Released	26 August 2002
Recorded	September 2001–May 2002,Mayfair, AIR, Parr St.
Genre	Alternative rock, post-Britpop
Length	54:08
Label	Capitol, Parlophone
Producer	Coldplay, Ken Nelson

A Rush of Blood to the Head is the second studio album by British alternative rock band Coldplay. Released on 26 August 2002 in the UK through the labelParlophone, the album was produced by the band and British record producer Ken Nelson. Recording started after the band became popular worldwide with the release of their debut album, Parachutes, and one of its singles in particular, “Yellow“.^[1] Attitudes to songwriting were affected by the September 11 attacks in the United States, which occurred the week before recording started.^[2] The songs featured in the album have a greater use of piano and electric guitar than its predecessor.

The album was made available in August 2002, two months after its original planned release date.^[3] It was released on 27 August in the United States throughCapitol Records. Capitol released a remastered version of the album in 2008 on a 180-gram vinyl record as part of the “From the Capitol Vaults” series. The album debuted and continued their huge commercial legacy, an ongoing pattern that began with Parachutes which made Coldplay one of the best-selling bands worldwide. It topped the UK Album Charts upon its first week of release in the United Kingdom, and became the eighth biggest-selling album of the 21st century in the UK.^[4] TheBritish Phonographic Industry has since certified the album 9x platinum for its accumulated sales of over 2.7 million units in Britain and over 15 million worldwide. The album spawned the hit singles “In My Place“, “The Scientist“, “Clocks“, and “God Put a Smile upon Your Face“.

A Rush of Blood to the Head has been critically acclaimed, and the band won the 2003 Grammy for Best Alternative Album for the second time in a row, successive to their previous win in the same category, and the 2004 Grammy for Record of the Year for the song “Clocks”. In 2012 it was ranked number 466 on Rolling Stone‘s500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

Track listing

All songs written by Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Chris Martin.

No.	Title	Length
1.	“Politik”	5:19
2.	“In My Place“	3:48
3.	“God Put a Smile upon Your Face“	4:57
4.	“The Scientist“	5:09
5.	“Clocks“	5:07
6.	“Daylight”	5:27
7.	“Green Eyes”	3:43
8.	“Warning Sign”	5:31
9.	“A Whisper”	3:58
10.	“A Rush of Blood to the Head”	5:51
11.	“Amsterdam”	5:19
Total length:		54:08

Lyrics

1. Politik

Look at earth from outer space
Everyone must find a place
Give me time and give me space
Give me real, don’t give me fake
Give me strength, reserve control
Give me heart and give me soul
Give me time, give us a kiss
Tell me your own politik

Open up your eyes
Open up your eyes
Open up your eyes
Just open up your eyes

Give me one, cause one is best
In confusion, confidence
Give me piece of mind and trust
Don’t forget the rest of us

Give me strength, reserve control
Give me heart and give me soul
Wounds that heal and cracks that fix
Tell me your own politik

Open up your eyes
Open up your eyes
Open up your eyes
Just open up your eyes

And give me love over, love over, love over this, ahhh
And give me love over, love over, love over this, ahhh

2. In My Place

In my place, in my place
Were lines that I couldn’t change
I was lost, oh yeah

I was lost, I was lost
Crossed lines I shouldn’t have crossed
I was lost, oh yeah

Yeah, how long must you wait for him?
Yeah, how long must you pay for him?
Yeah, how long must you wait for him?

I was scared, I was scared
Tired and underprepared
But I wait for you

If you go, if you go
Leaving me down here on my own
Well I wait for you

Yeah, how long must you wait for him?
Yeah, how long must you pay for him?
Yeah, how long must you wait for him?

Please, please, please
Come on and sing to me
To me, me

Come on and sing it out, out, out
Come on and sing it now, now, now
Come on and sing it

In my place, in my place
Were lines that I couldn’t change
I was lost, oh yeah
Oh yeah

3. God Put A Smile Upon Your Face

Where do we go nobody knows?
I’ve gotta say I’m on my way down
God give me style and give me grace
God put a smile upon my face
Where do we go to draw the line?
I’ve gotta say I wasted all your time, (oh honey honey)
Where do I go to fall from grace?
God put a smile upon your face, yeah

Now, when you work it out I’m worse than you
Yeah, when you work it out I wanted to
Now, when you work out where to draw the line
Your guess is as good as mine

Where do we go nobody knows?
Don’t even say you’re on your way down, (when)
God gave you style and gave you grace
And put a smile upon your face, ah yeah

Now, when you work it out I’m worse than you
Yeah, when you work it out I wanted to
Now, when you work out where to draw the line
Your guess is as good as mine
Its as good as mine [x7]

Where do we go nobody knows?
Don’t even say you’re on your way down, (when)
God gave you style and gave you grace
And put a smile upon your face

4. The Scientist

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 science 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 the puzzles apart
Questions of science, science and progress
Don’t speak as loud as my heart
And 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

Ooooohhhhhhh [x4]

5. Clocks

The lights go out and I can’t be saved
Tides that I tried to swim against
Have brought me down upon my knees
Oh I beg, I beg and plead, singing

Come out of things unsaid
Shoot an apple off my head and a
Trouble that can’t be named
A tiger’s waiting to be tamed, singing

You are
You are

Confusion never stops
Closing walls and ticking clocks
Gonna come back and take you home
I could not stop that you now know, singing

Come out upon my seas
Cursed missed opportunities
Am I a part of the cure?
Or am I part of the disease? Singing

