A Rush of Blood to the Head

A Rush of Blood to the Head
A grey, polygonal, incomplete 3D rendering of a woman's shoulders and the lower half of her head on a white background. Distortions in the rendering create the appearance of spikes protruding from the neck and hair.
Standard edition cover[a]
Studio album by
Coldplay
Released26 August 2002 (2002-08-26)
Recorded13 September 2001[1] – July 2002
Studio
Genre
Length54:06
Label
Producer
Coldplay chronology
Parachutes
(2000) 		A Rush of Blood to the Head
(2002) 		Live 2003
(2003)
Singles from A Rush of Blood to the Head
  1. "In My Place"
    Released: 5 August 2002[3]
  2. "The Scientist"
    Released: 4 November 2002[4]
  3. "Clocks"
    Released: 17 March 2003[5][b]
  4. "God Put a Smile upon Your Face"
    Released: 1 July 2003[7]

A Rush of Blood to the Head is the second studio album by British rock band Coldplay. It was released on 26 August 2002 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom, and a day later by Capitol Records in the United States. The album was produced by the band and Ken Nelson, and makes greater use of the electric guitar and piano than the band's debut album, Parachutes (2000).

Recording of the album began after the band achieved worldwide popularity with Parachutes and the single "Yellow".[8][9] A Rush of Blood to the Head topped the UK Albums Chart upon its first week of release in the United Kingdom, and became the eighth biggest-selling album of the 21st century in the UK.[10] The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) has since certified the album 10× Platinum for its accumulated sales of over 3 million units in the UK, while over 17 million copies have been sold worldwide.[11] The album spawned the hit singles "In My Place", "The Scientist", and "Clocks". "God Put a Smile upon Your Face" was also released, but was significantly less successful.

A Rush of Blood to the Head has been critically acclaimed, and the band received three Grammy Awards for the album; the 2003 Grammy for Best Alternative Album, which was the band's second win in a row, the 2003 Grammy for Best Rock Performance with the song "In My Place", and the 2004 Grammy for Record of the Year with the song "Clocks". In 2007, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame included it on their 200 Definitive Albums list. In 2010, it was among ten albums nominated for the best British album of the previous 30 years by the Brit Awards,[12] and one of ten classic album covers from British artists commemorated on a UK postage stamp issued by the Royal Mail. It has appeared on several editions of Rolling Stone's "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list. Authors and reviewers have praised A Rush of Blood to the Head as one of the best albums of the 21st century.


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  1. ^ Spivak, Gary (2004). Look at the Stars. Simon and Schuster. p. 80. ISBN 9780743491969.
  2. ^ Breihan, Tom (21 April 2023). "The Number Ones: Coldplay's "Viva la Vida"". Stereogum. Retrieved 21 April 2023. For [A Rush of Blood to the Head], the band...[moved] instead toward a vast and glossy version of Unforgettable Fire-style messianic arena rock...
  3. ^ "Coldplay Ezine: Issue3" (PDF). Coldplay. June 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 November 2007. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  4. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting 11 November 2002: Singles". Music Week. 9 November 2002. p. 25.
  5. ^ "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 17th March 2003" (PDF). ARIA. 17 March 2003. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 April 2003. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  6. ^ "Going for Adds". Radio & Records. No. 1478. 8 November 2002. p. 34.
  7. ^ "Coldplay Ezine: Issue 9" (PDF). Coldplay. July 2003. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 February 2007. Retrieved 3 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Parachutes: Coldplay". Billboard. Retrieved 14 September 2008.[dead link‍]
  9. ^ Moss, Corey; Cornell, Jeff (18 December 2001). "Coldplay Ready Second Album As 'Trouble' Heats Up". mtv.com. MTV. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 3 September 2008.
  10. ^ Alan Jones (2011). "Adele still on top but UK album sales fall to 13-year low". Music Week. Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
  11. ^ "Coldplay Look Back on 20th Anniversary of A Rush of Blood to the Head: The Stakes were Even Higher". Billboard. 26 August 2022. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 26 August 2022.
  12. ^ Wilkinson, Matt (16 February 2010). "Liam Gallagher snubs Noel as Oasis win Brit Album of 30 Years award". NME. Archived from the original on 26 October 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2019.