Shiver

Lore & Background

Written during a period of intense creative energy for the band, 'Shiver' was one of the first songs Coldplay ever recorded professionally. Its raw, emotional delivery and simple yet powerful chord progression helped establish the band's signature sound. The lyrics, inspired by a crush Martin had at the time, explore the painful thrill of romantic obsession, with the title referring not to cold, but to the nervous trembling of infatuation.

Reader's Guide

Newborn babies, infants, and young children experience a greater (net) heat loss than adults because of a greater surface-area-to-volume ratio. As they cannot shiver to maintain body heat, they rely on non-shivering thermogenesis. Children have an increased amount of brown adipose tissue (increased vascular supply and high mitochondrial density), and, when cold-stressed, will have greater oxygen consumption and will release norepinephrine. Norepinephrine will react with lipases in brown fat to break down fat into triglycerides.

Triglycerides are then metabolized to glycerol and non-esterified fatty acids. These are then further degraded in the needed heat-generating process to form CO2 and water. Chemically, in mitochondria, the proton gradient producing the proton electromotive force that is ordinarily used to synthesize ATP is instead bypassed to produce heat directly. Shivering can also appear after surgery.

This is known as postanesthetic shivering. In humans, shivering can also be caused by cognition. This is known as psychogenic shivering.

Did You Know?

• 'Shiver' was originally titled 'The Shiver' before being shortened for the final release.
• The song's iconic guitar riff was inspired by George Harrison's work on The Beatles' 'My Sweet Lord'.
• Despite being a fan favorite, 'Shiver' was not a major chart hit upon release, peaking at number 35 on the UK Singles Chart.