This background allows the otherwise overused concept of love and heartbreak to present itself in a totally fresh and original way, functioning as an allegory for social protest. Coldplay intertwines all of these themes, particularly freedom from oppression and the power of creativity, in Mylo Xyloto.
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The diverse sources of inspiration range from the student-led, anti-Nazi group known as the White Rose Movement, the rebellious art form of graffiti, and the criticisms of government presented in the television series The Wire. Coldplay has explained that this album was created against the rich backdrop of several protest traditions.
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Mylo Xyloto refuses to be tacked down and this focus on unbridled creativity and free expression reveals the album’s fundamental connection to its sources of inspiration. Instead, they emphasize the importance of Mylo Xyloto’s indefinability. Even Stephen Colbert takes a stab at it, and quips that Mylo Xyloto must be Greek for “Miley Cyrus.” Clearly, Mylo Xyloto has the world – fans and critics alike – utterly baffled.Īlthough the ambiguity of the title and Chris Martin’s evasive responses are certainly sources of frustration for all the fans desperately hoping to make sense of this two-word conundrum, Chris Martin’s statements are not completely unhelpful. The same cannot be said of others who take a still more radical approach and point to the tracks “U.F.O.” and “A Hopeful Transmission” to boldly argue that Mylo Xyloto doesn’t make any sense to us because it’s obviously in an alien language. Some ambitious fans, self-pronounced etymologists, conjecture that Mylo Xyloto translates into “My Love, Wooden Lotus.” At least they manage to change the nonsense into English. Yet, this has not stopped people in any way from extrapolating the meaning of the title. Other ones made more sense but we just liked this one, that’s all we can defend it with.” We’ve had that title for about two years on a board and any other potential titles had to be written next to it. I think we’re a band with a lot of history now so it’s nice to come up with something that doesn’t have any history at all. The title doesn’t have any other meaning. Maybe Mylo Xyloto, more than conveying any specific meaning, stands as a richly ambiguous symbol of pure creativity, undefinable and free. As far as album titles go, this one definitely raises some questions, particularly how in the world is it pronounced and, more importantly, what can it possibly mean? For starters, the correct pronunciation is “My-lo Zyle-toe,” but if the pronunciation itself proves confusing, then the meaning of the title is a veritable Gordian Knot! In response to fans’ incessant inquiries, lead singer Chris Martin mystically waves his hand in the air and teases, “We took it from the randomness of the universe.” Consequently, I can’t help but think that attempts to label Mylo Xyloto miss the point.