The Celebration of Equality: "A Sky Full of Stars"

By: Kevin Grube, Pledge

The music video, “A Sky Full of Stars”, by Coldplay has over 266,000,000 views on YouTube. The song was released in May of 2014, and is a part of the album “Ghost Stories”. In 2015, the song was nominated for the “Billboard Music Award for Top Rock Song”. Also in 2015, it was also nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. The music video was shot on the streets of Sydney, Australia. A day before the music video was shot, Coldplay posted on Twitter that they were looking for 250 fans to be a part of it. The music video is very unique, as it’s centered around key ideas such as love, peace, equality, and togetherness. Thus, the music video feels very authentic and real, as the musicians are performing in public and challenging social and racial equality.

A key phrase that’s repeated throughout the song, “Because in a sky full of stars, I think I see you”, demonstrates that everybody is a “star” in their own irreplaceable way, and that it doesn’t matter what one’s race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religious preferences, or gender is. Essentially, they’re saying that humans have a right to choose who they are, what they want to believe in, who they want to love, and how to live their lives.

As stated earlier, this entire music video contradicts what the majority of how society portrays famous artists and bands, in addition to how these music videos are filmed. For example, a lot of famous hip-hop artists are showing off massive yachts, expensive jewelry, lavish clothes, and are surrounded by lots of gorgeous women who are wearing very little clothing. This video contradicts all of those stereotypes, as Coldplay makes a conscious effort to focus on key themes such as social and racial equality, and does so by shooting a music video that is truly authentic and inspirational. Moreover, all the people in the video are wearing normal clothes, and the band members are walking the streets instead of driving through them in a luxurious, extravagant vehicle. Therefore, Coldplay is representing equality because they are wearing normal clothes, shooting the video in the diverse streets of Sydney, and are not showing off their wealth and fame. They're just casually playing their music amongst the people, illustrating that they are not "better" than anyone because of their fame or fortune.

At the beginning of the video, Chris Martin, lead vocalist and keyboardist for the band, emerges from a street corner and starts singing the song. He’s holding and playing a guitar, has a set of roses on the guitar, and is in a casual tank-top. Also, he has a giant drum on his back that he’s carrying around (like a backpack), and has a cymbal and trumpet attached to his back as well. He’s just walking and singing carelessly, illustrating that he’s just a “regular” guy on the streets expressing himself through music. People are lined up at the various shops he’s walking past and taking pictures of him. He’s singing, dancing, smiling, and engaging with people throughout the music video.

Chris Martin eventually meets up with the rest of the band members at an open area on a corner of a street, where they are gathered around a wall that has the slogan, “I have a dream”. This is essential in establishing that they want to represent racial equality, as the instrumental and iconic African-American Civil Rights Activist Martin Luther King Jr. is honored in this video. Showing the famous Martin Luther King Jr. quote, “I have a dream”, demonstrates Coldplay is sending a message to viewers that they respect civil rights movements, and encourage people to embrace each other, regardless of race and ethnicity.

The other band members are dressed very similarly to Chris Martin, as they are in casual attire and also have various musical instruments attached to their bodies. Once again, this goes against the ideologies and stereotypes of how famous musicians are viewed. All the band members are wearing regular and casual clothes, demonstrating that they want to focus on creating musical art instead of showing off their wealth through wearing affluent clothes or jewelry. Moreover, one of the band members has an umbrella that represents the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) community, symbolizing that love has no boundaries and cannot be oppressed by societal hatred and ignorance.

In summation, the music video makes a conscious effort to challenge racial, homophobic, and socio-economic stereotypes, but does so in a way without directly saying it. What the musicians are wearing, how they act in the video, and how they incorporate the various fans and diverse streets in which they are in subsequently confronts these stereotypes. More importantly, the music video is very uplifting and inspires hope and equality.