"Yellow" is a song by the British rock band Coldplay. The band wrote the song and co-produced it with British record producer Ken Nelson for their debut album, Parachutes (2000). The song was released on 26 June 2000 as the second UK single from Parachutes, following "Shiver", and as the lead single in the United States in November 2000.
"Yellow" reached number four on the UK Singles Chart, giving Coldplay their first top-five hit in the United Kingdom. It was Coldplay's breakthrough hit internationally, reaching number one in Iceland, number five in Australia, number nine in Ireland and number 48 in the United States, helped by radio rotation and usage in television and movies. "Yellow" has since been covered by various recording artists worldwide, and remains one of the band's most popular songs.
Background and inspiration
"Yellow" was written in Rockfield's Quadrangle studio near Monmouth in Wales, where Coldplay began working on their debut album, Parachutes. One night after finishing recording "Shiver", the band took a break and went out of the studio. Outside, there were few lights on and the stars in the sky were visible and "just amazing", according to the song's co-producer, Ken Nelson. He told the band to look at the stars, which they did. Lead singer Chris Martin was inspired by the sight and the song's main melody, consisting of a chord pattern, popped into his head. At first, Martin did not take it seriously and sang the tune to the rest of the band in "his worst Neil Young impersonation voice". Martin has said, "The song had the word 'stars' and that seemed like a word you should sing in a Neil Young voice." The melody "started off a lot slower", according to drummer Will Champion, and it sounded like a Neil Young song. The lyrics progressed from there, with the band collaborating. Bassist Guy Berryman came up with the opening line "Look at the stars". That night, having quickly composed the song, the band recorded it.
On The Howard Stern Show in November 2011, Chris Martin explained to Howard Stern that he was impersonating Neil Young while entertaining guests when he came across the first chord of the song, which stuck with him for a bit; then in a Neil Young voice he sang "look at the stars". Martin went on to further explain that the word "yellow" has absolutely no meaning whatsoever and while writing the rest of the song he tried his best to change "yellow" to something else since every lyric before yellow made no sense but in the end the word "yellow" just sounded right. Martin also told Stern that through the years depending on the attitude and manner of whoever interviews him, he would make up some story about a song or album titles just to move on to the next question. Martin applauded Stern saying "I like you, Howard, so that's the first time I've ever told anyone the truth behind 'Yellow'." When asked if the song was about a particular girl, Chris Martin said "It’s about all girls."
Recording and production
The band and Nelson produced the track. Nelson was acquainted with the band's music through the former's manager. Nelson's manager gave him a copy of Coldplay's 1999 EP The Blue Room and single "Brothers & Sisters", and showed interest in working with them after seeing the band perform live. "Yellow" was initially recorded upstairs in the project studio, basically a demo room in Liverpool's Parr Street Studios. post-Britpop, and pop rock song. Martin has explained, "Yellow' refers to the mood of the band. Brightness and hope and devotion." The references in some of the lyrics, including swimming and drawing a line, "are all metaphorical slants on the extent of his emotional devotion". The drawing of a line refers to Martin's habit of writing lists, and underlining those important things on the list. Martin has commented that the song is about devotion, referring to his unrequited love for someone or something. Despite its lyrical theme, many fans have considered "Yellow" to be an upbeat track, although it is often interpreted as melancholy as well. The song is written in the key of B major with a tempo of 88 beats per minute.
Release
thumb|left|Coldplay performing "Yellow" in 2005|225x225px
"Yellow" and "Shiver" were initially released as EPs in the spring of 2000 along with the songs "Help Is Round the Corner" and "No More Keeping My Feet on the Ground", the third taken from the band's debut 1998 EP, Safety. In the United States, it was released as the lead single from the album. In October 2000, the track was sent to US college and alternative radio outlets.
The single, accompanied by its TV reception through its music video, received massive radio airplay, particularly at BBC Radio 1. The reaction was chiefly positive and even the newly revitalised BBC Radio 2 played the track repeatedly. This heavy rotation continued for months after its release, eventually ending as 2000's most-aired song. The song was also used as the theme music for The Cancer Council Australia's "Daffodil Day", in recognition of that organisation's official flower's yellow hue.
Critical reception
The song received critical acclaim. Matt Diehl of Rolling Stone has noted "Yellow" is "unrepentantly romantic", adding that "the band creates a hypnotic slo-mo otherworld where spirit rules supreme". "Yellow" has also won Best Single at the 2001 NME Awards and got nominated at the 2002 44th Annual Grammy Awards for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Billboard said that "every time that electric-guitar riff barges in, you're hooked all over again." In October 2011, NME placed it at number 139 on their "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years" list. In a retrospective article from 2020, The Independent praised the band for how the song "made being heartfelt seem effortless". In 2021, Billboard included "Yellow" at 35th place in their "Greatest Songs of 2001" list.
Chart performance
In the United Kingdom, its midweek sales suggested that the single would reach the Top 10 of the chart. Although the band supposed "Yellow" would decline inside the Top 20, they would have considered its performance a triumph since the album's lead single, "Shiver", had only reached the 35th position. "Yellow"'s second-week sales were stronger than the first week, and the song eventually reached number four, giving the band their first Top 10 single in the United Kingdom. The popularity of the song in British clubs, pubs and sporting events bolstered the album to debut at number one on the UK Albums Chart. As of February 2015, the song has sold 530,000 copies in the UK.
"Yellow" achieved popularity in the United States and was Coldplay's first American hit. The single charted on eight different Billboard singles charts; it also topped various US modern-rock radio playlists in the spring of 2001. The single performed as it did in Europe and has helped Parachutes be certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America during the single's stay on the chart. As of October 2014, the song has sold over 2 million copies in the US.
After Coldplay's appearance at Sound Relief in Australia, in the charting week starting 22 March 2009, the single made a return to the Australian ARIA Top 50 at number 48. In the week starting 27 November 2023, the single once again returned to the same charts, entering at number 42. In 2024, PPL ranked "Yellow" as the band's seventh-most played song across British media. A year later, the track was placed at number 197 on the list of most streamed songs of all time on Apple Music.
Music video
thumb|right|The beach at [[Studland|Studland Bay]]
The music video for "Yellow" was filmed at Studland Bay in the county of Dorset, South West England on 23 May 2000. The video is minimalistic, featuring only Martin singing the song as he walks along the beach. He is seen wearing a set of waterproofs with his hair wet. The video is one continuous shot with no cuts. The entire sequence is in slow motion.
Originally, it had been intended for the whole band to appear in the video. However, drummer Will Champion's mother Sara Champion's funeral was being held on the day of filming, so it was decided that only Martin would appear in the video, which was also the immediate explanation of his mood during this part. In the video, the pair walk in slow motion along a beach in rain clothes as the sun rises behind them.
Live performances
thumb|right|Coldplay performing "Yellow" in 2006 during the Twisted Logic tour, with yellow balloons falling
Coldplay have performed the song throughout their career, and it is a firm audience favourite. An early version of the song with different lyric arrangement and instrumentals was performed during the band's NME Tour in January 2000. The song had its debut performance on television on the show Later... with Jools Holland on 6 May 2000. They performed Parachutes<nowiki/>' lead single, "Shiver", and the new song, "Yellow"; but it was the latter that had an immediate studio audience impact. They have also performed it at the Glastonbury Festival, one of the prominent festivals in Europe. During their second appearance in June 2000, Coldplay performed "Yellow" and "effortlessly" captured over 10,000 spectators. During most concert performances, large yellow balloons are dropped on the audience. The first known sighting of yellow balloons was on 24 September 2002 at the UIC Pavilion in Chicago. Chris Martin noticed the balloons in the air with a surprised look. In more recent years, (January 2013) the balloons are filled with confetti, and at the end of the song Chris Martin would pop one with his guitar causing confetti to fly everywhere.
A live acoustic version performed on Jo Whiley's The Lunchtime Social was included on the Acoustic EP. Another live version featuring only piano and vocals performed and broadcast in Los Angeles on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic was included on the Japanese "Clocks" EP. More recently an acoustic piano version the song was recorded in the studio for Starbucks charity compilation album Every Mother Counts 2012.
Coldplay performed the song at the Celebrating Steve event at the Apple campus on 19 October 2011. Before the performance, Martin revealed that, when they first played it for Steve Jobs 10 years ago, Jobs said the song was "shit" and that "they would never make it". The song was later performed on 7 July at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, with guest vocals from Shakira.
Martin performed a rearranged version of the song acoustically and unaccompanied via video link for the late Australian cricketer Shane Warne's memorial service, as it was one of his favourite songs. Warne was a personal friend of Martin, and he had previously accompanied Coldplay for a live performance of "Don't Panic" on the harmonica during a Melbourne concert in 2016.
Ahead of Coldplay's headline performance at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend in Luton on 26 May 2024, a local campaign was started encouraging a change in the lyrics from "Yellow" to "Orange": while Luton Town F.C. play in orange, their local rivals Watford F.C. wear yellow. Instead, Coldplay retained the original lyrics during the song's performance but Chris Martin also premiered a new song to close the show called "Orange" in tribute to Luton Town F.C. which he had written the previous day.
Legacy
The song is regarded as a career-making record by Rolling Stone magazine and has since been considered the centrepiece of the Parachutes album. while Barry Walters from Spin magazine noted that Coldplay is still known in the United States for their "surprise smash". The track is considered one of the best from the 2000s decade by Pitchfork, being also listed amongst the best of all time by NME on their 2014 list. In the same year, the song was featured in Richard Linklater's film Boyhood. In 2020, NME ranked "Yellow" the number one greatest among a list of all 142 Coldplay songs (up to that point); and in 2021, American Songwriter ranked the song number three on their list of the 10 greatest Coldplay songs. The Savannah Bananas exhibition baseball team has played "Yellow" after the eighth inning of every game since 2023.
Rankings
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style="text-align:center"
|+List of critic rankings
! scope="col" |Publication
! scope="col" |Year
! scope="col" |Description
! scope="col" |Result
! scope="col" class="unsortable" |
|-
! scope="row" |Billboard
| 2021
| style="text-align:left;" |
| 35
|
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="row" |
| 2009
| style="text-align:left;" |1000 Songs Everyone Must Hear
| Placed
|
|-
| 2011
| style="text-align:left;" |50 Key Events in the History of Rock Music
| 47
|
|-
! scope="row" |
| 2025
| style="text-align:left;" |
| 1
|
|-
! scope="row" |KROQ-FM
| 2024
| style="text-align:left;" |Top 500 Songs from the Last 30 Years
| 279
|
|-
! scope="row" |MTV Australia
| 2013
| style="text-align:left;" |
| Placed
|
|-
! rowspan="3" scope="rowgroup" |NME
| 2005
| style="text-align:left;" |75 Tunes That Defined Rock and Roll
| Placed
| rowspan="2" |
|-
| 2006
| style="text-align:left;" |
| 31
|-
| 2014
| style="text-align:left;" |
| 420
|
|-
! scope="row" |NPO Radio 2
| 2025
| style="text-align:left;" |Top 2000
| 44
|
|-
! scope="row" |Pitchfork
| 2009
| style="text-align:left;" |
| 263
|
|-
! scope="row" |PopMatters
| 2002
| style="text-align:left;" |Best Music Videos of 2001
| Placed
|
|-
! scope="row" |Q
| 2006
| style="text-align:left;" |100 Greatest Songs of All Time
| 64
|
|-
! rowspan="2" scope="rowgroup" |Radio X
| 2010
| style="text-align:left;" |
| Placed
|
|-
| 2026
| style="text-align:left;" |Best of British 500
| 96
|
|-
! scope="row" |Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
| 2011
| style="text-align:left;" |
| Placed
|
|-
! scope="row" |Rolling Stone
| 2011
| style="text-align:left;" |100 Best Songs of the 2000s
| 34
|
|-
! scope="row" |RTÉ Gold
| 2023
| style="text-align:left;" |Top 100 First Hits
| 46
|
|-
! scope="row" |Select
| 2000
| style="text-align:left;" |Best Songs of 2000
| 1
|
|-
! scope="row" |
| 2018
| style="text-align:left;" |100 Pop Songs That Defined the Noughties
| 4
|
|-
! scope="row" |
| 2001
| style="text-align:left;" |Pazz & Jop Critics Poll
| 5
|
|-
! scope="row" |WYEP-FM
| 2020
| style="text-align:left;" |Greatest Songs of the Past 30 Years
| Placed
|
|-
! scope="row" |Yardbarker
| 2024
| style="text-align:left;" |The Best Pop Songs of the 2000s
| 22
|
|}
Usage in media
"Yellow" has been covered by many musicians across languages and musical styles.
- A Mandarin Chinese cover by Katherine Ho featured in the 2018 movie Crazy Rich Asians. Both Warner Bros. and Coldplay were initially opposed to using the song, but director Jon M. Chu convinced them otherwise, adding that "a white director couldn't do it," but he could. Coldplay was convinced after Chu wrote a moving letter to the band.
- In 2019, Jodie Whittaker covered "Yellow" for the BBC Children in Need album Got it Covered, assisted by Will Champion and Jonny Buckland.
- Lizzo sampled "Yellow" on her song "Coldplay" from her 2022 studio album Special.
- Australian rock band King Stingray covered "Yellow" on triple J Like a Version in 2022. The song later ranked in at number 43 on that year's Triple J Hottest 100.
- In 2024, an orchestral version of "Yellow", performed by the Vitamin String Quartet, was featured on the third season of Netflix series Bridgerton.
Track listings
Personnel
- Chris Martin – vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboard
- Jonny Buckland – electric guitar
- Guy Berryman – bass guitar
- Will Champion – drums, percussion, tambourine
Charts
Weekly charts
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+2000s weekly chart performance for "Yellow"
! scope="col" style="width:21em;"| Chart (2000–2001)
! scope="col"| Peak<br/>position
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Canada CHR (Nielsen BDS)
| 20
|-
! scope="row"| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)
| 20
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)
|1
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)
| 11
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|}
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+2010s weekly chart performance for "Yellow"
! scope="col" style="width:21em;" |Chart (2017)
! scope="col" |Peak<br/>position
|-
! scope="row" |South Korea International (Gaon)
| 22
|-
! scope="row" |Sweden Heatseeker (Sverigetopplistan)
| 7
|-
|}
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+2020s weekly chart performance for "Yellow"
! scope="col" style="width:21em;"| Chart (2021–2025)
! scope="col"| Peak<br/>position
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Greece International (IFPI)
| 11
|-
! scope="row"| Hong Kong (Billboard)
| 9
|-
! scope="row"| India International (IMI)
| 2
|-
! scope="row"| Indonesia (Billboard)
| 8
|-
! scope="row"| Israel (Mako Hit List)
| 87
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Malaysia (Billboard)
| 5
|-
! scope="row"| Malaysia International (RIM)
| 1
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Peru (Billboard)
| 25
|-
! scope="row"| Philippines (Billboard)
| 10
|-
! scope="row"| Philippines (Philippines Hot 100)
| 35
|-
|-
! scope="row" | Russia Streaming (TopHit)
| 100
|-
! scope="row"| Singapore (RIAS)
| 1
|-
! scope="row"| South Korea (Circle)
| 112
|-
! scope="row"| South Korea Download (Circle)
| 176
|-
! scope="row"| Spain (PROMUSICAE)
| 59
|-
|-
|-
! scope="row"| Taiwan (Billboard)
| 10
|-
! scope="row"| United Arab Emirates (IFPI)
| 6
|-
|-
|}
Monthly charts
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Monthly chart performance for "Yellow"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:17em;" |Chart (2017)
! scope="col" |Peak<br/>position
|-
! scope="row" |South Korea International (Gaon)
| 65
|}
Year-end charts
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|+Year-end chart performance for "Yellow"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:17em;" |Chart (2000)
! scope="col" |Position
|-
! scope="row" |Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)
| 20
|-
! scope="row" |Ireland (IRMA)
| 42
|-
! scope="row" |UK Singles (OCC)
| 93
|}
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:17em;" |Chart (2001)
! scope="col" |Position
|-
! scope="row" |Australia (ARIA)
| 33
|-
! scope="row" |Canada Radio (Nielsen BDS)
| 29
|-
! scope="row" |US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)
| 29
|-
! scope="row" |US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)
| 18
|-
! scope="row" |US Triple-A (Billboard)
| 2
|}
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:17em;" |Chart (2021)
! scope="col" |Position
|-
! scope="row" |Global 200 (Billboard)
| 171
|-
! scope="row" |Portugal Streaming (AFP)
| 200
|}
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:17em;" |Chart (2022)
! scope="col" |Position
|-
! scope="row" |Global 200 (Billboard)
| 74
|-
! scope="row" |Portugal (AFP)
| 71
|-
! scope="row" |UK Singles (OCC)
| 88
|}
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:17em;" |Chart (2023)
! scope="col" |Position
|-
! scope="row" |Brazil Streaming (Pro-Música Brasil)
| 186
|-
! scope="row" |Global 200 (Billboard)
| 70
|-
! scope="row" |UK Singles (OCC)
| 81
|}
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:17em;" | Chart (2024)
! scope="col" | Position
|-
! scope="row" | Australia (ARIA)
| 78
|-
! scope="row" | Global 200 (Billboard)
| 68
|-
! scope="row" | Philippines (Philippines Hot 100)
| 51
|-
! scope="row"| Portugal (AFP)
| 127
|-
! scope="row" | UK Singles (OCC)
| 67
|}
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col" style="width:17em;" | Chart (2025)
! scope="col" | Position
|-
! scope="row"| Australia (ARIA)
| 88
|-
! scope="row"| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)
| 170
|-
! scope="row"| Global 200 (Billboard)
| 40
|-
! scope="row"| Philippines (Philippines Hot 100)
| 53
|-
! scope="row"| UK Singles (OCC)
| 59
|}
Certifications and sales
Release history
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+Release dates and formats for "Yellow"
!scope="col"|Region
!scope="col"|Date
!scope="col"|Format
!scope="col"|Label
!scope="col"|
|-
!scope="row"|United Kingdom
|rowspan="4"|26 June 2000
|
|rowspan="9"|Parlophone
|align="center"|
|-
!scope="row"|Belgium
|rowspan="8"|CD
|align="center" rowspan="8"|
|-
!scope="row"|Australia
|27 November 2000
|CD
|Parlophone
|align="center"|
|-
!scope="row"|United States
|20 February 2001
|Contemporary hit radio
|
|align="center"|
|}
See also
- List of best-selling singles in the United Kingdom
- List of number-one songs of 2023 (Malaysia)
- List of number-one songs of 2024 (Singapore)
- List of UK top-ten singles in 2000