Top 10 Coldplay Music Videos

#10: "Magic" (2014)

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  Leave it to a silent film to pack more punch than some of the band's more lively videos. In this tribute to the silent era of film, and – thanks to some simple tricks and powerful visuals – the band tell a story about magic and abuse. As Chris Martin's magician's assistant angers the abusive husband of the brilliant magician, (also played by Martin), it becomes clear things need to change. As the assistant discovers his real magic powers, he helps his boss fight back.  Despite its primitive style and old-school text frames, the hard-hitting story makes it all feel right.    

#9: "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face" (2003)

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  Ever feel like you could just disappear and no one would notice? Taking the idea of ghosting in a very different direction, this video finds a business man having a very dark day as he slowly starts to fade out of existence. After some shocking moments, dropping a suitcase and then a glass, the man goes into a full freak out as his hands vanish completely. He runs … only to disappear fully. Thanks to some haunting visuals and special effects mixed with the usually grounded black and white, the video left a creepy memory fans wouldn't soon forget.

 
  

#8: "Up&Up" (2016)

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  Life can get pretty predictable, so why not spice things up? Bringing the beauty of life into perspective, Coldplay made the mundane fascinating thanks to some surreal image blending that will take your breath away. Superimposing skies into seas, galaxies into subways, and humour into historical footage, the video sparks the imagination. There's so much visual majesty in this video that you could craft dozens of videos based off any one shot. He might be a bit biased, but Chris Martin has even said he thought it was one of the best music videos ever made. 
 

#7: "Trouble" (2000)

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  A sad song needs the right tempered video to do it justice. Taking their melancholy melody to a storybook world, the boys go 2D in their fantastical take on the track. Melding actors into the magically animated video, things go from overcast to dreary in a woman's stormy life. Using the weird style and magical elements, it elevates the sad overtones of the song and takes the dreary metaphors somewhere brilliant. 



#6: "Life in Technicolor II" (2009)

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  Who knew a puppet show could have this much production value? Turning some kid’s entertainment into full arena rock, the band become puppets, putting on the same over-the-top show they're known for, and then some. Taking control of the whole room, they extend their stage out to the floor, with puppet-Martin flying and spinning through the air. Complete with pyrotechnics, lighting, and even some stuntmen, the puppet band put on a rock star show Coldplay could never get away with in real life, topping it off with a helicopter-bound exit. Goofy yet overtly fun, the video was a cheeky way to parody the medium and the band themselves. 




#5: "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" (2011)

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  If all graffiti was this cool, maybe it wouldn't be a crime. Up to their old stop-motion antics, the band injects a little colour into their world in this clever video that blends street art with music, creating an audio-visual feast. Dynamically following the band through a parking lot, the paint not only animates the lyrics but splashes funky and lively imagery behind them in time with the song. As they enter a room, black lights reveal walls covered in art as they dance and play to the flickering background. Endlessly stimulating, it gave viewers a new appreciation for graffiti. 



#4: "Paradise" (2011)

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  When you don't like your life, find a new one. Both inspiring and fun, this video finds an elephant dreaming of escaping the zoo and returning home to Africa. Never giving up, the Elephant braves suitcase travel and highways on unicycle to get home. Arriving, it's reunited with its friends and starts jamming out as they put their elephant band back together. While the story itself is both sad and uplifting, the fact that the elephants are all men in suits does make it hard not to laugh just a bit.    

  Most people are probably still scratching their heads at how they did this one. Merging deceptive live-action/stop-motion animation with some of the most mind-bending chalk animation ever conceived, this marvel was a masterpiece … and that’s before you consider the unbelievable amount of work behind it. As Super-Chris fights a giant squirrel to save a princess, he braves barrages of arrows, stormy seas and even flies through the sky, all brought to life by the tricky chalk drawings. With art that interacted with a real Chris, it was easy to forget that the two were separate entities. 




#2: "Yellow" (2000)

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  There's something about a simple slow motion video that can melt people like butter. This single-take video shines as a powerful emotional piece as Chris Martin walks towards the camera while singing to it. Soaked despite his raincoat, the look feeds in to the song's mixture of happy and sad in a subtler way than the night to day sky that is shown in the video. Shot at double speed for a more natural slow look, Martin had to sing twice as fast to achieve the affect before they slowed it down. Shot on the day of drummer Will Champion’s mother’s funeral, Martin’s emotional look is all too real and appropriate. 

 Before we get to our top pick here are a few honorable mentions:   "Talk" (2005)
Coldplay


 "Princess Of China (feat. Rihanna)" (2012)
Coldplay


   "Midnight" (2014)
Coldplay


 


#1: "The Scientist" (2002)

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  Good filmmakers can shoot something trippy backwards, but great filmmakers can break hearts with it. From the same creative mind behind the "God Put A Smile Upon Your Face" video, came this turbulent piece that's a stark reminder to never take anything at face value. As Martin walks backwards through streets and even jumps walls, the demented look of the reverse motion makes everything look a little off, and it's not just for style. Moving back to the start of his story, it's revealed that he's been walking away from a crash that killed his partner, turning the whole tale on its head. 

   Do you agree with our list? What video had your head full of dreams? For more colourful top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com.