X&Y | ||||
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Studio album by Coldplay | ||||
Released | 6 June 2005 | |||
Recorded | January 27, 2004 – January 2005 | |||
Studio |
Various
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Genre | ||||
Length | 62:30 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
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Coldplay chronology | ||||
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Coldplay studio album chronology | ||||
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Latin America Tour Edition | ||||
Singles from X&Y | ||||
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Professional ratings | |
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Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 72/100 |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | |
Blender | |
Entertainment Weekly | B |
The Guardian | |
NME | 9/10 |
Pitchfork | 4.9/10 |
Q | |
Rolling Stone | |
Spin | B+ |
The Village Voice | B |
X&Y (stylized as X & Y) is the third studio album by the British rock band Coldplay. It was released on 6 June 2005 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom, and a day later by Capitol Records in the United States. The album was produced by Coldplay and producer Danton Supple. It is noted for its troubled and urgent development, with producer Ken Nelson having originally been tasked with producing much of the album; however, many songs written during his sessions were discarded owing to the band's dissatisfaction with them. The album's cover art is a combination of colours and blocks, which is a representation of the Baudot code.
The album contains twelve tracks and an additional hidden track, "'Til Kingdom Come". It is omitted from the track listing on the album sleeve, but listed as "+" on the disc label and inside the album booklet. It was originally planned for American country star Johnny Cash to record it with lead singer Chris Martin, but Cash died before he was able to do so. The song "Talk" appeared in the track listing, although after it leaked online in early 2005 it was thought to have been downgraded to a B-side for the album's subsequent single releases.
X&Y was released after a considerable amount of global anticipation. Overall reaction to the album was generally positive, though some critics cited it as being inferior to its predecessors. It was a significant commercial success, reaching the top spot of many charts worldwide, including the United Kingdom and United States, being the first time Coldplay topped the US chart. With accumulated sales of 8.3 million units in 2005 alone, X&Y was the best-selling music album released in 2005 worldwide. By 2011, the album had sold over 20 million copies worldwide. The album spawned the singles "Speed of Sound", "Fix You", "Talk", "The Hardest Part", "What If", and "White Shadows".