The anthemic track builds around an organ accompanied by piano and acoustic guitar, and develops into a spirited second half with group vocals, drums, and strings.

As their relationship grew closer, Martin and Paltrow would listen to Coldplay's album Parachutes, especially the uplifting song "Everything's Not Lost," to help her process the loss of her father.

He wanted to base the song on a church organ; instead he powered up a keyboard given to Paltrow by her father, the instrument sitting unused in their house, to find "it had these amazing sounds on it.

"[3] Martin said that the song's composition is influenced by English alternative rock band Elbow's 2003 anthem "Grace Under Pressure".

During a track-by-track analysis, bassist Guy Berryman observed that "Fix You" takes "a bit of inspiration" from "Many Rivers to Cross" by Jimmy Cliff (1969).

The song transitions to its bridge, which expands into a blend of piano, electric and bass guitar, drums, and a singalong chorus with an anthemic feel.

[16] Travis Gass of the Bangor Daily News wrote that Martin offers his sympathies for the downtrodden, with "When you love someone but it goes to waste / Could it be worse?

[31] Chris Martin remarked that when Jobs first heard their breakthrough track "Yellow" ten years earlier, he didn't think the band would "make it.

"[13] Paul McNamee of NME said "It’s a wonderful song that shifts from simple stark piano and voice to a ringing, clattering burst of intent and proto-prog four-part harmony.

[35] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian praised it as "beautifully turned [...] The melody of "Fix You" invokes that weird sense of false memory whereby a new song feels instantly familiar.

The tunnels that Martin is seen wandering within are located both in and around King's Cross and St Pancras railway stations, with the filming for the video taking place during the time of the redevelopment and expansion of the latter.

As soon as the electric guitar kicks in, Martin's walk turns into a run as he darts through streets of London, until very quickly reaching the side of the stage at the Reebok Stadium in Bolton, where he joins the rest of the band for the song's finale.

The group's performance was led by former chorus member Fred Knittle, who suffered from congestive heart failure and breathed with assistance from an oxygen tank.

[56][57] The song was featured in season 2 episode 23 of the American teen drama television series The O.C.,[58][59] and then in Without a Trace, Cold Case, Brothers & Sisters, and The Newsroom.

[63] American rock band Yellowcard covered the song and included it as bonus material on the iTunes version of their 2012 album, Southern Air.

[68] South Korean boy band BTS covered the song in February 2021 for their MTV Unplugged appearance.

[69] On 12 October 2021, Ed Sheeran made a surprise appearance with Coldplay at the launch show for the band's ninth studio album, Music of the Spheres, covering the song at London's Shepherd's Bush Empire.

In November 2021, Kacey Musgraves covered the song for a stop-motion animation film from Chipotle called A Future Begins, which focused on the farming industry of the United States.

[73] The National Hockey League (NHL)'s Montreal Canadiens use the song as the team's official entrance music prior to home games played at the Bell Centre.