Charlie Brown (Coldplay Song)
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

"Charlie Brown" is a song by British
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band
Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...
. The song was released as the third single from their fifth studio album ''
Mylo Xyloto ''Mylo Xyloto'' (pronounced ) is the fifth studio album by British Rock music, rock band Coldplay. It was released on 19 October 2011 in Japan and on 24 October 2011 in the rest of the world. The band worked closely with producer Brian Eno fo ...
''. The single was listed by '' Q'' magazine as their track of the day on 2 December 2011. The music video for the song was released on 3 February 2012, as well as a live version on 6 December 2011. Despite the name, the lyrics have no relation to the
Peanuts ''Peanuts'' (briefly subtitled ''featuring Good ol' Charlie Brown'') is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run ext ...
franchise whatsoever.


Background

According to the band, "Charlie Brown" was the first song recorded during sessions for the band's then-upcoming fifth studio album, with the intention of being included on what later became ''
Mylo Xyloto ''Mylo Xyloto'' (pronounced ) is the fifth studio album by British Rock music, rock band Coldplay. It was released on 19 October 2011 in Japan and on 24 October 2011 in the rest of the world. The band worked closely with producer Brian Eno fo ...
''. The lyrics of an early version of the song included a mention of the famous ''Peanuts'' character. The character's name, however, "was left out of the final recording but the name stuck as the band couldn't think of an alternative." During the writing and recording sessions of ''Mylo Xyloto'', the song took on other names, such as "Cartoon Heart", before eventually being titled "Charlie Brown". It was written by
Chris Martin Christopher Anthony John Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and producer. He is best known as the vocalist, pianist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Born in Exeter, Martin went to University Colleg ...
in his daughter's doll's house. The doll's house was converted into a studio when Martin's daughter said she didn't like it.


Development

During an online interview with the Australian publication ''
Sunday Herald Sun The ''Herald Sun'' is a conservative daily tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia, published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Corp Australia, itself a subsidiary of the American Murdoch owned News Corp. The ''Her ...
'', Coldplay said they were making two records, describing "Charlie Brown" as the centre-piece of the stripped down album the band intended to make along with the electric one they were already calling ''Mylo Xyloto''. They then decided to combine both of the albums because bassist
Guy Berryman Guy Rupert Berryman (born 12 April 1978) is a Scottish musician, songwriter, producer, businessman and designer. He is best known as the bassist of the rock band Coldplay and electronic supergroup Apparatjik. Raised in Kirkcaldy, he starte ...
said that he "will not allow this song to be played on an accordion," as it was originally planned to be. Coldplay first performed "Charlie Brown" at a "friends and family" gig at The Forum, Kentish Town, London on 31 May 2011. They then continued to play it at multiple shows in 2011, beginning with the
Rock im Park The (German language, German for "Rock at the Ring") and ("Rock in the Park") festivals are two simultaneous rock music festivals held annually in Germany. While ''Rock am Ring'' takes place at the Nürburgring race track, ''Rock im Park'' tak ...
festival in
Nürnberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the largest city in Franconia, the second-largest city in the German state of Bavaria, and its 544,414 (2023) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest city in Germany. ...
, Germany on 3 June 2011 and again at
Rock am Ring The (German language, German for "Rock at the Ring") and ("Rock in the Park") festivals are two simultaneous rock music festivals held annually in Germany. While ''Rock am Ring'' takes place at the Nürburgring race track, ''Rock im Park'' tak ...
festival the following day, which was the first live broadcast of the song officially authorised by the band and management. The song became very popular among the festivals crowd. Drummer Will Champion said it had happy memories of playing it over the summer.


