Coldplay – Politik

General CommentI thought I'd share something that I found to be particularly unique about this song. Many of you have commented on the lyrics and some have certainly alluded to the music from this song. Interestingly though, I think that it is the two together than makes this song incredible.

The lyrics at the beginning of the song (whether they are political or personal...i tend to think that they are both) point to a certain unrest that Martin is feeling. For him, something isn't entirely right with the current state of things. He calls us out as listeners, asking us to consider what we believe (tell me your own politik) and to wake up and look around at what is happening (open up your eyes). Throughout the first half of the song we see a seemingly frustrated Martin singing. The music that backs up the lyrics certainly expresses this frustration, this unrest. It's almost as if the band wrote the music for the first half of this song specifically with a certain sense of disorder and chaos to compliment the lyrics.

But then, something changes. A few piano-driven chord changes lead to one of the most beautiful melodies I've heard in awhile. Whatever chaos reigned before in the song is almost instantly forgotton about. Martin profoundly (and simply) declares the focal point for which the song is pulled from its chaotic and frustrating state into a more peaceful, more hopeful, and more beautiful environment during the second half of the song. This focal point is love (but give me love over this).

There are few songs that I know of that bring the lyrics and music together so well as Politik does. I think this is, for me, why this song is so powerful, because the music has its own message in and of itself (from chaos to harmony)...

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  @rtb3

General CommentWhy do people see this September 11th as so "big" and important to be remembered, ok it was a sad thing (sorry if I sound cold) but...what about the people in Israel, the thousands of people who suffer and die every day in Africa and India ? Really this stuff with September 11th makes me angry because we from the highly inidustrial countries seem just to care for ourselves, when we get "attacked" we strike back and oh we mourn so much with ourselves, by doing so we forget the ones who really "earn" mournings and memories. Sorry if I overreact for you!

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  @AgathaKavka
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  What you fail to understand is that the 9/11 attacks was the first time that an enemy had landed on American soil and attacked us. America had never faced such an invasion before. Thousands of people died and the attackers almost killed our president. The terrorist had planned an ausult that would affect every aspect of America. The World Trade Center (the economy), The Pentagon (the military), The White House (the government). Whether you think it is a big deal or not, the events that took place on September 11th 2001 made history and I will never forget that day.

  Flag drew2794on July 19, 2009  

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  im sure oh so mamny people would have cared if they did kill george dubya

  Flag buttholesurfer69on July 19, 2009  

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  ok.. AgathaKavka.. you actually made me cry... not because you are angry about the importance many societies (including ours) place upon 9/11.. but because you are completely bang on.. and it is about time that i found someone who agrees with me... I cried because you are right... such grave emphasis has been placed on "us" and the loss we have experienced... but for real, are you kidding me?!?! we (our government and political system) exploit countries everyday, so that we can live in a materialistic capitalistic world shaped by greed envy and hate!!! meanwhile billions die because we feel the need to have diamonds people die to find... or 3 cars instead of none... or a fridge full of food (soon to spoil), "just incase"!!! i wish people would start to realize this and stop conforming to the bullshit ideologies we have been subjected to. I think that if I were from another country, I would run into the twin towers with planes too, in hope for some equality and freedom in my own country. We do nothing but exploit over and over again to these places... why cant we look past what we are told to, and start to realize these other countries should be mad, and should bomb us. I wish people would get their head out of their ass, and help make a difference... instead of wanting more, more, more, more and moreeee... "stuff" isnt everything... enough is enough!!!

  Flag jackiepmacon October 04, 2009  

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  of course america has major internal cultural problems and of course people should be more educated about what's going on in other countries.. i agree 100% with you on that. the bush administration used sept.11 as nationalistic propaganda to gain support for a war in iraq that we should never have engaged in. however, saying that 9/11 was not a big deal, is just disrespectful to those innocent people who were killed. i can assure you that to the daughter whose father was killed, the husband would never see his wife again, 9/11 was a very big deal. that being said, i still think that its very insightful on your part to consider the political issues in other countries but its much more likely for the average citizen to care about issues in their own coutry because the media reports on it more ethusiastically. when was the last time you saw something on the news about darfur? 90% of the stories the newscaster report took place in america.

  Flag xxcsdxx3on December 28, 2009  

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  of course america has major internal cultural problems and of course people should be more educated about what's going on in other countries.. i agree 100% with you on that. the bush administration used sept.11 as nationalistic propaganda to gain support for a war in iraq that we should never have engaged in. however, saying that 9/11 was not a big deal, is just disrespectful to those innocent people who were killed. i can assure you that to the daughter whose father was killed, the husband would never see his wife again, 9/11 was a very big deal. that being said, i still think that its very insightful on your part to consider the political issues in other countries but its much more likely for the average citizen to care about issues in their own coutry because the media reports on it more ethusiastically. when was the last time you saw something on the news about darfur? 90% of the stories the newscaster report took place in america.

  Flagged xxcsdxx3on December 28, 2009  

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  I agree that other people are suffering in other countries and that seems like a bigger tragedy but 9/11 is such a big deal because it was out of the blue. It was an unexpected and crippling blow. It was like Pearl Harbor all over again. When people die suddenly it seems like much more of a tragedy then people slowly dying because it is unexpected. When someone has been dying for the past month you have a chance to say goodbye but no one got to say goodbye with 9/11.
  
  Now what makes me angry is when people like you cry about how there is so much suffering in the world blah blah blah. America is not superman; we can't fly around saving the world. Even now there are so many organizations "making a difference" in other countries but I don't see the difference. These organizations are constantly saying "help us help others". How many freaking wells do we have to build before these African kids are no longer thirsty? How many more bags of rice do we have to send? There is a deeper problem here and I don't think the answer lies in more American volunteers - we're not the only developed nation. It seems America is doing a hell of a lot more than other nations but that is beside the point. The point is, America isn't a superhero (9/11 didn't bounce off a steel chest but buried deep in vulnerable flesh). These countries need to want to help themselves long after the volunteers are gone. America is not a crutch.

  Flag perfectlyadaptableon November 30, 2010  

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  @AgathaKavka I understand your perspective but mathematically your conclusion doesn't make much sense. America pulls in a hefty 17.968 trillion in GDP per year and donates 358.38 billion(about 2%) of that to less developed countries. America has an open borders policy that is surprisingly one of the most open in the world. However when America was attacked it was different than an undeveloped nation in war with citizens fleeing. Americans didn't flee they fought back. While the war leading wasn't necessary it was a very large necessity to show the world, including terrorists, that America is still a sleeping giant and if you screw with us, we turn you into a parking lot.
  

  Flag jduder107on May 23, 2016  

General CommentIf the above could spell I'd have more sympathy.

Firstly, to the song - it's not just about 'politics' in the shallow sense, i.e. Tony Blair/George Bush politics - it's about PEOPLE's politics. I think the line 'tell me your own politic' is the most important in the entire song, personally, as it's almost the narrator crying out for some tolerance and some diversity in THE WAY WE THINK. That's what politics are - not government, that's entirely seperate - it's about how we think and feel.

Anyway, back to the post above, let's rip this particular patriot to pieces.

"the United States is basically the superpower of the world"
-firstly, this doesn't make you most important. People are equal, which is why I don't care for 9/11 any more than for the victims in the Crusades and the thousands you yourselves have killed over the decades.

"that doesn't really leave hope for the rest of the world"
-i hope you know your economics because without the US the world would be a much more free and liberal place to live your life. We can get on fine without you, you arrogant f**ker.

"9/11 was the worst thing to happen to this country in a very long time"
-so? I will not support terrorism on any level but you had it coming to you and how does this relate to the argument anyway? It still wasn't AS BAD as the events in Israel and Africa, so why give it such significance? Oh wait, because you're a superpower. so your lives matter more than others. That's about right. You might be the richest nation on Earth - you're also the f**king thickest.

"The United States gives millions and millions of dollars to other countries when they have tragedies"
-here I get angry. Most of the ills in the world are caused by your own nation, yet you have the cheek to 'repay' a tiny amount of reparations money to 'compensate' for what you've done, and this is meant to heal all wounds? F**king good one.

Don't preach at people to become more educated when you yourself are just an overly patriotic sheep following the preachy nature of everything taught to American kids. 9/11 was no worse than any other disaster or war that has ever occurred and it is a f**king atrocity when americans come on threads like this one saying "its probably about 9/11, after all, everything IS". This song is NOT about 9/11 and we really do not CARE ENOUGH TO WRITE ABOUT IT. That said, Helicopter by Bloc Party is about George Bush so go read.

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  @3lancer
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  I think your opinion might actually be the meaning of the song.

  Flag TheSkinnyElephanton September 01, 2013  

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  @3lancer I know this is nine and half years after you wrote this comment but I just had to respond.
  What would the world look like if the US had an isolationist foreign policy?
  Japan and South Korea would probably be in similar situations as North Korea is in today, and what would Europe look like?
  It might just be a few authoritarian governments. Spain and Italy might be under dictatorships and the rest of Western Europe might be Nazi Germany and all of Eastern Europe might be the Soviet Union. And if the USA didn't try and combat terrorists and radical muslims the Jihadists might be going around the world saying convert to their version of Islam or else they'll kill you
  Your view of the world is extremely ignorant and it's a good thing your views are not how the USA's foreign policy is run. I'm not saying everything the USA does is perfect economically or militarily but the USA has been the biggest fighter of authoritarianism and genocide in the 20th and 21st centuries.
  If your policies were put into place the whole world might be nuked and there wouldn't be any people left to enjoy coldplay's great music.

  Flag luke106994on December 06, 2016  

General Commentin the CD booklet it says its about making fair trade policies. chris wrote it after a trip to latin america with some trade organization.

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  @mike2fek

General Commentfrustration. not knowing who you are. the goodness in you. suffering. the will to live. science. pain. wanting time to slow down. emptiness. reaching out. loneliness. loving life in spite of the pain. wanting to face the hardships. impotence (the human condition). love is the answer. life is the answer. live and let live.

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  @udaybaytar

General CommentColdpaly wrote this entire album after 9-11. Think about this song... which is the first on "a rush of blood". It could mean so many things, but I think it means about how we all need to take a step back and look at how the world interacts with itself. (open up your eyes)

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  @EMOtional_Kid

General CommentI completely agree with you. the way that people are only able to unite around a common hatred is profoundly disturbing to me. there is so much anger and death in the world and blind hatred and we ignore it because it isnt happening to us. september 11 was sad and awful but so is war and suffering in general. including the suffering we create. I see this song as saying something along those lines..."open up your eyes" and "give me love over this"

this is a great song.

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  @joyouslyinsane

General CommentI don't think it's about 9/11 at all... Okay, maybe a little, but it's also about the rest of the countries who have poor trade laws and about the wars past and the wars present. Make Trade Fair!

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  @carms

General Commentsome of the lyrics hint not only to how polictics is a bunch of bullshit sometimes, but about how you should be REAL to yourself and do things out of want, not because you are trying to uphold this wall in front of yourself by impressing people.

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  @Strokin_it

General Commentto me, this song is about personal growth and internal struggles. and a personal need to find ones own place in the world, a journey of the soul and their meaning of life. this song is my own personal anthem at the moment. whether or not this song was written in with the intent that i am taking it in as, this song just reaches out to me to my core. he's put into words everything i feel ive been struggling thru in my own introverted world of trying to figure this life thing out and how others are reacting towards me because of this. the misunderstanding of my pulling away from social interaction. I LOVE THIS SONG! haha.

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  @karenoto