You are, you are, you are
You are, you are, you are

And nothing else compares
Oh nothing else compares
And nothing else compares

You are
You are

Home, home where I wanted to go
Home, home where I wanted to go
Home, home where I wanted to go
Home, home where I wanted to go

6. Daylight

To my surprise, and my daylight
I saw sun rise, I saw sunlight
I am nothing, in the dark
And the clouds burst to show a daylight
Oooooo and the sun shines, Yeaaahhh on this star of mine
Oooooo and I realise, Oooooo couldn’t live without
Oooooo couldn’t part without, it

On a hill top, on a sky rise
Like a first born, child
At a full tilt, and at full flight
You see darkness, in the daylight

Oooooo and the sun shines, Yeaaahhh on this star of mine
Oooooo and I realise, Oooooo couldn’t be without
Oooooo couldn’t part without, daylight

Slowly breaking through the daylight [x22 to fade]

7. Green Eyes

Honey you are a rock
Upon which I stand
And I came here to talk
I hope you understand
The green eyes, yeah the spotlight, shines upon you
And how could, anybody, deny you
I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter now I met you
And honey you should know
That I could never go on without you
Green eyes

Honey you are the sea
Upon which I float
And I came here to talk
I think you should know

The green eyes, you’re the one that I wanted to find
And anyone who tried to deny you, must be out of their mind
Because I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter since I met you
Honey you should know
That I could never go on without you
Green eyes, green eyes
Oh oh oh oh [x4]

Honey you are a rock
Upon which I stand

8. Warning Sign

A warning sign
I missed the good part, then I realised
I started looking and the bubble burst
I started looking for excuses
Come on in
I’ve gotta tell you what a state I’m in
I’ve gotta tell you in my loudest tones
That I started looking for a warning sign

When the truth is, I miss you
Yeah the truth is, that I miss you so

A warning sign
It came back to haunt me, and I realised
That you were an island and I passed you by
And you were an island to discover

Come on in
I’ve gotta tell you what a state I’m in
I’ve gotta tell you in my loudest tones
That I started looking for a warning sign

When the truth is, I miss you
Yeah the truth is, that I miss you so

And I’m tired, I should not have let you go
Oooooooo

So I crawl back into your open arms
Yes I crawl back into your open arms
And I crawl back into your open arms
Yes I crawl back into your open arms.

9. A Whisper

A whisper [x4]
A whisper [x4]
I hear the sound of a ticking of clocks
Remember your face, and remember see where you are gone
I hear the sound of the ticking of clocks
Come back and look for me, look for me when I am lost

Just a whisper, whisper, whisper, whisper [x2]

Night turns to day and I still have these questions
You just won’t break, should I go forwards or backwards
Night turns to day and I’ve still got no answers

Just a whisper, whisper, whisper, whisper [x2]

Now I hear the sound of a ticking of clocks
Remember your face, and remember see where you are gone
I hear the sound of the ticking of clocks
Come back and look for me, look for me when I am lost

Just a whisper, whisper, whisper, whisper [x2]

10. A Rush Of Blood To The Head

You said I’m gonna buy this place and burn it down
I’m gonna put it six feet underground
You said I’m gonna buy this place and watch it fall
Stand here beside me baby in the crumbling walls
Oh I’m gonna buy this place and start a fire
Stand here until I fill all your hearts desires
Because I’m gonna buy this place and see it burn
And do back the things it did to you in return

Huuuhhhh [x4]

You said I’m gonna buy a gun and start a war
If you can tell me something worth fighting for
Oh and I’m gonna buy this place is what I said
Blame it upon a rush of blood to the head

Honey, all the movements you’re starting to make
See me crumble and fall on my face
And I know the mistakes that I’ve made
See it all disappear without trace
And they call as they beckon you on
They say start as you need to go on
Start as you need to go on

You said I’m gonna buy this place and see it go
And stand here beside me baby, watch the orange glow
Some’ll laugh and some just sit and cry
But you just sit down there and you wonder why

So I’m gonna buy a gun and start a war
If you can tell me something worth fighting for
And I’m gonna buy this place is what I said
Blame it upon a rush of blood to the head
Oh to the head

Honey, all the movements you’re starting to make
See me crumble and fall on my face
And I know the mistakes that I’ve made
See it all disappear without trace
And they call as they beckon you on
They say start as you need to go on
As you need to go on
As you need to go on

So meet me by the bridge
Oh meet me by the lane
When am I gonna see that pretty face again
Oh meet me on the road
Meet me where I said
Blame it all upon a rush of blood to the head

11. Amsterdam

Come on, oh my star is fading
And I swerve out of control
If I, if I’d only waited
I’d not be stuck here in this hole
Come here, oh my star is fading
And I swerve out of control
And I swear, I waited and waited
I’ve got to get out of this hole

But time is on your side, its on your side, now
Not pushing you down, and all around
It’s no cause for concern

Come on, oh my star is fading
And I see no chance of release
And I know I’m dead on the surface
But I am screaming underneath

And time is on your side, its on your side, now
Not pushing you down, and all around
No it’s no cause for concern

Stuck on the end of this ball and chain
And I’m on my way back down again
Stood on the edge, tied to the noose
Sick to the stomach

You can say what you mean
But it won’t change a thing
I’m sick of the secrets
Stood on the edge, tied to the noose
And you came along and you cut me loose
You came along and you cut me loose
You came along and you cut me loose