Reception

"Charlie Brown" received generally positive reviews from critics. In an article published by '' Q'' magazine on 10 October 2011 entitled "First Impressions of... Coldplay's ''Mylo Xyloto''", they wrote that "'Charlie Brown' is one of the best things Coldplay have done" and likened the song to the style of U2's ''
The Joshua Tree ''The Joshua Tree'' is the fifth studio album by the Irish rock music, rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 9 March 1987 by Island Records. In contrast to the ambient music, ambient experimentati ...
'' and "the heady holler-alongs of
Arcade Fire Arcade Fire is a Canadian indie rock band from Montreal, Quebec, consisting of husband and wife Win Butler and Régine Chassagne, alongside Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury, and Jeremy Gara. The band's touring line-up includes former core ...
". They also named it as their track of the day on 2 December 2011.
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
music called Charlie Brown "one of those Coldplay-patented sun-breaking-through-clouds moments" and gave praise to Buckland's guitar riff. ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'' called the song one of the "album's best track(s). Chorus riff will haunt every corner of your mind. Oriental flair recalls "Viva La Vida" album." '' Under The Radar'' praised the song and said "''Mylo Xyloto''s finest anthem, 'Charlie Brown,' shoots for ''
The Suburbs ''The Suburbs'' is the third studio album by Canadian indie rock band Arcade Fire, released on August 3, 2010. Coinciding with its announcement, the band released a limited edition 12-inch single containing the title track and "Month of May".
'' with the clumsy line 'Stole the key/took a car downtown to where the lost boys meet/took what they offered me' but redeems itself with a massive, ascending guitar hook that I can't help feeling would have sound-tracked any climactic scene from '' Friday Night Lights'' beautifully." ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'' said that the song "absolutely crackled with energy" and felt "it shows the band having stumbled upon one of those great, instantly recognisable melodies that sounds better with each reiteration—who would’ve thought a guitar and a xylophone could sound so epic when paired together." Will Hermes of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' had mixed feelings for the song, and gave the song two and a half stars out of five in his preview of numerous songs from ''Mylo Xyloto'', saying that the song "triangulates Springsteen, U2 and Arcade Fire in a hood-rat oratorio that roars even if
Chris Martin Christopher Anthony John Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and producer. He is best known as the vocalist, pianist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Born in Exeter, Martin went to University Colleg ...
's delivery feels too gentle." "Charlie Brown" was chosen as
ESPN ESPN (an initialism of their original name, which was the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by the Walt Disney Company (80% and operational control) and Hearst Commu ...
's title song for the commercials, promotion, and introduction videos of its coverage of
Euro 2012 The 2012 UEFA European Football Championship, commonly referred to as UEFA Euro 2012 or simply Euro 2012, was the 14th European Championship for men's national football teams organised by UEFA. The final tournament, held between 8 June and 1 ...
. Coldplay performed the song at the 2012 BRIT Awards' opening segment and it subsequently climbed up to number 30 in the UK Singles Chart. The track was later nominated for Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance at the 2013 Grammy Awards. In 2012,
3voor12 ''3voor12'' () is a multimedia platform for alternative pop music of the Dutch public broadcaster VPRO. ''3voor12'' had 2 digital television channels (a clip-channel and a concert-channel), different radio channels (ranging from punk and al ...
included "Charlie Brown" at number 26 in their "Songs of the Year" list, while ''
La Repubblica (; English: "the Republic") is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper with an average circulation of 151,309 copies in May 2023. It was founded in 1976 in Rome by Gruppo Editoriale L'Espresso (now known as GEDI Gruppo Editoriale) and l ...
'' ranked it among the best songs of decade.


Music videos

On 6 December 2011 Coldplay uploaded a promotional, music video for "Charlie Brown" to their official YouTube account, which utilised footage from a collection of concerts they had performed throughout the band's 2011 Summer Festival Tour. The video was directed by Mat Whitecross and Mark Rowbotham. In the description section of the music video, the band's drummer
Will Champion William Champion (born 31 July 1978) is an English musician and songwriter. He is best known as the drummer and percussionist of the Rock music, rock band Coldplay. Raised in Southampton, he learned to play numerous instruments during his yout ...
announced that a "proper" video would be released at a later stage. The official music video for "Charlie Brown", to which Champion was referring was filmed with director Mat Whitecross throughout November and December 2011. Additional filming was made in mid to late January 2012. The " Xylobands" conceptual creator for the Mylo Xyloto Tour posted on Twitter that there would be photos from the video uploaded on 2 February 2012 and that the official music video would be posted on VEVO the following morning on 3 February 2012. The video was released on VEVO, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and their own website at 03.00 am on 3 February 2012. On YouTube, the video received over 700,000 views within the first 24 hours of its release. The video was also met with acclaim from critics, who praised its visuals, themes and fast-paced editing. The video features '' Shameless'' star Elliott Tittensor and '' Misfits'' star
Antonia Thomas Antonia Laura Thomas (born 3 November 1986) is a British actress. She is best known for her roles as Alisha Daniels in the E4 comedy-drama series '' Misfits'', Evie Douglas in the Channel 4/Netflix comedy series '' Lovesick'' and Dr. Claire B ...
.


