Coldplay

Note: Scroll down for Chris Martin's horoscope.

Coldplay is a rock group whose 2005 CD, X & Y, was one of the top-selling CDs of recent years and catapulted them into the top tier of popular music. Rolling Stone magazine describes their music as “sparse, emotional soundscapes that drip with melancholy and hit you squarely in the gut.” On the other hand, the New York Times took a contrarian view, calling Coldplay’s music the “grandiose, calculated self-pity of the decade's most insufferable band.” Ouch. 

How does Coldplay fit into the astrology of planet trends? Broad popular music trends are often linked to the transits of Neptune. The Beatles and Rolling Stones—intense and transformational—came out of Neptune in Scorpio. U2—principled, soaring, majestic arena rock music—came out of Neptune in Sagittarius. Coldplay comes out of Neptune in Aquarius. They were founded in 1998, just as Neptune moved into the sign of the water bearer, and listening to Coldplay’s music is to listen to the music of Aquarius. Since the modern ruler of Aquarius, Uranus, is presently in Neptune’s sign Pisces, Coldplay embodies both Pisces and Aquarius—the “grandiose self-pity” noted by the New York Times, as well as the “sparse, emotional soundscapes that drip with melancholy…” Their song “Politik” (from the album A Rush of Blood to the Head) includes the Aquarian lyrics, “Look at the earth from outer space/ Everyone must find a place/ Give me time and give me space…”

Lead singer (and most famous of the group) Chris Martin (see horoscope below)—Coldplay’s equivalent to U2’s Bono—is a Pisces who is married to Libra actress Gwyneth Paltrow (Libra’s ruler Venus is said to be exalted—its highest expression—in Pisces). In mid-2005, when X & Y was released, transiting Uranus was hitting Chris Martin’s Sun. His natal Sun exactly trines natal Uranus. And Chris Martin’s Aquarian Mars was taking a direct hit from Neptune. His horoscope was being lit up like a Christmas tree. It is interesting to note that now that Uranus and Neptune are moving on, Coldplay seems to have passed its zenith.