In My Place
single
CoverIn My Place (2002 Coldplay single).jpg
ArtistColdplay
AlbumA Rush of Blood to the Head
B-side
  • "One I Love"
  • "I Bloom Blaum"
Released5 August 2002
Genre
Label
Writer
Producer
Prev year2001
Next year2002

"'In My Place" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. The song was written collaboratively by all the band members and released on their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head. The track is built around thumping drums and chiming guitars. It was released on 5 August 2002 as the lead single from A Rush of Blood to the Head and reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. The song also reached number 17 on Billboards Modern Rock Tracks.

"In My Place" was well received by critics, who complimented its arrangement and profound lyrics. The song won the award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 45th Annual Grammy Awards.

Background and composition

In an interview with Q magazine, lead singer Chris Martin stated that "In My Place" was a song Coldplay had left after recording their debut album Parachutes (2000).[1][2] When the band finished recording their second album A Rush of Blood to the Head, Martin said that the album was complete.[1] However, after guitarist Jonny Buckland played the song on his guitar, Martin said that they now needed to record it and include it on the album.[1] Martin also said that: "That's about where you're put in the world, and how you're given your position, and the way you look, and how you have to get on with it."[3] In an interview, Buckland revealed that the song was hard to record, as the band had played the song live.[4] He also commented that when they started recording the song, they did not know how it should sound, due to the band members' contrasting ideas.[4]

The song opens with a single crash cymbal followed by two bars of 4/4 drumming, then a plaintive three-note guitar line rings through a strummy rhythm, and Martin's vocals.[5][6] Its instrumentation is varied with the sound of thumping drums, chiming guitars, a singalong chorus, and a string arrangement.[5][6][7] The song also features guitar licks.[8][9] The lyrics emphasise: "But I wait for you/if you go, if you go/leave me down here on my own/then I'll wait for you."[10] The song's lyrics also include references to a desire for weary optimism.[11]

The song is written in the key of A major.[12] It has been noted that the song's drum intro bears a close resemblance to the beginning of the Ride song "Dreams Burn Down".[13][14]

Release

Coldplay released "In My Place" on 5 August 2002 as the album A Rush of Blood to the Head's lead single.[15][16] It was pressed with two B-sides: "One I Love" and "I Bloom Blaum".[17][18] The cover artwork features Buckland, with art directed by Sølve Sundsbø.[19]

Music video

The music video for "In My Place" was directed by Sophie Muller. It debuted on 17 June 2002 on AOL.[5][20] It features the band playing in a huge, nearly empty, white studio room, with a bluish light resembling sunlight coming from an off-screen source. The video starts off with a closeup of Will Champion playing the drums as the song begins; while the rest of the band plays, Chris Martin, who is sitting in a corner, gets up and joins them in the song. Throughout the video, Martin sings directly to the camera, interspersed with shots of the other members of the band playing their instruments. During the guitar solo, Martin runs up to two women who are seen sitting on a step in the background, talks to them for a while, and then runs back to sing the rest of the song. The two women in the background were members of the video crew: a makeup artist/wardrobe assistant and the video commissioner.[5]

The video was subjected to a spoof by Bad Lip Reading on their YouTube page. It was dubbed with the song "Yeti" that was composed and recorded, like BLR's other videos, to humorously reinterpret the lip movement and action in the video. "Yeti" has received over three million views on YouTube as of April 2017.[21]

Commercial performance

"In My Place" peaked at number two on UK Singles Chart on 17 August 2002,[22] kept off the top by "Colourblind" by Darius Danesh.[23] The song later re-entered the UK Top 40 in July 2011.[24] In the United States, the song debuted on Billboard's Adult Alternative Airplay chart on 20 July 2002, before reaching number one on 28 September, marking the band's first number-one hit on any Billboard chart.[25]

Critical reception

Reviews

Critics were positive towards the song. In the Entertainment Weekly review of the album, critic David Browne wrote: "Songs like 'In My Place' and 'Warning Sign' marry lyrics imbued with deep regret and mistakes ('You were an island / And I passed you by' in the touching latter song) with lyrical melodies and guitar hooks that twinkle and sparkle".[26] Adrien Begrand of PopMatters wrote: "When the shimmering, pretty lead-off single 'In My Place' represents the album's weakest moment, you know you've got something extraordinary. [...] 'In My Place' is another surprisingly simple song, carried by Jonny Buckland's chiming guitar and Chris Martin’s heartfelt vocals. It really shouldn't amount to much, but Coldplay make it work very well".[27] Amy M. Bruce of The Towerlight wrote that "With a slew of introspective rock songs like 'In My Place' and 'God Put a Smile upon Your Face,' this album is worthy of the hype surrounding the band's first album".[28] Jules Willis of the BBC said that "It's a fantastic pop tune that justifies Coldplay's status as one of UK's most exciting bands".[29]

