Up in Flames (song)

"Up in Flames" is a song by British rock band Coldplay for their fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto (2011). It was released for radio airplay in Italy on 16 November 2012.[2]

"Up in Flames"
Single by Coldplay
from the album Mylo Xyloto
Released16 November 2012 (2012-11-16)
RecordedJuly–September 2011
StudioThe Bakery and The Beehive (London, England)
Genre
Length
  • 3:13 (album version)
  • 2:47 (single edit)
LabelParlophone
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Coldplay singles chronology
"Hurts Like Heaven"
(2012)		 "Up in Flames"
(2012)		 "Atlas"
(2013)

Background and recording

The last song to be recorded for the album, after most of the songs had already been mixed and mastered, "Up in Flames" was first conceived by lead singer Chris Martin in the hours leading up to the band's headlining performance at the 2011 iTunes Festival in London on 22 July 2011.[3] Portions of the song, including the first instance of electronic drums in a Coldplay song, were recorded backstage at the Roundhouse. The track was rush-recorded to make it on the final version of the album, completed and issued to publishers on 9 September 2011.[4] In an interview with Perth Now, Martin spoke about the recording of "Up in Flames":

You know when you're finished. We don't need to write any more songs now. We were feeling like we were missing one, that was it. It's basially [sic] quite a schizophrenic record. We're still putting it together. There's some very loud stuff, some very quiet stuff, it's seeing if they can live in harmony together.[5]

Critical reception

Idolator writer Robbie Daw gave the debut Austin City Limits performance of "Up in Flames" a positive review, describing it as "immense" and "hypnotic in its simplicity, but devastatingly, achingly gorgeous."[6] Michael Roffman of Consequence of Sound gave the performance a mixed review, writing: "It's soothing, if not monotonous, but it's no 'Warning Sign'."[7]

In his review of Mylo Xyloto, Niall Doherty of Q wrote that the track "puts Coldplay back in well-traversed ballad territory" and was positive towards the track: "The chorus – Martin repeating the title over and over in an echo-chamber falsetto – suggests that the days of autopilot Coldplay are over, beautifully simple and using the melody as its dynamic. Again, just when you think it might take off, it ends. Coldplay have learned to make their point a little more succinctly. Stunning."[8]

Live performances

"Up in Flames" was first performed live in a near-complete state in front of cameras at the Austin City Limits taping on 16 September 2011.[7] It was performed a second time before Mylo Xyloto's release on the 20 October broadcast of the American talk show The Colbert Report.[9] It would also later become a signature track on the setlist of all dates of the Mylo Xyloto Tour, first played live in front of a global audience on 26 October 2011 at the AMEX Unstaged concert in Madrid.

Track listings
European single[10]
No.TitleLength
1."Up in Flames" (radio edit)2:47
Netherlands single[11]
No.TitleLength
1."Up in Flames" (album version)3:13

Charts
Chart (2011–12) Peak
position
scope="row"Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[12] 24
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40 Tipparade)[13] 6
South Korea Gaon Download Chart[14] 34

Release history
Region Date Format Label
Italy[2][15] 16 November 2012 Contemporary hit radio EMI

References
  1. Mapes, Jillian (12 January 2015). "Coldplay's 'Mylo Xyloto': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard.
  2. Mompellio, Gabriel (13 November 2012). "Coldplay – Up In Flames (Radio Date: 16-11-2012)" (in Italian). EarOne. Retrieved 16 November 2012.
  3. "Roadie #42 – Blog #141". Coldplay.com. 5 September 2011. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  4. "We've finished the album". Coldplay.com. 9 September 2011. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  5. Adams, Cameron (1 August 2011). "Coldplay honours Amy Winehouse at Splendour in the Grass 2011". Perth Now. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  6. "Watch Coldplay Debut 'Up In Flames' In Austin". Idolator. Spin Media. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  7. Roffman, Michael (16 September 2011). "Video: Coldplay debuts 'Up In Flames'". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  8. Doherty, Niall (10 October 2011). "First Impressions of... Coldplay's Mylo Xyloto". Q. London. Archived from the original on 15 January 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  9. Doherty, Maggie (21 October 2011). "Coldplay Heats Up 'Colbert Report' With 'Paradise' & 'Up in Flames': Watch". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  10. "Coldplay - Up In Flames". Coldplay @ Discogs. Discogs. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
  11. "Coldplay - Up In Flames". Coldplay @ Discogs. Discogs. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
  12. "Ultratop.be – Coldplay – Up in Flames" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  13. "Top 40: Coldplay – Up In Flames" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  14. "Gaon Download Chart – 2011년 11월 1주차" (in Korean). Gaon Chart. Retrieved 29 October 2010.
  15. "Coldplay – Up in Flames (EMI)" (in Italian). Radio Airplay SRL. Archived from the original on 24 March 2014. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
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