Coldplay’s Official Top 20 biggest songs on the UK's Official Chart

They've had plenty of big ones, but these are officially the biggest of the lot...
coldplay-2021-press-dave-meyers.jpg

It's just over 20 years since Coldplay's first Official Chart hit – Shiver, back in March 2000 – and the band are showing no signs of slowing down any time soon.

The band return with their new single Higher Power this week, which sees them team up with mega hitmaker Max Martin for the first time. 

The track is their first in two years, since 2019's Everyday Life, which became their eighth Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart. But Coldplay aren't just an albums act – they're still managing to rack up hit singles.

To date they’ve scored 24 Top 40 hits, including 18 Top 10s in the process, two of which were chart-toppers. But which of their big ones come out on top when sales and streams are combined? 

MORE: Coldplay's Official Chart history in full

To mark Coldplay's return, we crunched the numbers and now count down their biggest songs in the UK, based on physical and digital sales, and streams. Before the full Top 20, a few highlights:

Yellow (2000)
Official Chart peak: 4
UK Chart sales: 1.63m

This is where it all really began, with their very first Top 10 in 2000. Coldplay’s breakthrough hit went straight in at Number 4 and was taken from their debut album Parachutes, which has sold 2.77m UK chart sales. Yellow has shifted 1.63m across all formats, including 170,000 CD single sales, 430,000 downloads and 118 million streams – not a bad performance in the digital era considering it came out in 2000.

In My Place (2002)
Official Chart peak: 2
UK chart sales: 377,000

The lead single from the band's much-anticipated second album A Rush of Blood to the Head, In My Place brought Coldplay their then-highest chart peak, going straight in at Number 2 in August 2002 (blocked from the top spot by former Pop Idol contestant Darius, with Colourblind). Perhaps surprisingly, despite being their second-biggest selling song on physical format, with 101,000 copies sold, In My Place hasn't really found longevity in the digital era. Its 100,000 downloads and 19.5 million streams see it land in 19th slot on Coldplay's all-time rundown.

Fix You (2005)
Official Chart peak: 4
UK chart sales: 1.73m

One of the band’s signature ballads, Fix You was written by frontman Chris Martin for his then-wife Gwyneth Paltrow following her father's death. Their ‘conscious uncoupling’ would follow nine years later, but the song is still a huge crowd-pleaser, with 112.6 million streams since records began in 2014, including 9.5 million from this year alone.

Viva La Vida (2008)
Official Chart peak: 1
UK chart  sales: 1.99m

The band’s first Number 1 was a long time coming – after nine Top 10s, the guys were definitely due a chart-topper. The title track from the band’s fourth studio album Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends is their second biggest song of all time, including 896,000 downloads and 123.5 million streams. See the full Top 100 from the week Viva La Vida was Number 1.

Paradise (2011)
Official Chart peak: 1
UK chart sales: 1.69m

Paradise certainly took its time to become the group’s second chart-topper, it finally reached Number 1 on its tenth week in the chart, knocking off Military Wives and Gareth Malone's Wherever You Are to be the first Number 1 of 2012. Paradise has sold just over one million downloads (Coldplay's only million seller) and has been streamed 81.8 million times in the UK.

Princess Of China (2011)
Official Chart peak: 4
UK chart sales: 952,000

Rihanna loves a collab, and this perhaps unlikely one with Coldplay went Top 5 in 2012. Both performed the track at closing ceremony of that year's Paralympic Games in London, helping it reach Number 4.

Hymn for the Weekend (2016)
Official Chart peak: 6
UK chart sales: 1.68m

Speaking of collaborators, there's a very special guest making an uncredited appearance here – Beyoncé. This euphoric tribute to going out and getting off your head was a huge hit in early 2016, spending seven months in the Top 40. it has the second biggest streaming tally of any Coldplay song, with 150.6 million plays, and also managed 302,000 downloads to land as their fifth biggest song in the UK.

Something Just Like This (2017)
Official Chart peak: 2
UK chart sales: 2.07m

Given Coldplay are a band in constant evolution and not afraid to try new musical style, it's fitting that their biggest track of all time is this poppy collaboration with American duo The Chainsmokers.

Scoring 201 million streams and an impressive 320,000 downloads, Something Just Like This has a combined sales tally of just over two million. Following a performance at the 2017 BRIT Awards, the song shot up the Official Singles Chart to peak at Number 2.

