Coldplay Reaches For The Heavens In "Paradise"

Coldplay has unleashed the video for "Paradise," the second single from British alternative rock band's upcoming fifth album "Mylo Xyloto," set for release on next Tuesday. Coldplay's music may not be for everybody, but their music videos tend to be universally transcendent. The giddy new clip is a pachyderm-filled romp which features Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, dressed in a plushy elephant costume, embarking on a unicycle trip in South Africa. That's the takeaway from the sweet, whimsical video.
Influenced by listening to Bruce Springsteen and Bob Dylan, the song finds Martin singing of a young girl's dashed hopes and dreams of paradise. Martin told Billboard magazine that "Mylo Xyloto" is a concept album, which is, "loosely a kind of romance in an oppressive environment." "Paradise" is a far moodier affair than previous single "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall," whose title is even included in "Paradise"'s lyrics, with dramatic strings and chords and just the right touch of melancholy for the onset of the fall season. The new video finally explains what that was all about.
Regarding this song's meaning, it is easier to explain in the context of the album. Martin told MTV News "Mylo Xyloto" is a story, explaining: "It's supposed to be about two people who grow up separately in a very big oppressive city, and they each are a bit lost in their lives." He added that the pair meet in a gang and fall in and out of love before getting back together at the end. The singer went on to say: "'Paradise' is about a girl really, the female half of the album, just about being a bit lost in the world and escaping through fantasy."
The clip was directed by Mat Whitecross, and it retains the sort of warmth and humor he tends to bring to the table. The video is exactly as track's title might suggest: nostalgic filters, honeyed, sun-drenched shots of Cape Town, and all bandmates dressed up. The video portrays a classic break-free scenario that begins Martin dressed as an elephant escapes from a zoo in London, takes a unicycle trek through South Africa, and ends up after a seemingly hopeless wonder comes across three other elephants (the rest of Coldplay) playing the song in the fields, all set to soaring anthemic refrains and catchy beats. It's kooky, but it works.