Rankings

List of critic rankings
PublicationYearDescriptionResultRef.
The A.V. Club2002Songs of the Year 200214[30]
NME2016Best Tracks of 200243[31]
Radio X2010The Xfm Top 1000 Songs of All TimePlaced[32]
2026Best of British 500489[33]
The Village Voice2003Pazz & Jop Critics Poll15[34]

Accolades

"In My Place" won a Grammy Award in the category of Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 2003 Grammy Awards.[35][36] The song was nominated for two 2003 MuchMusic Video Awards for Best international Video–Group and People's Choice: Favorite International Group.[37]

Usage in media

See also: List of cover versions of Coldplay songs

In 2003, "In My Place" was featured on Coldplay's live album, Live 2003.[38] In 2012, "In My Place" was featured on Coldplay's live album Live 2012. The song appeared in the 2006 season 4 episode "Saving Sammy" on CBS' television series Cold Case.[39] The song was used as a closing montage song about a case from 2003.[39] The track appeared again on the 2002 episode "Girls Own Juice" of the television series Fastlane.[40] The song is also featured as playable in the 2009 video game Guitar Hero 5.[41]

Track listing

All versions of the official single included the B-side, "One I Love".[4] This track was performed on the subsequent A Rush of Blood to the Head Tour and is featured on Live 2003.[42]

Personnel

Coldplay
Additional Personnel
  • Audrey Riley — string arrangement, string performer
  • Ann Lines – string performer
  • Chris Tombling – string performer
  • Dan Green – string performer
  • Laura Melhewish – string performer
  • Leo Payne – string performer
  • Peter Lale – string performer
  • Richard George – string performer
  • Susan Dench – string performer

Charts

Weekly charts

2000s weekly chart performance for "In My Place"
Chart (2002)Peak
position
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[43]2
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)[44]8
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[45]3
Portugal (AFP)[46]3
2010s weekly chart performance for "In My Place"
Chart (2011–2017)Peak
position
South Korea International (Gaon)[47]50
2020s weekly chart performance for "In My Place"
Chart (2023)Peak
position

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "In My Place"
Chart (2002)Position
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[48]19
Canada Radio (Nielsen BDS)[49]55
Ireland (IRMA)[50]62
Italy (FIMI)[51]42
UK Singles (OCC)[52]103
UK Airplay (Music Week)[53]14
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[54]61
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[55]65
US Triple-A (Billboard)[56]10

Release history

Release dates and formats for "In My Place"
RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref(s).
United States1 July 2002Hot adult contemporary · alternative · triple A radioCapitol[57]
Australia5 August 2002CDParlophone[58]
United Kingdom12-inch vinyl · CD · cassette[15][16]
United States7 October 2002Contemporary hit radioCapitol[59]

