A Rush of Blood to the Head (2001–2004)

"Yellow"
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"Yellow" was the second single from Parachutes (2000), and Coldplay's first Top 10 hit on the UK Singles Chart.
"Viva la Vida" (2008)
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"Viva la Vida", the second single from their latest album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends.
"The Scientist"
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"The Scientist" was the second single from A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002). The inspiration for the song came from George Harrison's "All Things Must Pass".[7]
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Coldplay returned to the studio in October 2001 to begin work on their second album, once again with Ken Nelson producing. A Rush of Blood to the Head was released in August 2002. The album spawned several popular singles, notably "In My Place", "Clocks", and the ballad "The Scientist".[7]

Coldplay toured from June 2002 to September 2003 for the A Rush of Blood to the Head Tour. They visited five continents, including co-headlining festival dates at Glastonbury Festival,[20] V2003 and Rock Werchter. Many shows included elaborate lighting and individualised screens reminiscent of U2's Elevation Tour.[28] During the extended tour, Coldplay recorded a live DVD and CD, Live 2003, at Sydney's Hordern Pavilion.[29]

In December 2003, they were named by readers of Rolling Stone magazine as the best artist and the best band of the year. At that time Coldplay covered The Pretenders' 1983 hit "2000 Miles", which was made available for download on their official site. It was the top selling UK download that year, with proceeds from the sales donated to Future Forests and Stop Handgun Violence campaigns. A Rush of Blood to the Head won the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album at the 2003 Grammy Awards.[30] At the 2004 Grammy Awards, Coldplay earned Record of the Year for "Clocks".[27]

X&Y (2004–2006)
Coldplay live in 2005

Coldplay spent most of 2004 out of the spotlight, resting from touring, and recording their third album. In terms of particular musical influences for it, bassist Guy Berryman said, "We were listening to lots of different stuff during the early stages [of X&Y] from Bowie, Eno and Pink Floyd to Depeche Mode, Kate Bush and Kraftwerk. And U2 as we usually do."[31] In May, Chris Martin and his wife, actress Gwyneth Paltrow, celebrated the birth of their daughter named Apple.[32]

X&Y was released in June 2005 in UK and Europe.[33] This new, delayed release date had put the album back into the next fiscal year, actually causing EMI's stock to drop.[34][35] It became the best-selling album of 2005 with worldwide sales of 8.3 million. The lead single, "Speed of Sound",[36] made its radio and online music store debut on 18 April and was released as a CD on 23 May 2005.[37] The album debuted at number one in 30 countries worldwide and was the third-fastest selling album in UK chart history.[38] Two other singles were released that year: "Fix You" in September and "Talk" in December. The latter is set to the melody of "Computer Love", which was released in 1981 by the German synthpop band Kraftwerk and had in the previous year been revived by Norwegian guitarist Erik Wollo. Despite the commercial success, the critical reaction to X&Y was less enthusiastic than that of its predecessor, with New York Times critic Jon Pareles describing Coldplay as "the most insufferable band of the decade".[39] Comparisons between Coldplay and U2 became increasingly common.[40] Chris Martin later revealed that the negative remarks made him feel "liberated".[41]

From June 2005 to July 2006, Coldplay went on their Twisted Logic Tour, which included festival dates like Coachella, Isle of Wight Festival, Glastonbury and the Austin City Limits Music Festival.[42] In July 2005, the band appeared at Live 8 in Hyde Park, where they played a rendition of The Verve's "Bitter Sweet Symphony" with Richard Ashcroft on vocals.[43] In September, Coldplay recorded a new version of "How You See the World" with reworked lyrics to War Child's Help!: A Day in the Life charity album. In February 2006, Coldplay earned Best Album and Best Single honours at the BRIT Awards.[44]