The band's experience is somewhat similar to that of
Moby; many songs from
Coldplay's first album can be heard on
TV, in shopping centres, etc. For the year following the release of the first album, '
Parachutes', practically every shopping
mall in the
UK and
Ireland had at least three Coldplay songs in their 10-song
rotation.
I remember listening to the album just after it was released, and thinking 'hmm... this is different... relaxing, sedentary, musically interesting... very listenable'. Of course, these very qualities soon catapulted those songs to the top of playlists in many media. Songs like 'Yellow', 'Shiver', 'Sparks' and 'Don't Panic' became part of people's everyday lives.
And of course, within a week most serious music followers were sick of them. Don't ask whether this would have happened had they remained in relative obscurity. At least bands such as Stereophonics had a chance to work through a modestly-selling album (Word Gets Around) before becoming incredibly popular overnight (Performance & Cocktails).
There are probably still some singles left on 'Parachutes'; recently I sat down to listen to the album (much of the hype has faded now and shopping malls have turned back to Robbie for the time being). And it's actually a very good album. I equate 'Yellow' with Wheatus' 'Teenage Dirtbag' - an (arguably) very good song by itself, but played a little too much for its own good. The same can be said of most songs on Coldplay's 'Parachutes'.