See also

References

  1. ^ "The State of Coldplay". Q. August 2002.
  2. ^ Klein, Joshua (5 August 2002). "Coldplay set for stardom with blend of talent, fun". Chicago Tribune
  3. ^ "Coldplay Ezine: Issue 6". Coldplay. Archived 8 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 31 August 2008.
  4. ^ "Coldplay Ezine: Issue 4". Coldplay. Archived 11 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 31 August 2008.
  5. ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (12 August 2002). "Coldplay Play On, Thanks To New Single". MTV News. Archived from the original on 25 October 2002. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  6. ^ Parker, Nigel (23 August 2002). "Coldplay's Rush is near-flawless". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 29 April 2009.
  7. ^ Cheal, David (12 October 2006). "Perfect Playlist: Coldplay". The Daily Telegraph
  8. ^ McNamee, Paul (30 July 2002). "Coldplay — In My Place". NME. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  9. ^ Denning, Adrian. "Coldplay album reviews". Adrian Denning.com. Retrieved 1 September 2008.
  10. ^ "In My Place Lyrics". MTV. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  11. ^ McCormick, Neil (1 August 2002). "Why I'm suddenly warming to Coldplay". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 21 September 2002. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  12. ^ "In My Place by Coldplay – Digital Sheet Music". Musicnotes.com. 2002. Retrieved 10 August 2018.
  13. ^ Cramp, Nathaniel (19 November 2014). "Ride: 10 of the best". theguardian.com. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  14. ^ "The 50 Best Coldplay Songs: Staff Picks". billboard.com. 21 November 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2020.
  15. ^ "Coldplay Ezine: Issue 3". Coldplay. Archived 11 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  16. ^ Ramsay, Maggie (20 July 2002). "Airborne". Music & Media. Vol. 20, no. 30. p. 10. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  17. ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (3 September 2003). "Coldplay To Release Live DVD, CD". MTV News. Archived from the original on 5 September 2003. Retrieved 3 September 2008.
  18. ^ "In My Place (B-Sides) by Coldplay". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved 2 September 2008.[dead link]
  19. ^ "Coldplay Ezine: Issue 5". Coldplay. Archived 11 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  20. ^ "Coldplay Give "Blood"". Rolling Stone. 14 June 2002. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 4 September 2008.
  21. ^ Bad Lip Reading (July 2012). Yeti (Spoof)
  22. ^ Sexton, Paul (23 June 2008). "Coldplay Dominates U.K. Album, Singles Charts". Billboard. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  23. ^ "Darius Danesh Remains Atop UK Singles Chart". Pop Dirt. 12 August 2002. Archived from the original on 27 September 2011. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
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  25. ^ "Artist Chart History — Coldplay". Billboard. Archived from the original on 5 April 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  26. ^ Browne, David (2 September 2002). "A Rush of Blood to the Head — Music Review". Entertainment Weekly. Archived 29 September 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  27. ^ Begrand, Adrien (6 September 2002). "Coldplay: A Rush of Blood to the Head". PopMatters. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  28. ^ Bruce, Amy M. (2 September 2002). "Coldplay is not "Yellow" anymore". The Towerlight
  29. ^ Willis, Jules (20 November 2002). "Coldplay — A Rush of Blood to the Head". BBC Music. BBC. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  30. ^ "Best Albums of 2002". The A.V. Club. 11 December 2002. Archived 29 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  31. ^ "Best Albums and Tracks of 2002". NME. 10 October 2016. Archived 22 April 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  32. ^ Walsh, Mike (8 October 2010). The Xfm Top 1000 Songs of All Time. United Kingdom: Elliott & Thompson. ISBN 978-1904027966.
  33. ^ "Radio X Best of British 500 with B&Q: 500 to 353". Radio X. 3 April 2026. Archived 24 April 2026 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 24 April 2026.
  34. ^ "Pazz & Jop 2002 Winners". The Village Voice. 18 February 2003. Archived from the original on 20 February 2003. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
  35. ^ "The 2003 Grammys: Main winners". BBC News. BBC. 23 February 2003. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  36. ^ "Complete list of Grammy winners". CNN: Showbiz/Music. Associated Press. 24 February 2003. Archived 23 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2 September 2008.
  37. ^ Jeckell, Barry A. (21 May 2003). "Our Lady Peace Leads Muchmusic Video Nominees". Billboard. All Business. Retrieved 10 February 2009.[dead link]
  38. ^ Snodgrass, Michael (12 November 2003). "Coldplay Becomes Our Friend And Buys Us Ice Cream". The Buffalo News
  39. ^ Tyler Bensinger and Paris Barclay (22 October 2006). "Saving Sammy". No. 74. Cold Case. Episode 74. CBS. p. 45.
  40. ^ Kim Newton and Paris Barclay (25 September 2002). "Girls Own Juice". No. 2. Fastlane. Episode 2. Fox. p. 60.
  41. ^ "Activision Unveils Epic 85 Song Guitar Hero(R) 5 Set List Featuring Widest Variety of Today's...". Forbes. PR Newswire. 30 July 2009. Retrieved 16 October 2009.[dead link]
  42. ^ Live 2003 (DVD). Capitol Records and Parlophone. 2003.
  43. ^ "Coldplay Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 9 September 2018.
  44. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles". Music & Media. Vol. 20, no. 35. 25 August 2002. p. 7. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
  45. ^ "Tipparade-lijst van week 37, 2002" (in dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
  46. ^ "Top National Sellers". Music & Media. Vol. 20, no. 38. 14 September 2002. p. 17. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  47. ^ "International Digital Chart – Week 16 of 2017" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Retrieved 1 May 2025.
  48. ^ "Canada's Top 200 Singles of 2002". Jam!. 14 January 2003. Archived 6 September 2004 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  49. ^ "BDS CHART : Top 100 of 2002". Jam!. Archived 6 September 2004 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
  50. ^ "Top 100 Songs of 2002". Raidió Teilifís Éireann. 2002. Archived from the original on 2 June 2004. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
  51. ^ "Top of the Music – Mix e Singoli" (in Italian). FIMI. Archived from the original on 10 May 2006. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
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  53. ^ "Most Broadcast of 2002 – Airplay Top 50". Music Week. January 18, 2003. p. 31. Retrieved August 4, 2023.
  54. ^ "Most-Played Adult Top 40 Songs of 2002". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 10, no. 51. 20 December 2002. p. 16.
  55. ^ "Most-Played Modern Rock Songs of 2002". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 10, no. 51. 20 December 2002. p. 44.
  56. ^ "The 2002 Allstars: Most-Played Triple-A Songs". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 10, no. 51. 20 December 2002. p. 52.
  57. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1459. 28 June 2002. p. 26. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  58. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 05/08/2002". ARIA. 5 August 2002. p. 26. Archived from the original on 6 August 2002. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  59. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1473. 4 October 2002. p. 27. Retrieved 3 May 2021.

Bibliography

  • Roach, Martin (2003). Coldplay: Nobody Said It Was Easy. Omnibus. ISBN 0-7119-9810-8.