Band member Chris Martin of Coldplay openly discusses their least preferred track.
Chris Martin, the charismatic frontman of global sensation Coldplay, confesses he's his own worst critic when it comes to one of their hits.
At 48 years old, Martin is the driving force behind the iconic British rock band, known for their spellbinding live shows. No stage can compare to Coldplay's electrifying performances, gracefully delivering fan favorites like "Fix You," "A Sky Full of Stars," "Yellow," and "Viva La Vida" live.*
Yet, there's one song that even Coldplay finds tricky to perform - their 2004 hit, "Speed of Sound." Penned as a tribute to his daughter Apple, the track drew inspiration from the stylistic flair of Kate Bush.
In a 2011 interview, Martin opened up about their struggles in perfecting the track during the recording process, which now makes them wary of performing it live too often. Despite having played it a handful of times, it's nowhere near the 1,167 times they've played "Yellow," as of April 2025.
During a chat with Howard Stern, Martin revealed that "Speed of Sound" was his least-loved Coldplay track. He explained, "We never got it right." Martin emphasized that the song isn't terrible, but the challenges they faced during its recording and the difficulty in reproducing that magic on stage make him reluctant to include it in their concerts.
"It hurts me. We don't play it... If an audience senses your ambivalence, they can pick up on that real quick," Martin stated.
The 2004 hit "Speed of Sound," penned by Chris Martin as a tribute to his daughter, despite being inspired by the stylistic flair of Kate Bush, is a song the US-based band Coldplay struggles with, as they never felt they got it right during the recording process. This makes them hesitant to perform it frequently in their world entertainment shows, unlike some other songs like the iconic "Yellow," which they've played over 1,167 times as of April 2025.
