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About This Track
'Spies' draws its paranoia from Coldplay's admiration of James Bond films and the work of composer John Barry. The track channels that espionage aesthetic into something more intimate: a song about fugitive states of mind, about the impossibility of safety or rest when surveillance feels total. Chris Martin sings of waking without peace, of being unable to sleep from fear, of a world where everyone is trapped. The spies are everywhere and nowhere, untouchable, multiplying in every corner. What makes the song work is its refusal to resolve. The paranoia doesn't lift; it only shifts register. By the final repetition of "they're just spies", the threat has been downgraded but not dispelled, a small mercy that feels like no mercy at all. The track sits at the anxious heart of the album, all restless energy and circular dread.
"Spies" is a track by Coldplay, from the album Parachutes, released 9th July 2000. The track is 5:18 long. It's filed under Alternative. Full lyrics are available below. Dork has published 11 articles about Coldplay.
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