Trouble In Town

Album: Everyday Life (2019)
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Songfacts®:

  • "Trouble in Town" is a plea for racial harmony in which Coldplay tackles racial politics in America.

    Trouble in town
    Because they hung my Brother Brown
    Because their system just keep you down
    There's trouble, there's trouble in town


    On August 9, 2014, a white police officer shot dead an unarmed 18-year-old black youth, Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri. The tragedy sparked numerous protests in the States and brought global attention to police brutality against minorities in America.
  • During the chorus, vocalist Chris Martin references non-white people in America being constantly harassed by the police because of racial profiling. Yet statistically, they are more likely to receive longer prison sentences.

    And I get no shelter
    And I get no peace
    And I never get released
  • The interlude is a harrowing, real audio snippet from 2013 of Philadelphia policeman Philip Nace pulling over two black men, one of whom recorded the incident on his cell phone.
  • The song concludes with a rendition of "Jikelele" sung by the children of the African Children's Feeding Scheme (ACFS), Soweto, Johannesburg.
  • Directed by Irish filmmaker Aoife McArdle, the song's music video is inspired by George Orwell's novella Animal Farm. The clip takes place in a world populated with anthropomorphic animals, including pig politicians and snow leopard police officers.
  • Proceeds from "Trouble In Town" are being split between two organizations: the Innocence Project, which works to overturn wrongful convictions in the US, and ACFS, a charity for vulnerable children in South Africa. Some children involved in the latter sang on the song.

Comments: 3

  • Lois Heichberger from NyI now know the video was created and publicized in 2020, song was 1st publicized in 2014.
  • Lois Heichberger from NyI want to reiterate to the YouTubers commenting on this video. It came out in 2014, not the 2020s. And is the story about Michael Brown's shooting death at the hands of police. Long before George Floyd was killed. Symbolisms in the song are key, both the animals, sarcastic TV narration, the animals - for those who did not find video cohesive. (Not sure when the video was made ... But it helps one to put lyrics and story together.)
  • Loish from 14225Loved the story behind this particular Coldplay song. It's so necessary for me to be able to put it all together. I have seen too many comments that say the lyrics don't form a cohesive message. I never thought so. Tho i may not always decipher the correct meaning.
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