Death and All His Friends
{{short description|2008 song by Coldplay}}
{{About|the song|the Grey's Anatomy episode|Hospital shooting (Grey's Anatomy)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Death and All His Friends
| cover =
| alt =
| artist = Coldplay
| album = Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
| released = {{Start date|2008|06|11|df=y}}
| recorded =
| studio =
| genre = Art rock
| length =
- {{Duration|m=3|s=34}}
- {{Duration|m=6|s=18}} (with "The Escapist")
| label =
| writer =
| producer =
}}
"Death and All His Friends" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It was written by all members of the band for their fourth album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, and is the tenth and final track on the album. The song begins with Chris Martin singing softly to a piano accompaniment before morphing into an uplifting arrangement featuring drums, chiming guitars, and a choir recorded in an art gallery in Barcelona. After the song fades out, a hidden song featured on the album, entitled "The Escapist", brings the total length of the track up to over six minutes and concludes the album.
"The Escapist" is an ambient music piece that consists of a sample of "Light Through the Veins" by Jon Hopkins, with different mixing and with added vocals and lyrics by Chris Martin. A brief 40-second section of the instrumental of "The Escapist" is what begins the first track on the album, "Life in Technicolor", making the album cyclical. A live version of "Death and All His Friends" was featured on the band's 2009 live album, LeftRightLeftRightLeft.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/05/01/coldplay-reward-fans-with-free-live-lp-leftrightleftrightleft/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090503141948/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/05/01/coldplay-reward-fans-with-free-live-lp-leftrightleftrightleft/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=3 May 2009 |title=Coldplay Reward Fans With Free Live LP "LeftRightLeftRightLeft" |last=Kreps |first=Daniel |date=1 May 2009 |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=29 January 2010}}
Writing and composition
The "quiet half" of the song was originally a separate song altogether named "School". "School" was originally intended to be an introduction to another Coldplay song entitled "Rainy Day" that was later featured on the Prospekt's March EP. However, "School" was eventually re-worked into the current state of "Death and All His Friends".
Singer Chris Martin also revealed in an interview for MTV that the name of the song was supposed to be the theme of the album. He said, "We're aware of all the bad stuff in life, you know, but that doesn't mean you should ever give in to it, you know? So we all sing that bit together really loudly, as kind of a message to ourselves: never giving up and never focusing on the bad stuff too much."{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1589032/20080609/coldplay.jhtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828183624/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1589032/20080609/coldplay.jhtml |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 August 2008 |title=Coldplay Give Track-By-Track Tour of Viva La Vida, Explain Handclaps, Tack Pianos and the Number 42 |publisher=MTV |access-date=28 February 2010}}
While the band was working on the song, producer Brian Eno was the most obsessed with finishing it, even creating the line "I don't want a cycle of recycled revenge".
The song was recorded in several different places around the world such as Barcelona, London and New York City, taking several months for it to be finalized.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfvZaTfY4PI |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211215/zfvZaTfY4PI |archive-date=2021-12-15 |url-status=live|title=Coldplay Promo Interview on Viva La Vida, Part Six (2008) |date=19 June 2008 |via=YouTube |access-date=28 February 2010}}{{cbignore}}
Credits and personnel
- Chris Martin – composer, performer
- Guy Berryman – composer, performer
- Jonny Buckland – composer, performer
- Will Champion – composer, performer
Charts and certifications
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
=Charts=
| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
| scope="col"| Chart (2008)
! scope="col"| Peak |
|---|
| scope="row"| Swedish Charts{{cite web|url=http://www.swedishcharts.com/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Coldplay |title=Discography Coldplay |publisher=Swedishcharts.com. Hung Medien |access-date=28 February 2010}}
|50 |
| scope="row"| UK Singles Chart{{cite web |url=http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_C.HTM |title=Chart Log UK 1994–2008 |publisher=Zobbel |access-date=24 September 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502174631/http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/CLUK_C.HTM |archive-date=2 May 2012 }}
|183 |
{{col-2}}
=Certifications=
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|type=single|artist=Coldplay|title=Death and All His Friends|award=Platinum|relyear=2008|certyear=2009|digital=true|access-date=17 September 2021}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|noshipments=true}}
{{col-end}}
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Coldplay songs}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Song recordings produced by Brian Eno
Category:Song recordings produced by Jon Hopkins
Category:Song recordings produced by Markus Dravs
Category:Song recordings produced by Rik Simpson
Category:Songs written by Guy Berryman
Category:Songs written by Jonny Buckland