U2 Vs. Coldplay: The Big Comedown!

"You better lie low. If you love me, won't you let me know?"-Chris Martin

"When I was all messed up and I had opera in my head, your love was a light-bulb hanging over my bed."-Bono

So, I've noticed the growing comparisons between my two favorite bands, U2 and Coldplay latley and I've gotta say, I love it! Although, it does annoy me to hear how much people think Coldplay are trying to BE U2, I've always thought of Coldplay as "the next U2" without a doubt.

I really don't think Coldplay are trying to be anyone beside themselves in terms of their music but it's true, they took inspiration from U2 when it comes to their political stances and charitable sincerity, yeah. But is that such a bad thing? The way I see it, helping people in any way, shape or form is good even if the idea was inspired by other people whom happen to be in the same proffession.

But now, onto the music similarities! There are definatley some things which both U2 and Coldplay do share in terms of music: Ringing Riffs, Shifting Lyrics and a strong Bass/Drum and Guitar/Bass set-up.

So, they have some similarities. Big deal, does it mean Coldplay are thieves? No.

Coldplay did an ipod commercial to promote their latest album: "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" and just because U2 did the same thing before them, four years ago, Coldplay was smashed with the label "Trying to be U2".

But the thing people forget is, Green Day did an ipod commercial before U2 did and why didn't I hear anything like "U2 is trying to be Green Day"? Maybe, it's because Billy Joe Armstrong isn't as politically active as U2 or Coldplay but still, it's wrong.

Many artists support charities and stuff like that but yet, I don't hear them being so negativley compared to U2 as many do with Coldplay.

Lyrically, Bono's lyrics for U2 are more on a global and world-wide scale than Chris Martin's are for Coldplay.

I mean in my favorite U2 song (Well, favorite song, period.), "Beautiful Day," Bono starts off with: The heart is a bloom, shoots up through the stony ground. There no room, no space to rent in this town. You're out of luck and the reason that you had to care, the traffic is stuck and you're not moving anywhere."

In my favorite Coldplay song, "Clocks," Chris Martin starts off with: Lights go out and I can't be saved. The tides that I tried to swim against have broke me down upon my knees. Oh I beg, I beg and plead."

Now, when Coldplay first came out with Clocks, the first thing a lot of people did was call the song a steal from Beautiful Day just because Chris Martin said that the song was inspired by U2. I don't know, you tell me: Do those lyrics sound anything alike? Are they even talking about the same things?

First off, Clocks is a song about a man in the last second of his life when it first starts and he's thinking about all the things he wished he could take back and redeem himself for [in the second half, the song is about the man reviewing his life after he's dead.]

Beautiful Day is about a man whose lost everything but still finds joy in the litte that he still has.

Bottom line, the songs have nothing to do with each other and just because two bands have things in common doesn't mean either of them are thieves. I love both bands and find them unique in their art.