Album of the Day

Released in 2010, “Christmas Lights” is Coldplay's contribution to the holiday canon. Co-produced by Brian Eno and recorded while Chris Martin and company were preparing their MYLO XYLOTO album, it's a stand-alone digital single that reached the Top 10 in several countries across Europe. The signs of the season are reflected through a broken love affair in this mid-tempo number, which retains its universality even as it name-checks several locales near and dear to the hearts of the U.K. quartet (who visited them in the song's memorable video, which plays as one continuous shot). Though of relatively recent vintage, “Christmas Lights” has the sound and feel of a holiday perennial, and it's our Song of the Day.