Music / Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends

"And in the end, we lie awake,
and we dream of making our escape."

I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringin'
Roman Cavalry choirs are singin'
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can't explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world.

— "Viva la Vida"

Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (often referred to as simply Viva la Vida) is the fourth album by English Alternative Rock band Coldplay, released in 2008.

With Brian Eno as producer, the album marked a shift in direction for the band. Its sound featured orchestral and tribal elements, new instruments like the pipe organ and the honky-tonk piano, and the use of odd time signatures and different song structures. It also differs lyrically from previous albums, having themes of love, war and revolution spread throughout the album.

The album received widespread success, becoming the highest-selling album of the year with over 10 million copies sold worldwide and reaching #1 in more than 30 countries. Critical response was also positive, with most praising the album's experimentation and change in direction. It additionally won the band their first Grammy Award for Best Rock Album.^note Parachutes and A Rush of Blood to the Head won for Best Alternative Music Album; X&Y was the band's first nomination in the Best Rock Album category, but it lost to U2's How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb.

Later in 2008, the band would release the Prospekt's March EP, which includes new versions of songs from the main album as well as additional songs that that were left off. Both the original album and the EP would later be included in the album's deluxe edition.

The album's Title Track is to this day the band's biggest hit in terms of commercial performance, becoming their first number-one single in the US and the UK, and is considered one of their Signature Songs.

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Tracklist:

1. "Life in Technicolor" (2:29)
2. "Cemeteries of London" (3:21)
3. "Lost!"(3:55)
4. "42" (3:57)
5. "Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love" (6:51)
6. "Yes" (7:06)^note Contains Hidden Track "Chinese Sleep Chant".
7. "Viva la Vida" (4:01)
8. "Violet Hill" (3:42)
9. "Strawberry Swing" (4:09)
10. "Death and All His Friends" (6:18)^note Contains Hidden Track "The Escapist".

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Viva la Tropes:

• Always a Bigger Fish: In "Lost!":
  You might be a big fish
  In a little pond
  Doesn't mean you've won
  'Cause along may come
  A bigger one
• Alliterative Title: "Viva la Vida" and "Strawberry Swing".
• Alternate Music Video:
  • The alternate video for "Viva la Vida" is directed by Anton Corbijn, as a nod to Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence", and it features Chris Martin as the king.
  • The "Violet Hill" one, named 'Dancing Politicians' features footage dancing politicians (most notably, George W. Bush) being cobbled together along scenes of war and parts of the well known original video.
• As the Good Book Says...: "Viva la Vida" includes biblical references; for one example, the line about pillars of salt and sand references the story of Lot's wife^note Angels told Lot to take his family and flee the sinful city of Sodom and not to look back no matter what. Lot’s wife could not resist the temptation to look back and was transformed into a pillar of salt. and the parable of the wise and foolish builders^note The wise builder built his house on the rock, which stayed there, while the foolish builder built his house on sand, which got swept away and felled..
• Audience Participation Song: "Viva la Vida"
• Being Evil Sucks: A common interpretation of "Viva la Vida".
  Just a puppet on a lonely string.
  Oh, who would ever want to be king?
• Bookends:
  • The opening track "Life in Technicolor" fades into the same ambient sample that the hidden final track "The Escapist" builds its foundation and fades out on.
  • "42" begins and ends with Chris quietly singing the same lyrics over piano.
    Those who are dead are not dead
    They're just living in my head
• Changing Chorus: "Viva La Vida":
  • The last four lines of the first chorus:
    For some reason I can't explain
    Once you'd gone, there was never
    Never an honest word
    But that was when I ruled the world
  • The last four lines of the remaining choruses:
    For some reason I can't explain
    I know Saint Peter won't call my name
    Never an honest word
    But that was when I ruled the world
• Either/Or Title: Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends.
• Epic Instrumental Opener: "Life in Technicolor". the track originally had lyrics, but they were cut at the last minute. The non-instrumental (but still epic) version was released later as "Life in Technicolor II".
• Fading into the Next Song: The album contains very subtle transitions between "Life in Technicolor" and "Cemeteries of London", and "Viva la Vida" and "Violet Hill".
• Foreshadowing: The vocal harmonies that close "Viva la Vida" can be heard in the final four bars of the second verse.
• Hidden Track: "Yes" contains one called "Chinese Sleep Chant", and "Death and All His Friends" contains one called "The Escapist".
• Hotter and Sexier: "Yes" is probably the most sexually-charged song they've ever released on an album, with both the sensual zither instrumentation and the lyrics creating this feeling. "Lhuna," which is even more explicit, was originally supposed to be on this album, but it was ultimately left off when the band felt it was too sexual.
• How the Mighty Have Fallen: The protagonist of "Viva la Vida" is a king that once had everything but now has nothing as he looks back on his reign and laments his fate.
  I used to roll the dice
  Feel the fear in my enemies' eyes
  Listen as the crowd would sing
  "Now the old King is dead, long live the King!"
  One minute I held the key
  Next the walls were closed on me
  And I discovered that my castles stand
  Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand
• In the Style of: The band admits that "Violet Hill" was heavily inspired by The Beatles, from the bluesy Lennonesque bluesy style right down to the title, which by itself is a nod to a street near Abbey Road.
• Indecipherable Lyrics: The hidden track to "Yes", called "Chinese Sleep Chant". Fitting for the type of song it is.
• Intercourse with You: The first part of "Yes" can easily be interpreted as a song about sexual frustration, with lyrics like:

  We were dying of frustration
  Singing 'Lord, lead me not into temptation'
  But it's not easy when she turns you on

• Life/Death Juxtaposition: Rampant throughout Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. The title translates to "Long Live Life or Death and All His Friends". The first song begins with the word "life", "Life in Technicolour", and the last song begins with the word "death", "Death and All His Friends". This fits with the album's themes of life, death, revolution, and rebirth.
• Lyrical Dissonance:
  • This lyric in the middle part of "42":
    You didn't get to heaven, but you made it close!
  • "Viva la Vida" is epic sounding song about a leader who fell off from the top.
• Non-Appearing Title: "Lovers in Japan", "42", "Chinese Sleep Chant", "Viva la Vida" and "The Escapist".
• Ode to Youth: "Viva la Vida".
• One-Word Title: "Lost!" and "Yes".
• Out-of-Genre Experience: The Hidden Track "Chinese Sleep Chant" is straight-up shoegazing, complete with breathy vocals.
• Protest Song: "Violet Hill", which also offers a bit of a Take That! with the line "And a fox became God".
• Recurring Riff: The beginning of "Life in Technicolor" and the entirety of "The Escapist" is the same series of notes. These tracks happen to be at the start and end of Viva la Vida, respectively.
• Sampling: A sample of Jon Hopkins' "Light Through the Veins" is used in the opening of "Life in Technicolor" and as the instrumental for "The Escapist".
• Sarcastic Title: "Viva la Vida", meaning "Long Live Life" in English, is told from the perspective of a disgraced king who definitely isn't living life. Some may interpret the song's lyrics to imply the king is near the end of his life.
• Shout-Out:
  • The title "42", which is a nod to The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
  • According to Martin, the conjoining of "Lovers in Japan" and "Reign of Love" was done partly out of a want from the band to have a "two-in-one" song title similar to those of Justin Timberlake on FutureSex/LoveSounds.
• Something about a Rose: The end of the music video for "Viva la Vida" ends with the four band members turning into rose petals. This may overlap with The Tragic Rose considering the song.
• Studio Chatter:
  • A notable bit at the beginning of "Strawberry Swing".
  • If you listen closely, you can hear some towards the beginning of the build-up into the distorted riff on "42".
• Surreal Music Video: The video for "Strawberry Swing" revolves around the adventures of a superhero played by Chris...as portrayed by stop motion-animated chalk drawings.
• Title Track: This is the rare example where an album has two title tracks; "Viva la Vida" and "Death and All His Friends".
• Uncommon Time:
  • The last part of "Death & All His Friends" is in 7/8.
  • "Yes" also has some instrumental parts that bounce between time signatures and call to mind the band of the same name.

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So if you love me
Won't you let me know?
If you love me
Won't you let me know?