D#8 H#4

The Case Against Coldplay

Audience: Coldplay fans, and haters as well as anyone who likes music.

Purpose: To try and prove that Coldplay is overrated and over ambitious. He also explains why he legitimately does not admire their music. He is trying to validate his opinion on the subject.

Context: …?

Topic: The enormous and ever growing fans of the band.

Author: Jon Pareles, a pop music critic for the New York Times.

In this article one of Jon’s excuses for not liking the band is because of Chris Martin’s whiny voice and heartfelt lyrics. He says that “ When he moan his verses, Mr. Martin can sound so sorry for himself that there’s hardly room to sympathize for him, and when he’s not mixing metaphors, he fearlessly slings clichés.” Jon acknowledges the fact that most of Coldplay’s lyrics are based on human frailty and emotion.

I believe that a lot of what Jon has to say in his article deals with the Pathos argument. Not only is he emotionally invested but so are the many Coldplay fans who read his article with awe and distain. I know because I was one of them! A lot of the things he complains about as to why he doesn’t like them are why so many people do. Their music is relatable and touching to a multitude of people.