A Rush of Blood to the Head

Coldplay started recording A Rush of Blood to the Head in London in September 2001, but later relocated to Liverpool, where they had recorded some of the songs on their debut album Parachutes (2000). Lead singer Chris Martin said that once there they "became obsessed with recording". The band wrote more than twenty songs in the months following for the album and some of those, including "In My Place" and "Animals", were performed live during the tours promoting Parachutes. The album's title was revealed through a post on the band's official website. During initial recording sessions in Liverpool, Martin and guitarist Jonny Buckland worked alone, and only on weekends. Each Monday, they would present the song ideas that they had developed to their bandmates. By June 2002, the band had completed A Rush of Blood to the Head, but thought their output sounded "rubbish" and reached an agreement with record label Parlophone to postpone the release of the album until they were completely satisfied. After headlining the 2002 Glastonbury Festival, Coldplay returned to the studio and worked on some tracks from the "Songs for #3" CD they had produced earlier. Phil Harvey, the band's manager, heard "Clocks" and urged them to rework it immediately: "No, you must do that song now 'cause you're going on [in the lyrics] about urgency, and you're talking about keeping this song back. That doesn't make sense." == Composition ==

Production of the album began quickly with the writing of the track "Politik", which was a song seen as a reflection of the world at the time, giving the band a renewed perspective on their lives and society. Many of the song lyrics on the album relate strongly to the theme of urgency. Martin has commented that previous songs were more relaxed since they were in a comfortable state of mind: "Perhaps there's a bit more urgency on some of these songs. And that's born from all the places we've been and the things we've experienced." Martin has explained. In relation to the theme of urgency, Martin has also stated that the album's title means "doing something on impulse". Chris Martin has also stated that the album's title track is an homage to American singer-songwriter Johnny Cash. The title track is about uncertainties faced in life. According to Martin, the song "Green Eyes" was composed for an "American friend" and guitarist Jonny Buckland. During an interview for Apple Music, drummer Will Champion revealed that "A Whisper" was recorded on a single take, adding that the band never managed to re-record the song or play it live properly after the original session. ==Artwork==

The album cover for A Rush of Blood to the Head was designed by photographer Sølve Sundsbø. Sundsbø had been hired by fashion magazine Dazed & Confused in the late 1990s to produce a shot with a "technological feel, something all white", according to himself. As an artist, Sundsbø attempted to do a unique original piece, creating a shot that had never been seen before; he suggested taking shots using a three-dimensional scanning machine—used to measure head sizes for USAF fighter jet helmets—to fulfill his vision. The model for the shots, named Mim, wore all-white cosmetic makeup, along with a coloured twill cape, to aesthetically produce optimal and desired results. The scanner could not properly identify some of the colors on the cape, so they were replaced with digital spikes, and the head in the image was chopped as the machine was unable to scan more than about thirty centimetres in height at a time. At first, Sundsbø had mixed feelings about the image, stating that when he first saw the result, he was terrified. "I thought it was so beautiful, but I was sure the magazine was never going to run it." The editor of the magazine, however, absolutely loved the image, and eventually featured it in one of their publications. After seeing the image in a publication of the magazine, Chris Martin approached Sundsbø for proper permission to use the image as the cover of A Rush of Blood to the Head. For the album's singles, Martin asked Sundsbø for any ideas; Sundsbø suggested scanning the head of each member of the band. ==Release==

A Rush of Blood to the Head was released on 26 August 2002 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom, and a day later on 27 August 2002 by Capitol in the United States. The album was completed and originally ready to hand over to record representatives and released in June 2002; however, after recording a demo of "Clocks" intended for the third album, the band delayed release by two months to allow them to work it into a finished track and include it on A Rush of Blood to the Head. == Critical reception ==

Reviews Upon release, A Rush of Blood to the Head received positive reviews from contemporary critics. Review aggregating website Metacritic reports a normalised score of 80 out of 100 based on 25 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Rolling Stones Rob Sheffield said that "A Rush of Blood to the Head is a nervier, edgier, thoroughly surprising album", adding, "where Parachutes was the clumsy diary of a high-strung kid, A Rush of Blood sounds more like a band with the confidence to test its own limits." Emma Pearse of the American newspaper The Village Voice has the same sentiments, stating that it is "a little edgier, trancier, and more conversational" compared to Parachutes. Conversely, Robert Christgau gave the album a one-star honorable mention () and quipped "Let Green Eyes dump him for real and we'll see how long he hums in the void". In 2012, it was ranked number 466 on Rolling Stones list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, with its ranking climbing to number 324 in the 2020 update. In 2013, the album topped a BBC Radio poll ahead of Hopes and Fears by Keane, Rio by Duran Duran and The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd. It was also included in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Billboard listed "Green Eyes" among the best deep cuts from the 21st century. Rankings == Accolades ==

A Rush of Blood to the Head reached number one in 12 countries. EMI shipped over 2 million copies of the album in its first week worldwide. The British Phonographic Industry has since certified the album 10× Platinum for 3 million. With the subsequent release of "Clocks" and "The Scientist", the album spent over one year on the chart. A Rush of Blood to the Head has been placed at number seven on the list of United Kingdom's 20 biggest-selling albums of the 21st century, published by Music Week. As of October 2021, it has sold over 3 million copies in the UK, making it Coldplay's best-selling album and the 10th biggest of the 21st century. It spent four consecutive weeks at number one on the European Top 100 Albums chart in 2002. In the United States, A Rush of Blood was Coldplay's first venture into the Top 5, with 140,854 copies sold. It was stronger than its predecessor, Parachutes, which debuted at number 189 in December 2000. A Rush of Blood debuted at number-one on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling 28,200 copies in its first week. The album has been certified 4x Platinum by the Canadian Recording Industry Association for shipments of over 400,000. It has been certified 7× Platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association, having accumulated shipments of more than 490,000 units. == Track listing ==

All tracks are written by Coldplay, with co-production from Ken Nelson. ==Personnel==

Credits adapted from AllMusic. Coldplay • Chris Martin – lead vocals, piano, keyboards, acoustic guitar, rhythm guitar (tracks 8–9) • Jonny Buckland – lead guitar, backing vocals (tracks 1 and 6), acoustic guitar (track 4), twelve-string slide guitar (track 6) • Guy Berryman – bass guitar • Will Champion – drums, backing vocals Technical and additional personnel • Coldplay – producer, string arranger, mixer, art direction • Andrea Wright – assistant engineer • Ann Lines – string performer • Audrey Riley – string arranger and performer • Ben Thackeray – assistant engineer • Blue Source – art direction • Chris Tombling – string performer • Dan Green – string performer • Danton Supple – mixer (track 2, 3, 6, 8, 10) • George Marino – mastering • Jon Bailey – assistant engineer • Jon Withnal – assistant engineer • Ken Nelson – producer, engineer, mixer • Laura Melhewish – string performer • Leo Payne – string performer • Mark Phythian – additional production, mixer • Peter Lale – string performer • Richard George – string performer • Rik Simpson – additional engineering • Sølve Sundsbø – cover art • Susan Dench – string performer • Tom Sheehan – photographer • Zed Nelson – photographer == Charts ==

Weekly charts Monthly charts Year-end charts Decade-end charts == Certifications and sales ==