"The Scientist" is a song by Coldplay from their second studio album, A Rush of Blood to the Head. The song was written collaboratively by all the band members for the album. It is built around a piano ballad, with its lyrics telling the story about a man's desire to love and an apology. The song was released in the United Kingdom as the second single from A Rush of Blood to the Head and reached number 10 in the UK. It was released in the United States as the third single and reached number 18 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks.
Background[]
Lead vocalist Chris Martin wrote "The Scientist" after listening to George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass". In an interview with Rolling Stone, Martin revealed that while working on the band's second album, A Rush of Blood to the Head, he knew that the album was missing something. One night, during a stay in Liverpool, Martin found an old piano that was out of tune. He wanted to work on Harrison's song, "Isn't It a Pity", but he could not manage to do so. When the song came to Martin, he asked that the recorder be turned on. He concluded by saying that he came across this chord sequence and noted that the chord was "lovely". Martin recorded the vocals and piano at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool.
Music video[]
The music video for "The Scientist" was very popular with its reverse narrative. The same concept was previously used for Spike's 1996 music video for The Pharcyde's "Drop". This reverse style was first seen in the video for the song "The Second Summer of Love" by Scottish band Danny Wilson in 1989. It took Martin a month to learn to sing the song backwards. It was filmed in London and Surrey.
Coldplay - The Scientist (Official Video)
Critical reception[]
Critics were positive towards the song. Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone, in his review of the album wrote: "The fantastic piano ballad 'The Scientist'... [has] a cataclysmic falsetto finale that could raise every hair on the back of your neck." Nick Southall of Stylus magazine wrote: "The piano that chimes through 'The Scientist' is captured perfectly, the warm depression of each individual key caught rather than a shrill ringing as is so often the case." Ian Watson of NME wrote: "'The Scientist' is a song inexorably linked with the endless night sky and the secret hopes and regrets of a hundred thousand strangers."
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Come up to meet you
Tell you I'm sorry
You don't know how lovely you are
I had to find you
Tell you I need you
Tell you I set you apart
Tell me your secrets
And ask me your questions
Oh let's go back to the start
Running in circles; coming up tails
Heads on a silence apart
Nobody said it was easy
It's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be this hard
Oh take me back to the start
I was just guessing at numbers and figures
Pulling your puzzles apart
Questions of science; science and progress
Do not speak as loud as my heart
Tell me you love me
Come back and haunt me
Oh and I rush to the start
Running in circles, chasing our tails
Coming back as we are
Nobody said it was easy
Oh it's such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
I'm going back to the start
Oh ooh ooh ooh ooh ooh
X4
Official audio[]
The Scientist
Charts[]
| Chart (2002-03) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA) | 40 |
| Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40) | 8 |
| Belgium (Ultratop Flanders) | 6 |
| Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia) | 10 |
| Canada (Nielsen SoundScan) | 16 |
| France (SNEP) | 96 |
| Germany (Official German Charts) | 26 |
| Hungary (Single Top 40) | 18 |
| Ireland (IRMA) | 15 |
| Italy (FIMI) | 23 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) | 20 |
| Poland (OLiS) | 1 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) | 56 |
| Switzerland (Swiss Hitparade) | 28 |
| United Kingdom (Official Charts Company) | 10 |