Coldplay’s Official Top 20 biggest songs

POS TITLE ARTIST PEAK YEAR
1 SOMETHING JUST LIKE THIS CHAINSMOKERS & COLDPLAY 2 2017
2 VIVA LA VIDA COLDPLAY 1 2008
3 FIX YOU COLDPLAY 4 2005
4 PARADISE COLDPLAY 1 2011
5 HYMN FOR THE WEEKEND COLDPLAY 6 2016
6 YELLOW COLDPLAY 4 2000
7 ADVENTURE OF A LIFETIME COLDPLAY 7 2015
8 THE SCIENTIST COLDPLAY 10 2002
9 A SKY FULL OF STARS COLDPLAY 9 2014
10 PRINCESS OF CHINA COLDPLAY & RIHANNA 4 2011
11 MAGIC COLDPLAY 10 2014
12 CLOCKS COLDPLAY 9 2003
13 CHRISTMAS LIGHTS COLDPLAY 13 2010
14 EVERGLOW COLDPLAY 52 2015
15 EVERY TEARDROP IS A WATERFALL COLDPLAY 6 2011
16 SPEED OF SOUND COLDPLAY 2 2005
17 CHARLIE BROWN COLDPLAY 22 2011
18 TROUBLE COLDPLAY 10 2000
19 IN MY PLACE COLDPLAY 2 2002
20 UP&UP COLDPLAY 71 2016

©2021 Official Charts Company. All rights reserved.

Article image: Dave Meyers with art direction by Pilar Zeta

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S

Stu

0

So if Coldplay have had more than one million sellers, why on the latest OCC list of million sellers do you only refer to Paradise???

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Gary Feld

1

They don't have more than one million selling single....Only Paradise.

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Fact Checker

2

I quote "Fix You...has achieved 1.24 million combined sales." Technically this is true. But the 1.24 million refers to its sales 12 months ago. It will be on a much bigger figure by now.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again, if you want someone to check these articles before you post them, I'm very willing to help.

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Самбуу Ёндон

0

yeah, i'm agree with you, they need to be update article with new combined sales. Coldplay is biggest group of UK. So Top 20 list isn't enough.

OCC, please update this article with sales.

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Paul Mount

1

I’m assuming and hoping you mean that Something Just Like This “shot up the charts”...does no-one proof-read any more?

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Самбуу Ёндон

1

Hello OCC, please extend this list. Top 20 isn't enough for Coldplay. And please reveal Coldplay's all studio album sales.

GF

Gary Feld

1

Here you have the track-listing of Coldplay's forthcoming (as and when!) first time ever, Greatest Hits Album! (maybe Christmas Lights as a Bonus track, as it will no doubt be released in Nov/Dec at any point in time in the future!) #justsaying :)

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mildredfarts

1

i ended up compiling one myself..a double cd with some of their great dance mixes. i called it 'A lifetime of adventure-the best of'.

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littlezw

1

love all these 20 songs, especially "the scientist' and 'yellow'!

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Mark Rolinson

0

Yeah all 20 of those songs are quality. Something Just Like This with the Chainsmokers would be in the top 20 now, as that song has sold 1.2 million copies, didn’t get to number 1 though got to 2

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Steven A Maradiaga

0

But Cemetaries of London was mad good....

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Mark Rolinson

0

Yeah I liked that song, a lot of Coldplay’s lesser known songs are worth listening to though.

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Mya

2

Clocks only peaked at #9? I would've for sure thought it would reach the #1 spot. There must've been some very steep competition in 2003. Imo Clocks is one of their best songs.

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Mark Rolinson

0

Fix You or Viva La Vida, my favourite

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I Am A Stegosaurus

0

Is this now... an updated version or what?

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Johnny McVey

0

Yes it is

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Neil Prince

0

I would assume that streaming figures are included myself. Maybe I'm wrong so maybe OCC could confirm either way?

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Official Charts

0

Hi Neil, this chart is just sales based, so no streaming data is included in this.

LM

Lee Moore

0

Why is steaming not included in these all time lists...its been an integral part of the weekly charts for a while now, to exclude it seems archaic

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I Am A Stegosaurus

0

It's always excluded for biggest selling songs by artist or year.

LM

Lee Moore

0

Well yeah, the clue is in the title

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I Am A Stegosaurus

0

Anyhow, I guess the reason why is because 1) the figures would be about 30 times higher and 2) newer songs would have an immediate advantage as streaming is fairly new. But then again, same could be said for when downloads became the thing...

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Johnny McVey

0

steaming? You steaming drunk?! lol

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I Am A Stegosaurus

0

Hahaha I just noticed