Sparks (Coldplay song)

"Sparks" is a song by the British rock band Coldplay. They wrote and co-produced it with producer Ken Nelson for their debut album, Parachutes (2000). Dubbed a "calming" piece, the song experienced a chart resurgence in the 2020s decade.

Recording
According to producer Ken Nelson, "Sparks" was recorded at the same time as "We Never Change". He described it as "basically a live take", with Jonny Buckland adding his guitar parts afterwards. The lyrics of the song tell the story of a person asking for a second chance after letting down their partner ("And I know I was wrong" / "But I won't let you down"). Mary Siroky from Consequence noted that "the waltz tempo ensures a feeling of intimacy and romantic longing persists".

Reception
"Sparks" has been ranked among the best Coldplay songs by Billboard, and Consequence. The former said that "Even if the band thought it couldn't hold up as a single like 'Yellow' or 'Trouble', 'Sparks' is still one of the most raw displays of [ Chris Martin]'s gripping vocal abilities of Coldplay's catalog". The song later experienced a resurgence on music charts during the 2020s decade after going viral on TikTok.

Performances
The band have consistently performed the song during the Parachutes (2000–01), and Music of the Spheres (2022–24) tours.

Covers and samples
American R&B singer Brandy integrated the opening lyrics of the song in "I Tried", from her album Afrodisiac (2004). Kristina Train covered "Sparks" for I Give It a Year, a British romantic comedy released in 2013. Ten years later, Jordana shared a cover of the track as well.

Personnel
Credits adapted from Tidal.


 * Band members
 * Guy Berryman – bass, songwriter
 * Jonny Buckland – guitar, piano, backing vocals, songwriter
 * Will Champion – drums, percussion, backing vocals, songwriter
 * Chris Martin – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, keyboards, songwriter


 * Additional personnel
 * Ken Nelson – producer, engineer
 * Andrea Wright – assistant engineer
 * Jon Coles – assistant engineer
 * Paul Read – assistant engineer
 * Simon Barnicott – assistant engineer
 * George Marino – mastering engineer
 * Michael H. Brauer – mixing engineer
 * Mark Phythian – programmer