Fix You

When Chris Martin set out to write Fix You, he sought to offer comfort. The song was born from a personal desire to support his then-wife, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, following the death of her father, Bruce Paltrow. Martin found inspiration in a keyboard that Bruce Paltrow himself had gifted to his daughter, an instrument that until then remained unused in their home. Upon activating it, he discovered sounds that resonated with the emotion he wanted to convey. The song's structure, which begins with an intimate organ and piano atmosphere, gradually builds. The acoustic guitar is added, and in its final stretch, it explodes with the entry of drums, strings, and group choirs, creating a crescendo that seeks to transmit hope and strength.

The composition of Fix You involved all four members of Coldplay. Guy Berryman, the bassist, mentioned that the piece draws some inspiration from Jimmy Cliff's Many Rivers to Cross (1969), but emphasized that the final result is something of their own, a path defined from those initial influences. The song's distinctive sound is supported by a particular harmonic progression and a slow tempo of 69 beats per minute, which contrasts with the energy it unleashes in its second half. This piece, released in 2005 as the second single from the album X&Y, became a landmark for the band, eventually being performed at major events such as the One Love Manchester benefit concert in 2017.