So you’re trying to put your wedding playlist together? Great! Well, allow us to put Coldplay on your radar.
Coldplay might technically be an alternative rock band, but don’t let that distinction fool you. This Grammy-Award winning band, fronted by UK singer Chris Martin, has released many, many love songs during its 26-year-run.
Whether you’re in the market for melancholy love songs or brooding ballads about love lost, Coldplay likely has a song to fit the mood.
Of course, there’s also plenty to choose from in the way of fun, reception music — it just depends on what you’re in the mood for!
So whether you’re hoping to find bridal procession music, first dance music, or get-the-party-started music, you’ll find it all among the 10 best Coldplay wedding songs.
“Yellow”
Lyrics you’ll love: “Look at the stars/Look how they shine for you/And everything you do/
Yeah, they were all yellow/I came along/I wrote a song for you/And all the things you do/And it was called Yellow.”
If you’re doing marriage the right way, your spouse will become your favorite person (at least until you have children).
“Yellow” perfectly paints the picture of someone so enamored by their partner, even the little mundane details sparkle differently. Consider this song for your first dance.
“A Sky Full of Stars”
Lyrics you’ll love: “Cause you’re a sky, ’cause you’re a sky full of stars/I’m gonna give you my heart/’Cause you’re a sky, ’cause you’re a sky full of stars/’Cause you light up the path/I don’t care, go on and tear me apart.”
If you think about it, love can be a destructive force. But we don’t mean that in a bad way. Love can destroy loneliness, self-doubt, and the overwhelming feeling that you’re not quite on the right track.
“A Sky Full of Stars,’ which Coldplay released in 2014, tells the tale of someone who’s so in love, that they lean into its power, and welcome said destruction.
And yeah, that’s a bit heavy for a wedding, but the breezy uptempo balances out the lyrics, making it perfect for your reception.
“Reign of Love”
Lyrics you’ll love: “Reign of love/By the church, we’re waiting/Reign of love/ My knees go praying/How I wish/I’d spoken up/Or we’d be carried/In the reign of love.”
For some, love is a spiritual experience that exalts them to planes never before experienced. If that describes the story of your romance, then consider “Reign of Love,” Coldplay’s 2014 hit song.
This laid-back track relies on cool melodies and drowsy vocals, making it a song most suited for a bridal processional or another low-energy point at your wedding.
“A Message”
Lyrics you’ll love:
“My song is love/My song is love unknown/And I’m on fire for you clearly/You don’t have to be alone/You don’t have to be on your own/And I’m not gonna take it back/And I’m not gonna say I don’t mean that/You’re the target that I’m aiming at
/And I’m nothing on my own/Got to get that message home.”
If you’re looking for the perfect song to soundtrack your first dance, then consider “A Message,” released in 2005. This song speaks on the kind of passionate love you’ll need to sustain a life-long marriage, set against a chipper acoustic melody.
Given the mid-tempo, laid-back feel, it could work for almost any area of your wedding from your bridal procession to your first dance, to even the father/daughter dance.
“A Scientist”
Lyrics you’ll love:
“I was just guessing at numbers and figures/Pulling the puzzles apart/Questions of science, science, and progress/Do not speak as loud as my heart/But/tell me you love me, come back and haunt me/Oh and I rush to the start.”
Remember that whole thing about melancholy love songs? Well, you won’t find a song sadder than “The Scientist,” which is interestingly enough, one of Coldplay’s most popular hits of all time.
The 2002 track, released as part of Rush of Blood To The Head, tells a regretful tale of love lost, and while that may not be the energy you want for your wedding, you can guarantee everyone in the house will know every lyric.
Consider this piano-backed mid-tempo ballad for your reception.
“Daylight”
Lyrics you’ll love:
“I am nothing/In the dark/And the clouds burst/To show daylight/Oooh, and the sun shine/Yeah, on this heart of mine/Oooh, and I realize/Who couldn’t live without/Oooh, come apart without it.”
Coldplay’s “Daylight” is another great option for your reception. This mid-tempo tune isn’t really a love song, but it does evoke feelings of completing a long journey. Or, depending on your interpretation, the start of one.
While this is probably best suited to hardcore Coldplay fans, you can also use it to fill out your reception playlist.
“Up & Up”
Lyrics you’ll love:
“Yes I want to grow, yes I want to feel/Yes I want to know, show me how to heal it up/Heal it up/See the forest there in every seed/Angels in the marble waiting to be freed/Just need love just need love/When the going is rough, saying.”
As much as we’d all like for it to be, love is not always a linear experience. Sometimes, it takes several breakups (and maybe even other relationships) before a couple can make it down the aisle.
And though we hope that your wedding day makes smoother sailing from here on out, “Up & Up,” Coldplay’s 2015 release, will help remind you of the more difficult times in your relationship, and all of the progress you’ve made.
Plus, it’s just super catchy!
“True Love”
Lyrics you’ll love:
“Remember once upon a time, when I was yours and you were blind/The fire would sparkle in your eyes and mine/So tell me you love me, if you don’t then lie, oh lie to me/Just tell me you love, if you don’t then lie, oh lie to me/if you don’t then lie, oh lie to me/And call it true, call it true love/Call it true, call it true love.”
Wow. Coldplay has a lot of songs about lost love. And while your wedding day should mark the end of that cycle, “True Love,” is just too beautiful to leave off of the list.
This 2014 hit, released as part of their Ghost Stories album, is a passionate ballad that showcases Chris Martin’s rarely-used upper register.
If you forget the lyrics, it can make a great song for your first dance.
“Postcards From Far Away”
Lyrics you’ll love:
“Goes where I will/But though I try my heart stays still//It never moves/Just won’t be led/And so my mouth waters, to be fed/And you’re always in my head.”
Unlike the other songs on this list, ‘Postcards From Far Away,” is purely instrumental, but that’s actually why it’d make a great wedding song!
This piano-backed track is soft and melodious, taking listeners on a sweet, romantic journey that doesn’t need words to back it up.
The soft, gentle nature was just made for swaying, making it the perfect song to kick off your first dance as husband and wife.
“Viva La Vida”
Lyrics you’ll love:
“/Seas would rise when I gave the word/Now in the morning I sleep alone/Sweep the streets I used to own/I used to roll the dice/Feel the fear in my enemy’s eyes/Listen as the crowd would sing/”Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!”
Of course, we couldn’t end a Coldplay wedding playlist without the band’s biggest hit, “Viva La Vida.”
No, this probably won’t be the song you walk down the aisle to or even the song that soundtracks your first dance but trusts me… it’s so much more than that.
“Viva La Vida” is one of those songs that most people have heard of, regardless of their musical tastes, making it the perfect song to play at your reception.
