The co-lead single “Arabesque” (which is the lead single for the Sunrise part of the album) is Coldplay’s way of trying to sew peace in the wake of the western fear of Islam with the war on terrorism going on. Instrumentally, the song merges western musical styles with Middle Eastern rhythms (like with the guitar & saxophone) placing the idea that “music unites us all”.

Arabesque is a visual art genre, which was mostly used in Islamic countries. For example, in architecture, it’s an ornamental design consisting of intertwined flowing lines, originally found in ancient Islamic art. While in dance and ballet, it is a dancing posture. The name of the songs is very apropos to the whole theme of the album being Arabic and bringing the culture to western media. The meaning of the track is also parallel and similar to the song “بنی آدم (Son of Adam)” by the Persian poet, Sadi.