Not Keane on Coldplay
#4: Keane's helping hand
Coldplay didn't hit upon the band's name on their own. For that we have Tim Rice-Oxley of Coldplay contemporaries Keane to thank. Rice-Oxley, one of the founding members of Keane, met Martin at University College London and the pair bonded over music. Keane had already formed, playing under the name The Lotus Eaters, and Rice-Oxley had toyed with the idea of renaming the band Coldplay, before deciding it was too "depressing". Martin, however, liked the name, and the Keane songwriter allowed him to use it for his new band.
#5: Eclectic covers
Coldplay have covered an eclectic line up of songs live – everything from Johnny Cash's Ring Of Fire to A-Ha's Hunting High & Low. They've also dusted off Echo & the Bunnymen's Lips Like Sugar and modern classic When You Were Young by The Killers.
Brad Pitt
#6: Pitt-induced envy
Chris Martin is married to one of Hollywood's most high-profile actresses – Gwyneth Paltrow – and his band has sold millions of albums. But there's still room in his ego for a touch of self doubt: "The hardest things I've have had to do is follow up Radiohead and Brad Pitt," he recently revealed.
#7: Missed opportunity
The band's third album, X&Y, features the hidden track Til The Kingdom Come, a song originally offered to country legend Johnny Cash, who had achieved an 11th-hour connection with a new audience with his Rick Rubin-produced American Recordings. Cash died before having the chance to record it.
