida, or Death and All His Friends review". Paste. Retrieved 2008-08-28.
  21. ^ Wood, Mikael (2008-06-17). "Coldplay, 'Viva La Vida'". Spin. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  22. ^ Stevens, Darcie (2008-07-18). "Phases & Stages". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  23. ^ "Coldplay's "Violet Hill" Music Video". The Modern Age. 2008-05-18. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  24. ^ Harris, Chris (2008-08-27). "Kanye West, Rihanna, Chris Brown, Katy Perry Videos Pick Up More VMA Nominations". MTV. Retrieved 2008-08-29.
  25. ^ [1]. Issue date: June 23, 2008. Retrieved on June 22, 2008.
  26. ^ [2]. Issue date: June 7, 2008. Retrieved on June 17, 2008.
  27. ^ [3]. Retrieved on May 31, 2008.
  28. ^ [4]. Issue date: May 10, 2008. Retrieved on June 18, 2008.
  29. ^ [5]. Issue date: June 3, 2008. Retrieved on August 21, 2008.
  30. ^ [6]. Issue date: June 10, 2008. Retrieved on June 11, 2008.
  31. ^ [7]. Issue date: June 12, 2008. Retrieved on June 17, 2008.
  32. ^ [8]. Issue date: May 31, 2008. Retrieved on August 19, 2008.
  33. ^ [9]. Issue date: June 7, 2008. Retrieved on June 17, 2008.
  34. ^ [10]. Issue date: June 24, 2008. Retrieved on June 24, 2008.
  35. ^ [11]. Issue date: June 16, 2008. Retrieved on June 18, 2008.
  36. ^ [12]. Retrieved on May 31, 2008.
  37. ^ [13]. Issue date: May 15, 2008. Retrieved on June 17, 2008.
  38. ^ [14]. Retrieved on August 21, 2008.
  39. ^ [15]. Issue date: June 14, 2008. Retrieved on June 6, 2008.
  40. ^ [16]. Issue date: June 14, 2008. Retrieved on June 6, 2008.
  41. ^ [17]. Issue date: June 14, 2008. Retrieved on June 6, 2008.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Violet_Hill&oldid=235305642"