 " Clocks " was written and composed during the late stages of production of Coldplay 's second album , A Rush of Blood to the Head . A riff <unk> into Chris Martin 's mind late one night in Liverpool when he came in to the studio , where he then developed it on piano . According to Martin , " Clocks " was inspired by the English rock band <unk> . Martin presented the riff to the band 's guitarist , Jonny Buckland , who then added a layer of guitar chords to the basic track : " He picked up his guitar [ a sure sign that he likes a song ] and played these brilliant chords ... It was like a chemical reaction process . " ( The syncopated piano <unk> that gives the song its signature sound also bears a similarity to a syncopated <unk> that is repeated several times in Alex De <unk> 's 1981 instrumental " <unk> . " ) 
