There are high standards, and then there are David Bowie's standards.
In an NME interview, Coldplay drummer Will Champion revealed that Bowie once rejected the band's request for a collaboration. The group had written a song with three-part harmony, envisioning a "David Bowie-type character" singing one of the parts.
Lead singer Chris Martin wrote a letter to Bowie proposing the collaboration -- but the singer just wasn't feeling it, Champion says.
"He said 'It's not a very good song, is it?'" Champion recalls. "He was very discerning, he wouldn't just put his name to anything. I'll give him credit for that."
[seealso slug="david-bowie-constellation"]
Chris Martin previously told the same story in late 2014, during the BBC Music Awards.
"One time I sent him a song to ask him to sing on it,” Martin said. “He called me and said, 'It's not one of your best.' He's got very high standards, and I appreciate that. It inspires the rest of us to keep our standards high."