Fix You
Encyclopedia
"Fix You" is a song by English alternative rock
band Coldplay
. It was written by all four members of the band for their third album, X&Y
. The track is built around an organ, that is accompanied by slow tempo drums, and a vocals. It was released on 5 September 2005 as the second single from X&Y and has reached number four in the United Kingdom Singles Chart
. The song reached number 18 in the United States Billboard
Hot Modern Rock Tracks. Promo singles were released for the UK and US.
"Fix You" received positive reviews. Critics complimented the song's music. It has been widely sampled
, with different covers
and sounds
. The song, itself, was nominated for multiple awards in the categories of Best Song Musically and Lyrically and Anthem of the Summer. The music video was garnered as a tribute to the 7 July 2005 London bombings
.
The guitar solo of "Fix You" is currently used as the player introduction at all of the National Hockey League
's Montreal Canadiens
' home games.
The song was played live to a motionless crowd at the Steve Jobs memorial/celebration-of-life event at Apple headquarters on October 19, 2011 in Cupertino, CA.
wanted to use a church organ
for the track. Unable to gain access to the instrument, Martin instead used an old keyboard
that his late father-in-law, Bruce Paltrow
, gave to his daughter Gwyneth
. However, in other instances Martin has claimed that "Fix You" is influenced by English alternative rock band Elbow
's 2003 anthem "Grace Under Pressure". Some sources claimed Martin wrote the song for his wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, following the death of her father, Bruce Paltrow.
When asked about the development of the song, Martin said: "My father-in-law Bruce Paltrow bought this big keyboard just before he died. No one had ever plugged it in. I plugged it in, and there was this incredible sound I'd never heard before. All these songs poured out from this one sound. Something has to inspire you, and something else takes over. It's very cloudy." Martin also noted that the song is "probably the most important song we've ever written".
During a track-by-track reveal, bassist Guy Berryman
admitted that the song takes "a bit of inspiration" from Jimmy Cliff
's 1969 song "Many Rivers to Cross
". Berryman also added, "It becomes its own thing, kind of like points of inspiration that kind of lead you down certain paths. Whenever you want to write a song like someone else, it ultimately ends up sounding like something different anyway."
guitar line, ringing through a bringing rhythm upbeat tempo. Its instrumentation is varied with the sound of church-style organs hovering throughout the background, piano notes, acoustic and electric guitar riffs, drums, and a singalong chorus.
The message throughout the song, in which Martin's sings, is words of encouragement: "Lights will guide you home / And ignite your bones / And I will try to fix you." Michele Hatty of USA Weekend
reported that Martin sings about recovering from grief in the song. Travis Gass of the Bangor Daily News
wrote that Martin offers his sympathies for the downtrodden, with "When you love someone but it goes to waste / Could it be worse?". Gass goes on to interpret that the "booming drums" and chorus is that of Queen
's 1975 song "Bohemian Rhapsody
".
's: "The World Turned Upside Down" and "Pour Me". On 14 September 2005, the band released the Fix You EP in the iTunes Store
. In response to Hurricane Katrina
, all of the sales went to the American Red Cross Hurricane 2005 Relief and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences' MusiCares
Hurricane Relief Fund. Promotional singles were released in the UK and US.
The track peaked at number four in the UK Singles Chart
on 17 September 2005. As of 30 July 2011, the song had spent 122 weeks on that chart.
It peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100
and number 18 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks. The song also charted on the Billboard Pop 100
and Hot Digital Songs
. The single appeared in Australia's Singles Chart in the number four position on 18 September 2005, after retiring in the 58 spot. It also appeared at number eight on the Irish Singles Chart and spent seven consecutive weeks on the chart. On 14 November 2010, the song re-entered the Australian singles chart at number 37.
In 2009, the song also appeared on Coldplay's live album
, LeftRightLeftRightLeft
.
The song received positive reception from music critics. In the Rolling Stone
review of the album, critic Kelefa Sanneh
wrote: "One of the best is 'Fix You', an unabashedly sentimental song where Martin delivers words of encouragement in a gentle falsetto [...] Proving once more that no band can deliver a stately rock ballad like this one." Paul McNamee of NME
magazine wrote: "It’s a wonderful song that shifts from simple stark piano and voice to a ringing, clattering burst of intent and proto-prog four-part harmony." Adrien Begrand of PopMatters
in his review of the album, noted the song as the "best ballad" off X&Y. In 2005, the song appeared at number two on Q
magazine's "100 Greatest Tracks of the Year", and was listed as one of the "Tracks of the Year" by NME in 2005.
In 2005, Coldplay performed the song live on Saturday Night Live
and the Live 8
event in July. "Fix You" was also played on Shelter from the Storm
. It has also become a tribute song for the victims and eventually became the anthem for the event. The song was featured in an episode of the American teen drama
television series The O.C.
, and then in Without a Trace
, Cold Case and Brothers & Sisters. The half part of the song was played over the trailer for the 2006 film World Trade Center
. It was also featured in the 2006 movie You, Me and Dupree
. The track was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award
in the category of Best Song musically and lyrically. The song was also nominated for an UK Festival Award
in the category of Anthem of the Summer. On 14 March 2009, the band performed a rendition of the song at the relief concert, Sound Relief
, in Sydney, Australia.
On October 19th 2011, the band played the song at the "Celebrating Steve" event for Apple employees over a global media stream to all the Apple Stores. This event was also available for Apple customers via the company website.
The song appears in The Acoustic Album
(2006). It was performed in 2006 by the New England
octogenarian chorus group Young@Heart
. The group's performance was led by former chorus member Fred Knittle, who suffered from congestive heart failure and breathed with assistance from an oxygen tank. The performance was originally planned to be a duet between Knittle and Bob Salvini, another former chorus member, but Salvini died shortly before the show. Knittle performed it as a solo, as a tribute to his friend. The performance was initially recorded for a British documentary that aired on Channel 4
; footage of the performance was uploaded to YouTube
in November 2006 to positive response. An expanded version of the film, titled Young@Heart
, debuted at the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival
and was released in US theatres in 2008.
for "Fix You" was directed by Sophie Muller
, who had previously worked with the band for their 2002 video "In My Place
". The video was filmed at the end of two concerts on 4 July and 5 July 2005 at Reebok Stadium
in Bolton
, England. The concert goers doubled as extras for the video shoot, which required two takes on each day to complete.
In the first half of the video the bands lead singer, Chris Martin, wanders the streets of London, while the slogan "Make Trade Fair
" is projected onto the Royal National Theatre
, using the same ITA2
colour scheme on the cover of X&Y. The tunnels that Martin is seen wandering within are located both in and around London St Pancras and King's Cross railway stations, and the filimng for the video took place during the time of the redevelopment and expansion of London St Pancras International. Martin is then seen walking across Waterloo Bridge, which crosses the River Thames
, connecting the Southbank with The Strand. As soon as the electric guitar kicks in, Martin's walk turns into a run as he darts through streets until finally reaching the Reebok Stadium, where he joins the rest of the band for the song's finale. Here the audience can be clearly heard singing along, and at the end of the video Martin thanks them for their support and wishes them goodnight.
The video debuted on 1 August 2005. The music video was nominated at the 15th annual Music Video Production Association Awards
in the category of Adult Contemporary. After its release, the music video was garnered as a tribute to the 7 July 2005 London bombings
.
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
band Coldplay
Coldplay
Coldplay are a British alternative rock band formed in 1996 by lead vocalist Chris Martin and lead guitarist Jonny Buckland at University College London. After they formed Pectoralz, Guy Berryman joined the group as a bassist and they changed their name to Starfish. Will Champion joined as a...
. It was written by all four members of the band for their third album, X&Y
X&Y
X&Y is the third studio album by English rock band Coldplay, released 6 June 2005 in the United Kingdom via the record label Parlophone. The album, which features influences of electronic music, was produced by the band and British record producer Danton Supple...
. The track is built around an organ, that is accompanied by slow tempo drums, and a vocals. It was released on 5 September 2005 as the second single from X&Y and has reached number four in the United Kingdom Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
. The song reached number 18 in the United States Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot Modern Rock Tracks. Promo singles were released for the UK and US.
"Fix You" received positive reviews. Critics complimented the song's music. It has been widely sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
, with different covers
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
and sounds
Audio mixing (recorded music)
In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
. The song, itself, was nominated for multiple awards in the categories of Best Song Musically and Lyrically and Anthem of the Summer. The music video was garnered as a tribute to the 7 July 2005 London bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
.
The guitar solo of "Fix You" is currently used as the player introduction at all of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
's Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
' home games.
The song was played live to a motionless crowd at the Steve Jobs memorial/celebration-of-life event at Apple headquarters on October 19, 2011 in Cupertino, CA.
Background
When writing the song, vocalist Chris MartinChris Martin
Christopher Anthony John "Chris" Martin is an English song-writer, who is the lead vocalist, pianist and rhythm guitarist of the band Coldplay. He is married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow.-Early life:...
wanted to use a church organ
Organ (music)
The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
for the track. Unable to gain access to the instrument, Martin instead used an old keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
that his late father-in-law, Bruce Paltrow
Bruce Paltrow
Bruce Weigert Paltrow was an American television and film director and producer. He was the husband of actress Blythe Danner, and was the father of actress Gwyneth Paltrow and director Jake Paltrow.-Life and career:...
, gave to his daughter Gwyneth
Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Kate Paltrow is an American actress and singer. She made her acting debut on stage in 1990 and started appearing in films in 1991. After appearing in several films throughout the decade, Paltrow gained early notice for her work in films such as Se7en and Emma...
. However, in other instances Martin has claimed that "Fix You" is influenced by English alternative rock band Elbow
Elbow (band)
Elbow are an English rock band. They have played together since 1990 and recorded five studio albums, the most recent of which is Build a Rocket Boys!, released in March 2011...
's 2003 anthem "Grace Under Pressure". Some sources claimed Martin wrote the song for his wife, Gwyneth Paltrow, following the death of her father, Bruce Paltrow.
When asked about the development of the song, Martin said: "My father-in-law Bruce Paltrow bought this big keyboard just before he died. No one had ever plugged it in. I plugged it in, and there was this incredible sound I'd never heard before. All these songs poured out from this one sound. Something has to inspire you, and something else takes over. It's very cloudy." Martin also noted that the song is "probably the most important song we've ever written".
During a track-by-track reveal, bassist Guy Berryman
Guy Berryman
Guy Rupert Berryman is a Scottish musician known as the bassist for the groups Coldplay and Apparatjik. Berryman is left-handed but chooses to play the bass right-handed.-Coldplay:...
admitted that the song takes "a bit of inspiration" from Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff
Jimmy Cliff, OM is a Jamaican musician, singer and actor. He is the only currently living musician to hold the Order of Merit, the highest honour that can be granted by the Jamaican government for achievement in the arts and sciences...
's 1969 song "Many Rivers to Cross
Many Rivers to Cross
- Song information :This is one of the few Cliff tracks to use an organ, which helps to supplement the gospel feel provided by the backing vocalists. Cliff released the song, with production work by Leslie Kong, on his 1969 album, Jimmy Cliff. It was also released on the 1972 soundtrack album for...
". Berryman also added, "It becomes its own thing, kind of like points of inspiration that kind of lead you down certain paths. Whenever you want to write a song like someone else, it ultimately ends up sounding like something different anyway."
Composition
The song features an organ and piano sound. The song starts with a hushed electric organ ballad, including Martin's falsetto. The song then builds with both an acoustic guitar and piano sound. The sound then shifts with a plaintive three-noteNote
In music, the term note has two primary meanings:#A sign used in musical notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound;#A pitched sound itself....
guitar line, ringing through a bringing rhythm upbeat tempo. Its instrumentation is varied with the sound of church-style organs hovering throughout the background, piano notes, acoustic and electric guitar riffs, drums, and a singalong chorus.
The message throughout the song, in which Martin's sings, is words of encouragement: "Lights will guide you home / And ignite your bones / And I will try to fix you." Michele Hatty of USA Weekend
USA Weekend
USA Weekend is a national publication distributed through more than 800+ newspapers in the United States. It reaches 47 million readers in 22.6 million households every weekend. Awarded for its journalism and design, USA WEEKEND focuses on social issues, entertainment, health, food and travel....
reported that Martin sings about recovering from grief in the song. Travis Gass of the Bangor Daily News
Bangor Daily News
The Bangor Daily News is an American newspaper that was founded on June 18, 1889; in 1900 the paper merged with the Bangor Whig and Courier. The Bangor Publishing Co. publishes the paper in Bangor, Maine, in addition to two weekly papers distributed by the BDN and several others distributed by the...
wrote that Martin offers his sympathies for the downtrodden, with "When you love someone but it goes to waste / Could it be worse?". Gass goes on to interpret that the "booming drums" and chorus is that of Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
's 1975 song "Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera...
".
Release
Coldplay released "Fix You" in the UK and US on 5 September 2005 as the second single of their third album. The single was pressed with two B-sideA-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
's: "The World Turned Upside Down" and "Pour Me". On 14 September 2005, the band released the Fix You EP in the iTunes Store
ITunes Store
The iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
. In response to Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
, all of the sales went to the American Red Cross Hurricane 2005 Relief and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences' MusiCares
MusiCares
The MusiCares Foundation, Inc., was established in 1989 by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Meant for musicians to have a place to turn, in times of financial, personal, or medical crisis, its primary purpose is to focus the resources and attention of the music industry on human...
Hurricane Relief Fund. Promotional singles were released in the UK and US.
The track peaked at number four in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
on 17 September 2005. As of 30 July 2011, the song had spent 122 weeks on that chart.
It peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and number 18 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks. The song also charted on the Billboard Pop 100
Pop 100
The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009...
and Hot Digital Songs
Hot Digital Songs
The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of...
. The single appeared in Australia's Singles Chart in the number four position on 18 September 2005, after retiring in the 58 spot. It also appeared at number eight on the Irish Singles Chart and spent seven consecutive weeks on the chart. On 14 November 2010, the song re-entered the Australian singles chart at number 37.
In 2009, the song also appeared on Coldplay's live album
Live album
A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...
, LeftRightLeftRightLeft
LeftRightLeftRightLeft
LeftRightLeftRightLeft is a live album by English alternative rock band Coldplay, released at 9:00 am GMT on 15 May 2009. The album was given away for free at all of the remaining concerts on the Viva la Vida Tour and is available as a free download on the band's official website...
.
Reception
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
review of the album, critic Kelefa Sanneh
Kelefa Sanneh
Kelefa T. Sanneh is an American journalist and music critic. From 2000 to 2008, he wrote for the New York Times, covering the rock 'n' roll, hip-hop, and pop music scenes...
wrote: "One of the best is 'Fix You', an unabashedly sentimental song where Martin delivers words of encouragement in a gentle falsetto [...] Proving once more that no band can deliver a stately rock ballad like this one." Paul McNamee of NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
magazine wrote: "It’s a wonderful song that shifts from simple stark piano and voice to a ringing, clattering burst of intent and proto-prog four-part harmony." Adrien Begrand of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
in his review of the album, noted the song as the "best ballad" off X&Y. In 2005, the song appeared at number two on Q
Q (magazine)
Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology...
magazine's "100 Greatest Tracks of the Year", and was listed as one of the "Tracks of the Year" by NME in 2005.
In 2005, Coldplay performed the song live on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
and the Live 8
Live 8
Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 Conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland from 6–8 July 2005; they also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid...
event in July. "Fix You" was also played on Shelter from the Storm
Shelter from the Storm
"Shelter from the Storm" is a song by Bob Dylan, released on his 15th studio album Blood on the Tracks in 1975. The song also appears on two live albums by Bob Dylan -- Hard Rain in 1976 and At Budokan in 1978. An alternate version of the song is featured in the original soundtrack Jerry Maguire...
. It has also become a tribute song for the victims and eventually became the anthem for the event. The song was featured in an episode of the American teen drama
Teen drama
A teen drama is a dramatic television series with a major focus on teenage characters. The genre was relatively non-existent for the first 45 years of television; it came into prominence in the early 1990s...
television series The O.C.
The O.C.
The O.C. is an American teen drama television series that originally aired on the Fox television network in the United States from August 5, 2003, to February 21, 2007, running a total of four seasons...
, and then in Without a Trace
Without a Trace
Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:...
, Cold Case and Brothers & Sisters. The half part of the song was played over the trailer for the 2006 film World Trade Center
World Trade Center (film)
World Trade Center is a 2006 American disaster-drama film directed by Oliver Stone and based on the September 11 attacks at the World Trade Center. It stars Nicolas Cage, Maria Bello, Michael Peña, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Michael Shannon. The film was shot from October 19, 2005 - February 10, 2006...
. It was also featured in the 2006 movie You, Me and Dupree
You, Me and Dupree
You, Me and Dupree is a 2006 romantic comedy film directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, written by Mike LeSieur, and produced by Mary Parent, Scott Stuber, and Owen Wilson....
. The track was nominated for an Ivor Novello Award
Ivor Novello Awards
The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Cardiff born entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and were first introduced in 1955.Nicknamed The Ivors, the awards take place...
in the category of Best Song musically and lyrically. The song was also nominated for an UK Festival Award
UK Festival Awards
The UK Festival Awards are awarded annually, with various categories for all aspects of festivals that have taken place in the UK, and one category for European festivals. The Awards were first established in 2004, and are produced by Virtual Festivals.com. They are voted for by the public via the...
in the category of Anthem of the Summer. On 14 March 2009, the band performed a rendition of the song at the relief concert, Sound Relief
Sound Relief
Sound Relief was a multi-venue rock music concert held on 14 March 2009, which was announced by the Premier of Victoria, John Brumby on 24 February 2009...
, in Sydney, Australia.
On October 19th 2011, the band played the song at the "Celebrating Steve" event for Apple employees over a global media stream to all the Apple Stores. This event was also available for Apple customers via the company website.
The song appears in The Acoustic Album
The Acoustic Album (compilation)
The Acoustic Album is a 2-disc compilation album released by EMI/Virgin Records in July 2006 to showcase songs heard on Virgin Radio.-Track listing:Disc 1:#Jack Johnson - "Breakdown"#Corinne Bailey Rae - "Put Your Records On"...
(2006). It was performed in 2006 by the New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
octogenarian chorus group Young@Heart
Young@Heart
Young@Heart is an entertainment group created by and for the elderly, comprised at present of people at least 70 years of age. Some have prior professional theater or music experience, others have performed at amateur level, and some have no experience whatsoever...
. The group's performance was led by former chorus member Fred Knittle, who suffered from congestive heart failure and breathed with assistance from an oxygen tank. The performance was originally planned to be a duet between Knittle and Bob Salvini, another former chorus member, but Salvini died shortly before the show. Knittle performed it as a solo, as a tribute to his friend. The performance was initially recorded for a British documentary that aired on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
; footage of the performance was uploaded to YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
in November 2006 to positive response. An expanded version of the film, titled Young@Heart
Young@Heart (film)
Young@Heart is a 2008 British documentary film directed by Stephen Walker. Its focus is Young@Heart, a New England chorus of senior citizens that sings contemporary and classic rock and pop songs.-Synopsis:...
, debuted at the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival
Los Angeles Film Festival
The Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times is an event held annually in June in downtown Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Film Festival began as the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival in 1995. The first LAIFF took place over the course of five days in a single...
and was released in US theatres in 2008.
Music video
The music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Fix You" was directed by Sophie Muller
Sophie Muller
Sophie Muller is a British music video director, noted for her long-time collaborations with artists like Sophie Ellis-Bextor, No Doubt, Sade, Shakira, Shakespears Sister, Garbage, Blur, Annie Lennox and Eurythmics.-Background:...
, who had previously worked with the band for their 2002 video "In My Place
In My Place
"In My Place" is a song by English alternative rock band Coldplay. The song was written collaboratively by all the band members for their second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head. The track is built around thumping drums, chiming guitars and a chorus...
". The video was filmed at the end of two concerts on 4 July and 5 July 2005 at Reebok Stadium
Reebok Stadium
The Reebok Stadium is the home stadium of English Premier League football club Bolton Wanderers, and is located on the Middlebrook Retail Park in Horwich, in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester. It is commonly known as 'The Reebok'...
in Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
, England. The concert goers doubled as extras for the video shoot, which required two takes on each day to complete.
In the first half of the video the bands lead singer, Chris Martin, wanders the streets of London, while the slogan "Make Trade Fair
Make Trade Fair
Make Trade Fair is a campaign organized by Oxfam International to promote trade justice and fair trade among governments, institutions, and multinational corporations.-Objectives:The campaign has focused on the elimination of several trade practices:...
" is projected onto the Royal National Theatre
Royal National Theatre
The Royal National Theatre in London is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company...
, using the same ITA2
Baudot code
The Baudot code, invented by Émile Baudot, is a character set predating EBCDIC and ASCII. It was the predecessor to the International Telegraph Alphabet No 2 , the teleprinter code in use until the advent of ASCII. Each character in the alphabet is represented by a series of bits, sent over a...
colour scheme on the cover of X&Y. The tunnels that Martin is seen wandering within are located both in and around London St Pancras and King's Cross railway stations, and the filimng for the video took place during the time of the redevelopment and expansion of London St Pancras International. Martin is then seen walking across Waterloo Bridge, which crosses the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
, connecting the Southbank with The Strand. As soon as the electric guitar kicks in, Martin's walk turns into a run as he darts through streets until finally reaching the Reebok Stadium, where he joins the rest of the band for the song's finale. Here the audience can be clearly heard singing along, and at the end of the video Martin thanks them for their support and wishes them goodnight.
The video debuted on 1 August 2005. The music video was nominated at the 15th annual Music Video Production Association Awards
Music Video Production Association
The Music Video Production Association is a music industry trade organization, based in Los Angeles, that is made up of producers, directors, and other professionals involved in the creation of music videos....
in the category of Adult Contemporary. After its release, the music video was garnered as a tribute to the 7 July 2005 London bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
.
Track listing
- "Fix You" (edit) – 4:37
- "The World Turned Upside Down" – 4:32
- "Pour Me" (Live at the Hollywood BowlHollywood BowlThe Hollywood Bowl is a modern amphitheater in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles, California, United States that is used primarily for music performances...
) – 5:01 (featured on the UK Enhanced CDEnhanced CDEnhanced CD, also known as CD Extra and CD Plus, is a certification mark of the Recording Industry Association of America for various technologies that combine audio and computer data for use in both Compact Disc and CD-ROM players....
, Australian, and US iTunesITunes StoreThe iTunes Store is a software-based online digital media store operated by Apple. Opening as the iTunes Music Store on April 28, 2003, with over 200,000 items to purchase, it is, as of April 2008, the number-one music vendor in the United States...
EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
versions) - "Fix You" (video) (featured on the UK Enhanced CD and US iTunes EP versions)
Charts
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
4 |
| Polish Singles Chart | 4 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
59 |
| US Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 18 |
| US Billboard Pop 100 Pop 100 The Pop 100 was a songs chart that debuted in February 2005 and was released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States until its discontinuation in 2009... |
42 |
Cover versions
- On June 21, 2011, The VoiceThe Voice (U.S. TV series)The Voice is an American reality talent show that premiered on April 26, 2011 on the NBC television network. Based on the reality singing competition The Voice of Holland, the series was created by Dutch television producer John de Mol. It is part of an international series...
contestant and eventual winner Javier Colon sang the song during the semi-finals of season 1The Voice (U.S. season 1)The Voice is an American reality talent show. The American series premiered on April 26, 2011 on the NBC television network. The winner of the first series was Javier Colon, mentored by coach Adam Levine, the finale airing on June 29, 2011...
of the show. The studio version of the song was also released the following day as a download. - On the NBC show, The Sing-OffThe Sing-OffThe Sing-Off is an American television singing competition featuring a cappella groups. It premiered on NBC on December 14, 2009, and is produced by Sony Pictures Television....
runners-up, Street Corner SymphonyStreet Corner Symphony (group)Street Corner Symphony is an a cappella group from Nashville, Tennessee and a contestant on the second season of NBC's reality show The Sing-Off. During the The Sing-Off season finale, Street Corner Symphony claimed the second place title, losing the championship to Huntsville, Alabama group...
, performed Fix You on the Season 2 finale. - The song also gets covered by Secondhand SerenadeSecondhand SerenadeSecondhand Serenade is an American acoustic rock band, led by vocalist and guitarist John Vesely. Vesely has released three studio albums to date under the name Secondhand Serenade: Awake in 2007, A Twist in My Story in 2008 and Hear Me Now in 2010...
using only guitar riffs during the first half of the cover. - On July 31, 2011, at "The Black Star Tour" live in Rio de JaneiroRio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
, the Canadian singer Avril LavigneAvril LavigneAvril Ramona Lavigne is a Canadian singer-songwriter. She was born in Belleville, Ontario, but spent most of her youth in the small town of Napanee. By the age of 15, she had appeared on stage with Shania Twain; by 16, she had signed a two-album recording contract with Arista Records worth more...
sang the song. - The song was covered on the October 4, 2011 episode of GleeGlee (TV series)Glee is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox in the United States, and on GlobalTV in Canada. It focuses on the high school glee club New Directions competing on the show choir competition circuit, while its members deal with relationships, sexuality and social issues...
entitled "Asian FAsian F"Asian F" is the third episode of the third season of the American musical television series Glee, and the 47th overall. Written by series co-creator Ian Brennan and directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, it first aired on Fox in the United States on October 4, 2011...
", and is sung by Matthew MorrisonMatthew MorrisonMatthew James "Matt" Morrison is an American actor, director, musician, and singer-songwriter. He is best known for starring in multiple Broadway and Off-Broadway productions, including his portrayal of Link Larkin in Hairspray on Broadway, and most notably for his Emmy and Golden Globe nominated...
and the Glee cast. - On The X FactorThe X Factor (UK)The X Factor is a British television music competition to find new singing talent. Created by Simon Cowell, it began in September 2004 and is contested by aspiring singers drawn from public auditions. It is the originator of the international X Factor franchise. The seven series of the show to date...
Janet Devlin covered this song on the first Live Show on 8 October 2011. - On The X Factor (U.S.)The X Factor (U.S.)The X Factor is an American television music competition to find new singing talent. The show is produced by creator Simon Cowell's company SYCOtv. It premiered on September 21, 2011 on Fox....
Drew Ryniewicz covered this song on the third Live Show on 9 November 2011.