Clocks
| Clocks | |
|---|---|
|
|
| publication | February 24, 2003 |
| length | 5:07 (Album Version) 4:10 ( Radio Edit ) |
| Genre (s) | Alternative rock |
| Author (s) | Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, Chris Martin |
| album | A rush of blood to the head |
Clocks (English for: " clocks ") is a song by the British rock band Coldplay . It is included on their second studio album A Rush of Blood to the Head from 2002 and was also released as the third single (after In My Place and The Scientist ) from the album.
The song has a characteristic piano motif and is one of Coldplay's most famous songs. It only reached number 50 in the German single charts, but was often played by radio stations and used several times as background music for series, films or television programs, mostly in sad or emotional scenes.
Emergence
The song Clocks was written late in the production of the album A Rush of Blood to the Head . According to singer Chris Martin, the band Muse served as the inspiration for the song. By the time this song was written, the group already had ten songs ready for the upcoming album. Since the band originally no longer expected to be able to publish the piece on this album, Clocks was recorded as a demo under the name Songs for # 3 in order to be able to use it for the later third album.
However, when the album was presented to the record company in June 2002, Martin was a bit dissatisfied with the song material he had made, he called it "garbage". So the release of the record was postponed, some songs were revised and not even a quarter of a year before the release the band was also working on the demo. Phil Harvey, a friend of the singer and the manager of the group, urged work on the later Clocks so that it could be released on Coldplay's second album, as he already saw great potential in the song.
Musical
The song is considered a turning point in terms of the band's style. Until then, Coldplay was known more for reduced and slower music, at Clocks they worked for the first time with the combination of tempo and synthesizer , which shaped the following album X&Y to a large extent.
A characteristic of clocks is the 4/4 time with a riff in the 3/3/2-scheme, which is kept by the drums (snare bass bass, snare bass bass, snare bass) and the piano throughout the song. This riff is partly used by Coldplay in the songs Politik , Square One , A Message and Speed of Sound , which is why the latter track is perceived by many to be similar to Clocks .
success
The Coldplay version achieved the following chart successes:
- 2nd place in the Netherlands
- 7th place in Canada
- 9th in the UK,
- 28th in Australia
- # 29 in the US, US Billboard Hot 100
Coldplay, producer Ken Nelson and sound engineer Mark Phythian received a Grammy for Clocks in 2004 as "Single of the Year".
Cover versions
As early as 2003, a trance version of the title was produced by the Dutch DJ Ron van den Beuken under the pseudonym Clokx .
Further cover versions were recorded in 2004 by the American singer Brandy and Gregorian .
In 2006 the song was covered by Cuban musicians (partly by members of the Buena Vista Social Club ) and is included on the album Rhythms del Mundo . The vocals were taken over by Coldplay ( Chris Martin ). The instruments, especially those from Latin America, were re-recorded.
The album Bagrock to the Masses of the Red Hot Chilli Pipers from 2007 includes a bagpipe version of the song.
Another cover was released by String Quartet Tribute . Also published 2Cellos a cover on her published in 2013 album In2ition (along with Lang Lang ).
The German harpist Ulla van Daelen finally covered Clocks in 2015 as a harp solo for her album Harp goes Pop .
Individual evidence
- ↑ On the B-side of the single are the songs Crests of Waves and Animals , which never appeared on an album.
- ↑ coldplay e-zine - issue 6 - 11.02. (PDF; 181 kB) Debs Wild, 2002, archived from the original on August 8, 2006 ; accessed on December 25, 2014 .
- ↑ Jon Wiederhorn: Road To The Grammys: The Making Of Coldplay's 'Clocks'. In: MTV news. February 2, 2004, accessed December 25, 2014 .
- ^ Robert Webb: Story of the Song: 'Clocks', Coldplay (2002). In: The Independent. July 25, 2008, accessed December 25, 2014 .
- ↑ Coldplay in the Dutch charts
- ↑ Clocks in the British charts
- ↑ Coldplay in the Australian charts
- ↑ Coldplay on the Billboard Hot 100
- ^ The Grammy Award Winners of 2004. At: nytimes.com (English), February 9, 2004. Retrieved February 28, 2013
- ↑ Direct Sample of Hook / Riff. WhoSampled.com, accessed December 25, 2014 (English, comparison).
- ↑ Masters Of Chant Chapter IV. On: discogs.com (English). Retrieved February 28, 2013
- ↑ Rhythms del Mundo: Cuba. On: allmusic.com (English). Retrieved February 28, 2013
- ↑ In2ition. In: The Official 2CELLOS Site. Sony Music Entertainment, 2012, archived from the original on December 12, 2012 ; accessed on December 25, 2014 .