Coldplay has had tremendous success as a band since debuting in 1998. They have not only sold millions of records and reached the number one position for records and singles throughout the world, but they have become award show favorites. They have been nominated for 117 awards at various award shows around the globe and won 43 of those nominations. What follows are some of the bigger award shows and the results

American Music Awards

The BRIT Awards

Grammy Awards

MTV Europe Awards

MTV Music Awards

The trappings surrounding Coldplay’s fourth album, “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends” (Capitol), telegraph the driving emotion behind it. Its title isn’t actually a title, but a choice between two possible titles. There are two different versions of a song called “Lost” — one boldly rhythmic, another mildly acoustic. And the most believable line from the album is when Chris Martin sings “I used to rule the world” in “Viva La Vida” and then talks about becoming a street-sweeper. For lesser bands, such indecision would spell disaster. For Coldplay, it’s simply a minor setback that they sometimes overcome by owning up to the uncertainty. After all, the magnificent “Viva La Vida” has already become the band’s biggest hit single — not just because it’s the group’s catchiest song or because it’s also in an iPod commercial, but because it covers lyrical ground Martin clearly relates to, while the band tries its hand at new things.

The spareness of “Viva La Vida’s” musical backdrop, along with help from producers Brian Eno and Markus Dravs, was supposed to hail the birth of a new, more experimental band. However, those working orders arrive and depart quickly — sometimes in the middle of a song, leading to uneven pairings like the familiar, if bland, “Yes” with the thrilling, early-U2ish “Chinese Sleep Chant,” and mixed messages about the need for their midtempo rock and its big, anthem-like choruses, brainy verses and falsetto flourishes. THE ALBUM “Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends” THE GRADE B- BOTTOM LINE Oddly uncertain, though sometimes nicely unhinged, Coldplay questions its future. COLDPLAY CUTS Sure, the Coldplay sound is defined by the simple sing-along “Yellow” and the chiming, piano-driven “Clocks,” but there’s more to the band than just their hits. “Everything’s Not Lost” (from 2000’s “Parachutes”): Building on a Billy Joel-tinged, piano-mannish opening, the epic unfolds into a stirring, “come on, yeah” affirmation. “Politik” (from 2002’s “A Rush of Blood to the Head”): The dramatic pounding guitar bits bust into the bits of piano calm to suggest something as different as Chris Martin’s laundry list for new world leaders.

“Swallowed in the Sea” (from 2005’s “X&Y”): It’s a standard Coldplay love song filtered through a bit of Pogues booziness and seafaring traditions that makes you want to raise a pint in their honor. SEE THEM Coldplay is playing a free concert at Madison Square Garden on Monday, with tickets handed out through their Web site, coldplay .com. They return for a show at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, N.J., Oct. 26, but ticket info is not yet available.

American culture is overflowing with ex-convicts rapping about society’s evils, so it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that music carrying any kind of legitimate meaning is becoming far less familiar. But there are still bands determined to create something expressive and real. Coldplay is one of these bands, and their highly anticipated fourth album, “Viva La Vida,” proves this in the most concrete way possible.

Seldom is an album released at any time that truly defines the beauty entrenched in music. “Viva La Vida” goes beyond this. The result is a sound that is understandably thoughtful and complete.

“Viva La Vida” opens with “Life In Technicolor,” a song that showcases a totally different sound than the characteristic, piano-driven melodies that Coldplay fans have grown to love. A digitalized, animated beat is complemented by a Middle Eastern instrumental blend that shows up in other parts of the record, as well.

The album then slips into the powerful, gratifying vocals of Chris Martin in “Cemeteries of London.” Haunting instrumentals are driven by lyrical references to ghosts and the afterlife.

The songs that follow: “Lost!,” “42,” “Lovers In Japan” and “Yes,” are what make “Viva La Vida” a truly compelling album. The titles are short and simple in archetypal Coldplay style, but the unexpected instrumentals and dynamic chord progressions in each track will leave listeners surprised. Innovative musical arrangements deliver a fresh and addicting sound. “Lost!” integrates a doleful, heavy organ with a calculated amount of electric guitar to add movement beneath Martin’s vocals. “42″ evidences the Middle Eastern blend heard in the opening track, while “Lovers In Japan” transitions from driving percussion to a soothing, velvety piano, a reminder of what the band was built on. But it’s the song “Yes” that really acts as a representation of the band’s musical growth and new sound. The instrumental arrangement, produced from a montage of strings, guitars and lively percussion, creates a unique sound, which is only enhanced by Martin’s voice.

The second half of the album includes title track “Viva La Vida” and “Violet Hill,” which were both released as singles before the album dropped last week. “Strawberry Swing” and “Death and All His Friends” bring the album to a soft conclusion.

Coldplay is a generation-defining band, and the release of “Viva La Vida” a generation-defining album. Epic is an understatement. The wait is over.

Coldplay’s single Viva La Vida is back in the top ten singles chart in the UK, nearly three months after its original online release. It clambered four places from last week’s no.14. Bloc Party’s new single ‘Mercury’ offered little resistance, which went in at a poor no.16.

Coldplay’s album Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends is down one spot to no.4 after The Script’s self-titled album, The Script, shot straight in at number one on the album chart, knocking Abba’s Gold from the top slot.Top Ten UK Singles:

1. Katy Perry – ‘I Kissed A Girl’
2. Kid Rock -’All Summer Long’
3. The Script – ‘The Man Who Can’t Be Moved’
4. The Verve – ‘Love Is Noise’
5. Dizzee Rascal ft Calvin Harris – ‘Dance Wiv Me’
6. Rihanna – ‘Disturbia’
7. Madcon – ‘Beggin”
8. Jordan Sparks ft Chris Brown – ‘No Air’
9. Noah And The Whale – ‘5 Years Time’
10. Coldplay – ‘Viva La Vida’