Brothers & Sisters (song)

"Brothers & Sisters"
Single by Coldplay
B-side	"Easy to Please" "Only Superstition"
Released	26 April 1999 (1999-04-26)
Recorded	February 1999
Studio	Station
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	4:05
Label	Fierce Panda
Songwriter(s)	Guy Berryman Jonny Buckland Will Champion Chris Martin
Producer(s)	Crash Coldplay
Coldplay singles chronology
"Brothers & Sisters" (1999) "Shiver" (2000)
Audio video
"Brothers & Sisters" on YouTube

"Brothers & Sisters" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It was released as their debut single by Fierce Panda on 26 April 1999, following the extended play Safety (1998). The single peaked at number 92 on the UK Singles Chart and 1,500 copies of its vinyl edition were issued in a special wrap-around picture sleeve. It was re-released as an extended play by Brash in 2002.

Background

Following the band's performance at the Camden Falcon in December 1998, ^[1] Fierce Panda founder Simon Williams was the first journalist to write about Coldplay and offered the band to release their debut single in his label through a short record deal. ^[2]

Recording and versions

According to the single's liner notes, recording was completed in only four days and cost the band £400. ^[1] The atmospheric sounds on the B-side track "Easy to Please" were created by setting up microphones on a wet road outside the studio. ^[3] There are three versions of "Brothers & Sisters": the first and original one can be found on the "Ode to Deodorant" promo cassette, from 1998. The second is this release from 1999. The third and final version appeared as a B-side of the single "Trouble", from the band's debut album Parachutes .

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Brothers & Sisters"	4:05
2.	"Easy to Please"	3:01
3.	"Only Superstition"	3:48

Personnel

Coldplay

• Chris Martin – vocals, acoustic guitar, piano
• Jonny Buckland – lead guitar
• Guy Berryman – bass guitar
• Will Champion – drums

Additional personnel

• Crash – producer
• Mike Beever – engineer, mixer
• John Hilton – photographer, artwork

Charts

Chart performance for "Brothers & Sisters"

Chart (1999)	Peak position
UK Indie (OCC) [4]	20
UK Singles (OCC) [5]	92

Release history

Release dates and formats for "Brothers & Sisters"

Region	Date	Format	Version	Label	Ref.
United Kingdom	26 April 1999	CD	Standard	Fierce Panda	[6]
United States	28 October 2003			Sixthman	[7]
	18 November 2003			Brash Music	[8]
Various	26 April 2019	7-inch		Fierce Panda	[9]
	15 November 2024				[10]

References

1. "Brothers & Sisters" (CD liner notes)
2. Coldplay [@coldplay] (15 July 2022). "Coldplay wouldn't exist without Simon Williams. He was the first journalist to write about our band + released our first single on his legendary label, Fierce Panda. His memoir is hilarious, heart-wrenching and packed with British music history PH" (Tweet). Archived from the original on 11 August 2022. Retrieved 11 August 2022– via Twitter.
3. "Brothers & Sisters – Part 2". Coldplay. 2000. Archived from the original on 27 October 2000. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
4. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
5. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
6. Wild, Debs; Croft, Malcolm (2018). Life In Technicolor: A Celebration of Coldplay. ECW. p. 35. ISBN   9781787391093.
7. "Upcoming Releases". Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. 30 October 2003. Archived from the original on 24 March 2025. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
8. "Coldplay - Brothers & Sisters CD". Collide Records. 18 November 2003. Archived from the original on 29 June 2025. Retrieved 29 June 2025.
9. "Brothers & Sisters (Colour Vinyl Reissue)". Fierce Panda. 2019. Archived from the original on 24 March 2025. Retrieved 24 March 2025– via Bandcamp.
10. "Coldplay Announce 25th Anniversary Re-Release of Debut Single Brothers & Sisters". Consequence. 26 April 2024. Archived from the original on 24 March 2025. Retrieved 24 March 2025.

External links

• Brothers & Sisters at Discogs (list of releases)