Thank you for the music.

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 under-prepared
But I wait for you

If you go, if you go
Leaving me 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 


This post is dedicated completely and wholly to Coldplay and how they changed my life. 


The first time I heard 'Yellow' was back in seventh grade when heartbreak didn't exist and I had a best friend of the opposite sex, something which became a regular fixture only after that. iPods still weren't in as much vogue as discmans and we would sneak them into school in tiffin boxes and unnecessary notebooks just for the joy of a few minutes' of intermittent music between classes. That's the first time my best friend said to me, "aye you, stop obsessing over bollywood music for three minutes and come here and listen to this. Fucking brilliant." Back then the word 'fuck' was used sparingly so when I did hear it I knew it was meant most genuinely.


The opening bars began. For a minute I was like "WTF yuck, I hate this song and him for making me listen to it!" but that was my stupid bollywood-brain-washed self talking. And I let that self override what I really felt about it. I refused to ask him the name of the band and I was left in peace to listen to what I felt was quality music but was actually just a load of shit put together and set to a rhythm.


The second time I heard 'Yellow' was at a concert that happened in my school campus and I had been headbanging to some obscure rock song the band was pelting out. And they stopped and we gathered our breath, and as I was adjusting my hair and smiling to myself about the awesomeness of the night, the lead singer announced that he was going to sing something the audience would love. We of course cheered our heart out at that, and suddenly the familiar opening bars of that song started to play. And all my friends around me screamed and yelled in happiness, and I think I was the only one in that audience of 500+ people that didn't know the words.


College came and my music tastes turned from popular to just a little bit varied. I picked up music from here and there and became quite a youtube whore, and my laptop, whenever it is on, is constantly playing music. My habit of playing songs according to my mood changed: earlier I would play sad songs when I was sad and happy ones when I was happy, but now the moods have become more specific as have the playlists. I have a set of songs I play only when I miss home, one to play only in the mood I'm in on certain afternoons (which also varies according to the weather), one to play when certain friends come home, and another to play when I go for a bath.


Then one day, my friend copy-pasted the entire Coldplay discography onto my iTunes.


'The Scientist' played when I lost my grandfather. 
'Fix You' played when I lost a ton of other people.
'Brothers & Sisters' plays sometimes, randomly.
'Warning Sign' plays on nights when I sit up and draw, and smile to myself.
'In My Place' plays to make me happy.
'Strawberry Swing' always, always, ALWAYS makes me smile and it reminds me of empty-bus rides at night with my iPod and me singing loudly out of the window.
'Swallowed in the Sea' makes me feel loved :)
'Green Eyes' makes me sing along very loudly and badly if I have earphones on.
'Clocks' plays to make me feel worthwhile and un-useless.
'Your Love Means Everything' makes me cry every single time I hear it. Without fail.
'Christmas Lights'..."when you're still waiting for the snow to fall, it doesn't really feel like Christmas at all" :) it's like this song was their birthday gift to me.


I just had to say...thanks for the music, Coldplay :)