Track listing


Credits and personnel

;Recording *Recorded at The Bakery and The Beehive, London, UK and
Electric Lady Studios Electric Lady Studios is a recording studio in Greenwich Village, New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer. It was completed by 1970. Hendrix ...
, New York. ;Mastering *Mastered at Gateway Studios, United States. ;Personnel *
Guy Berryman Guy Rupert Berryman (born 12 April 1978) is a Scottish musician, songwriter, producer, businessman and designer. He is best known as the bassist of the rock band Coldplay and electronic supergroup Apparatjik. Raised in Kirkcaldy, he starte ...
– composer, bass, backing vocals *
Jonny Buckland Jonathan Mark Buckland (born 11 September 1977) is a British musician and songwriter. He is best known as the lead guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Raised in Pantymwyn, he started to play guitar at an early age, taking ins ...
– composer, lead guitar, backing vocals *
Will Champion William Champion (born 31 July 1978) is an English musician and songwriter. He is best known as the drummer and percussionist of the Rock music, rock band Coldplay. Raised in Southampton, he learned to play numerous instruments during his yout ...
– composer, drums, backing vocals *
Chris Martin Christopher Anthony John Martin (born 2 March 1977) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and producer. He is best known as the vocalist, pianist and co-founder of the rock band Coldplay. Born in Exeter, Martin went to University Colleg ...
– composer, acoustic guitar, piano, lead vocals *
Markus Dravs Markus Dravs is a British music producer, songwriter, programmer, engineer and mixer. His credits include Arcade Fire, Coldplay, Wolf Alice, Björk, Brian Eno, Sheep on Drugs, Merz, Mumford & Sons, Hozier, Florence + the Machine, The Maccabe ...
– producer, programmer *Daniel Green – producer *
Rik Simpson Rik Simpson (a.k.a. Rikademus) is a British record producer. He is most recently recognised for his production work with Coldplay on ''Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends'' (2008), ''Mylo Xyloto'' (2011), '' Ghost Stories'' (2014), '' A ...
– producer *
Brian Eno Brian Peter George Jean-Baptiste de la Salle Eno (, born 15 May 1948), also mononymously known as Eno, is an English musician, songwriter, record producer, visual artist, and activist. He is best known for his pioneering contributions to ambien ...
– "enoxification" and additional composition, backing vocals *
Mark "Spike" Stent Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & the Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed Sheeran, ...
– mixer *Matt McGinn – dulcimer * Davide Rossi – strings Credits adapted from promotional single liner notes. * Matt Green – assistant mixer *Pierre Eiras – assistant mixer *
Dave Emery David Farnham Emery (born September 1, 1948) is an American politician from Maine. He served four terms as a Republican Party (United States), Republican United States House of Representatives, U.S. Representative from 1975 to 1983. Early life a ...
– assistant mixer *Olga Fitzroy – assistant mixer *Robin Baynton – editor, programmer *Andy Rugg – studio assistant *Christian Green – studio assistant *Noah Goldstein – studio assistant *Ian Shea – studio assistant *
Luis Jardim Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archai ...
– percussion *
Bob Ludwig Robert Carl Ludwig (born December 11, 1944), is a retired American mastering engineer. He mastered recordings on all the major recording formats for all the major record labels, and on projects by more than 1,300 artists, including Led Zeppeli ...
– mastering engineer


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


Release history


References

{{Authority control 2011 songs 2011 singles Coldplay songs Songs about depression Songs about drugs Songs about luck Songs written by Chris Martin Songs written by Jonny Buckland Songs written by Guy Berryman Songs written by Will Champion Song recordings produced by Markus Dravs Song recordings produced by Rik Simpson Music videos directed by Mat Whitecross