In America, mostly of us only know Scottish duo the Proclaimers for "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)," the driving, heavy-accented 1988 ditty that didn't become a big alt-rock radio hit until it showed up on a movie soundtrack years later. But Coldplay apparently just figured out that they love the Proclaimers, and they showed that love by covering a different Proclaimers song in a recent visit to BBC Radio 2's Piano Room.
The Proclaimers' grand, weepy ballad "Sunshine On Leith" was the title track for their 1988 sophomore album -- the one that had "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)." Coldplay's Guy Berryman apparently just discovered "Sunshine On Leith" via Spotify algorithm while he was in the bath, and he fell in love with the song right away. Then Berryman sent the song around to his bandmates, and they all loved it too.
Coldplay are still out promoting their 2024 album Moon Music, and Chris Martin sang their ballad "All My Love" during the Grammys' in-memoriam montage last night. Now, their session in the Piano Room is up online, and they used the whole BBC orchestra to help them cover "Sunshine On Leith." Laura Mvula, who joined Coldplay at Glastonbury last year, helped on vocals. Sadly, Chris Martin does not attempt a Scottish accent. Below, watch Coldplay's cover and the Proclaimers' original video.
