Track 1 - Don't Panic

"We live in a beautiful world..."

This is a good start, isn't it? I can't think of a nicer song to start this Music Literature than track 1 from Coldplay's Parachutes album.
Such a bright and sad and short and powerful song it is.
It was quite a nice incident the first time I listened to it, actually....

I had just bought the Kid A album back in 2001. Such a big wait for a new Radiohead album and it was finally released. So, I ran to the music store, picked it up from the new releases section and paid cash. Then, ran back home... closed shut my bedroom door and stuck it on the CD player.

Three minutes later I started wondering if I had really picked up the correct CD on the store...
"What's this??" - I said out loud. "This ain't nothing like Radiohead! This isn't what it was supposed to be!"

A complete and absolute disappointment it was.... So, the next day at school, heartbroken, I came up to a friend who was really into Radiohead and asked his opinion on Kid A. He said he hadn't heard it yet. He was saving up to buy it next week.
"Oh don't bother going all the way to the mall, I'll sell it to you. I couldn't get to track 3... so it's as good as new", I said.

That way I got rid of it and, later that afternoon, ran back into the music store again.
With the almost wasted money on my hand, I started wandering around the cd shelves.... Until I saw this one yellow-spinning-globe cover album on the listening station.

There it hit me.

Track One - Don't Panic.
Could it had been a more perfect title?

Don't Panic. Ok. So I did, I didn't panic...(after my Kid A hysteria)
And I just let the tune carry me on...

Electric guitar coming from one headphone.... then the acoustic from the other....
Then Chris's voice matching the bass while singing the first verse. Before you know it, you are already on the chorus with the beautiful-repetitive solo of the lead guitar backing up the message that yeah, we do live in a beautiful world (and doesn't it seem oh! so sad to remember it?)
Isn't it all too perfect for the first few seconds of a song?...for the first few seconds of an album?

Two minutes nineteen seconds and Coldplay gives us a small intro to the rest of the record. A masterpice.
For me... well, that's all I needed to listen.
I came back to myself, made sure I was picking up the same record with the same cover and paid cash once more.

I've been a Coldplay fan since then.
And I've never liked any Coldplay album better than this one.
And I doubt they'll ever get any close to composing like this again. You know, it was just the perfect music, for the perfect time.

I played this record for so many people and everybody loved it. So many people that had never even heard that there was a band named Coldplay.
And you'd think that yeah, I was just a too eager music fan in Mexico, listening to the new brit bands...
But no. I even took this record with me to Canada and I played it to lots of friends there...
I know I must be remembered just for playing this CD at parties or car stereos.
But well.... there is no way you can hide a record like this.

And, unlike McCartney, when I find myself in times of trouble... Parachutes comes to me. Speaking words of wisdom "Don't Panic".

Cheers...