coldplay - paradise ( official video )

The official music video for "Paradise" by Coldplay, released on October 18, 2011, is a visually captivating and imaginative accompaniment to the second single from their fifth studio album, Mylo Xyloto. Directed by Mat Whitecross, the video adopts a nature documentary style, featuring frontman Chris Martin dressed as an elephant escaping from a zoo in London. The storyline follows his whimsical journey as he rides a unicycle, travels via the London Underground, and stows away in a suitcase to reach South Africa. Filmed in locations including London, Cape Town, the Klein Karoo, and Johannesburg, the video showcases vibrant scenes of Martin busking to earn money, wandering past iconic landmarks like Nelson Mandela Bridge, and eventually reuniting "“with his bandmates—also dressed as elephants—for a stadium performance during their Mylo Xyloto Tour at FNB Stadium. The video concludes with the band playing in the open veld, blending surreal humor with an uplifting narrative of freedom and dreams. As of November 2023, the video has garnered over 1.8 billion views on YouTube, earning praise for its creative storytelling and lush, soaring melodies that complement the song’s themes of escape and paradise. The track itself, a synth-pop and pop-rock anthem, was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and won the Best Rock Video at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards