Stole a key
Took a car downtown where the lost boys meet
Took a car downtown and took what they offered me
To set me free
It's a bit odd that, not so long after the riots, the most succesful rock group in the UK can pen a tribute to petty criminals, and then celebrate it in video. Not so long ago Coldplay were the best thing this side of OK Go when it came to creative videos for their singles, and there's probably a whole lot worse in a lot of other songs. But the story here is: hoodie gets up, does some parkour, smashes window, steals car, gets girlfriend, goes to rave, vandalises car with spraypaint, snogs girlfriend, watches sunrise. So romantic, unless you happen to be the car owner.
Is this a celebration of petty crime, or just 'art'? And are we really convinced that 'Charlie Brown' is a reference to a Peanuts character, and not to drugs?
I don't really want to have a go at Coldplay, they're a household favourite, they write great songs, and some of their stuff has got a real spiritual edge. But I really don't like this.
I agree. I also feel uncomfortable about this and I don't think it sends a positive influence around. I don't think youthful insouciance is a thing to celebrate in itself, even less when it disminishes the seriousness of stealing and vandalizing someone's property. I don't think the song itself points out to this, but the video does. And when you consider that it was filmed in a church, it makes you feel even more uncomfortable.
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