In My Place

Another love song from Coldplay, this one is about a guy who loves a girl who doesn't reciprocate. He is telling her that he will always wait for her, but he doesn't think she should stay where she is any longer. Chris Martin elaborated on the meaning to Billboard Magazine: "That's about where you're put in the world, and how you're given your position, and the way you look, and how you have to get on with it."

"In My Place" was written a few weeks before Coldplay released their debut album, Parachutes, and was one of the first songs the band recorded for A Rush of Blood to the Head. Coldplay later credited it for giving them the confidence to continue following the overwhelming success of Parachutes. Martin recalled to Q Magazine in 2002: "After we'd recorded Parachutes we had one song left – 'In My Place.' Apart from that I was dry. And I thought, 'That's it, we're done.' But when Jonny played me the guitar for 'In My Place' I thought, 'Well we have to record that. It's the best thing we've ever written.' And that was the song that saved us."

Chris Martin is a big fan of Ian "Mac the Mouth" McCulloch, lead singer and founder of the Liverpool band Echo And The Bunnymen. McCulloch was physically present when Coldplay recorded this song, with the "Killing Moon" singer even lending Martin his signature trench coat. Martin detailed the moment to Q: "I did the vocals to 'In My Place' wearing Mac's coat and with him sitting next to me in the booth. I felt like the little boy at the school disco not knowing what to do. I mean, you can't try and upstage him can you?"