Viva la Vida

"Viva la Vida"
"Viva la Vida"
Single by Coldplay
from the album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends
B-side	"Death Will Never Conquer"
Released	25 May 2008
Recorded	2007–2008
Genre	Baroque pop; orchestral pop; art rock;
Length	4:01 (album version); 4:04 (single version); 3:45 (radio edit);
Label	Parlophone (world); Capitol (North America);
Songwriter(s)	Guy Berryman; Jonny Buckland; Will Champion; Chris Martin;
Producer(s)	Markus Dravs; Brian Eno; Jon Hopkins; Rik Simpson;
Coldplay singles chronology
Music video
	"Viva la Vida" on YouTube; "Viva la Vida" (Alternative Version) on YouTube

"Viva la Vida" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It is from their album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. The song was released as the second single on 25 May 2008. It was the band's first number one single in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

Coldplay sang the song on The Simpsons episode, "Million Dollar Maybe".

Composition

"Viva la Vida" is composed in the key of F minor. It's main chord progression is D♭₅/E♭₇/A♭/Fm. The time signature is ⁴
₄ and the tempo is around 138 beats per minute. Unlike the then-typical arrangement of Coldplay songs, in which either the guitar or piano is the prominent instrument, the track mostly consists of a string section and a digital piano playing the song's upbeat riff, along with a steady bass drum beat, percussion (including a timpano and a church bell), bass guitar, and Martin's vocals; there is limited use of electric guitar. All the strings are arranged and conducted by violinist Davide Rossi, who is one of the main collaborators of the album. Rossi's strings comprise the main driving force throughout the song, with a strong beginning loop that supports Martin's voice, until the choruses where the symphonic power of the orchestra takes its fullest shape. The prominent chords played by the string section throughout the song (and in the chorus of "Rainy Day", another of the band's songs) are very similar to those used by "Viva la Vida" co-producer Brian Eno in his piece "An Ending (Ascent)", meaning they could have been suggested partially for the song by Eno.^[4]

References

↑ Rojek, Chris (2011). Pop Music, Pop Culture. Cambridge: Polity Press. p. 46.
↑ Beaumont, Mark (30 May 2008). "Coldplay: Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends". NME. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
↑ Breihan, Tom (April 21, 2023). "The Number Ones: Coldplay's "Viva la Vida"". Stereogum. Retrieved April 21, 2023. ...so maybe it's appropriate that their big, serious art-rock reinvention finally conquered the Hot 100 on the strength of an Apple commercial.
↑ Coldplay (2008). Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (Media notes). United Kingdom: EMI.

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[1] Rojek, Chris (2011). Pop Music, Pop Culture. Cambridge: Polity Press. p. 46.

[2] Beaumont, Mark (30 May 2008). "Coldplay: Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends". NME. Archived from the original on 9 October 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2022.

[Breihan_2023-3] Breihan, Tom (April 21, 2023). "The Number Ones: Coldplay's "Viva la Vida"". Stereogum. Retrieved April 21, 2023. ...so maybe it's appropriate that their big, serious art-rock reinvention finally conquered the Hot 100 on the strength of an Apple commercial.

[4] Coldplay (2008). Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (Media notes). United Kingdom: EMI.

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