The collaboration that never was

A resounding, final rejection that left its mark on the history of the most successful British band of recent years, and on its frontman. Indeed, Coldplay, at the peak of their commercial success, had to swallow a flat, non-negotiable "no" from David Bowie. The story was told by Chris Martin himself in 2014, during the BBC Music Awards.

"I once sent Bowie a song and asked him to record the vocals," the Coldplay singer recalled. "He called me up and said: 'It's not one of your best.' David has very high standards, and I respect that. His rejection taught us to keep our own standards high."

The idea of a collaboration was tied to the sessions for "Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends", an album made with Brian Eno, the producer who had previously worked with Bowie during the Berlin trilogy and on "Outside". According to drummer Will Champion, one of the songs featured a passage written in the style of the Thin White Duke: "There was a bit in one song that was very à la David Bowie. Chris Martin called him, or wrote him a letter, saying: 'Would you fancy singing this?' And he came back with a polite refusal, saying, 'It's not really a great song, is it?'" The album would go on to sell 6.8 million copies worldwide, cementing the Coldplay phenomenon.

During the same ceremony, Martin also commented on Bowie's 2013 comeback with "The Next Day" and, in particular, on the impact of "Where Are We Now?", a song that struck him deeply: "I was speechless, and I have to say a bit annoyed too. I thought it just wasn't fair - here he was, already sitting on all these incredible songs, and yet he was still able to make a record that instantly became a classic..."

Coldplay, however, bore no grudge over that resounding rejection. “He was very selective: he'd never put his name on just anything. You have to give him credit for that,” Champion pointed out, adding that “for any musician, Bowie was one of the reference points for everything” and that his death had been “a shock.” Guitarist Jonny Buckland also added: “We've all loved his songs since we first got into music.” Sadly, Coldplay never got a second chance. But that rejection was surely useful in helping them figure out which direction to take. Even if not many of their later albums have managed to match the high standards of the band's “Parachutes“.

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17/04/2026