I used to rule the world Seas would rise when I gave the word Now in the morning I sleep alone Sweep the streets I used to own I used to roll the dice Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes Listened as the crowd would sing Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!
Viva La Vida Lyrics Coldplay I used to rule the world Seas would rise when I gave the word Now in the morning, I sleep alone Sweep the streets I used to own I used to roll the dice Feel the fear in my enemy's eyes Listen as the crowd would sing: 'Now the old king is dead!
. singles chronology ' (2008) ' Viva la Vida' (2008) ' (2008) Music video on on ' Viva la Vida' (; Spanish: ) is a song by British band.
It was written by all members of the band for their fourth album, (2008), and was released as the second single from the album. On the album, this song segues directly into the next track, '. Viva la Vida is for 'Long Live Life' or simply 'Live Life'. The lyrics to the song contain historical and Christian references, and the track is built around a looping in unison with a digital processed piano, with other layers gradually being added as the song builds.
The song was released on 13 June 2008 as the album's second single, debuting to critical acclaim and commercial success. 'Viva la Vida' reached the top spot of the and, becoming the band's first number-one single in both the U.S. The song won the at the in 2009.
The song became the sixth song to reach the 4 million mark in paid downloads in the United States. It has sold over 7.1 million copies worldwide by 2014, and over 6 million in the U.S. Alone by June 2013.
Contents. Background The song's Spanish title, 'Viva la Vida', is taken from a painting by 20th-century artist. In Spanish 'viva' is an expression used to acclaim someone or something, so 'Long Live Life' is an accurate translation and the painting reflects the artistic irony of acclaiming life while suffering physically. When asked about the album's title, referring to Frida Kahlo's strength, enduring, a broken spine, and a decade of chronic pain, lead singer said: 'She went through a lot of pain, of course, and then she started a big painting in her house that said 'Viva la Vida', I just loved the boldness of it.' During the album's production, 'Viva la Vida' was one of the songs that had polarised each member's opinion over which version they should choose. In an interview, Martin recalled: 'We did quite a few different versions and went round the houses a bit and eventually settled on those treatments for it.' Composition.
'Viva La Vida' soars in with a grandiose instrumental arrangement and sweeping lyrics detailing the pain of being deposed from a lofty position. The big sound of the song constantly verges on becoming overblown, but Coldplay knows how to walk the tightrope perfectly. Bells and chimes and orchestral swells are all there on the chorus, but Chris Martin's voice still pierces through like a clarion call. Lyrically, the pain of the protagonist is clear, but the sweep of words about Jerusalem bells, Roman Catholic choirs, and Saint Peter give 'Viva La Vida' an air of intelligence rare in today's most popular pop songs.' —Bill Lamb, About.com. Will Champion with the and used in the song The lyrics to 'Viva la Vida' are narrated by a protagonist who says he 'used to rule the world'. Martin has explained the song lyric 'I know won't call my name' in an interview with magazine: 'It's about.
You're not on the list,' When asked about the song, bass guitarist said: 'It's a story about a king who's lost his kingdom, and all the album's artwork is based on the idea of revolutionaries. There's this slightly anti-authoritarian viewpoint that's crept into some of the lyrics and it's some of the pay-off between being surrounded by governments on one side, but also we're human beings with emotions and we're all going to die and the stupidity of what we have to put up with every day. Hence the album title.' Unlike the then-typical arrangement of Coldplay songs, in which either the guitar or is the prominent instrument, the track mostly consists of a and a digital piano playing the song's upbeat riff, along with a steady bass drum beat, percussion (including a and a ), bass guitar, and Martin's vocals; there is limited use of electric guitar. All the strings are arranged and conducted by violinist, 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. The song is written in the key of. Its main chord progression is D♭/E♭/A♭/Fm. Release and promotion 'Viva la Vida' was initially released only with pre-orders of Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends on 7 May 2008 – the 'new edit' version of the song – which led to the song's temporary exclusion from the UK Singles Chart. It was released as a download-only single on 25 May 2008, and a physical CD single in Europe on 29 July 2008 to coincide with the release of the single's music videos. 'Viva la Vida' was well-downloaded in the internet, becoming iTunes' best-selling song of 2008.
The song was used as part of 's. Coldplay performed the song live for the first time at the. It has since gone on to make many media appearances, including being featured throughout the episode from the drama, as a song played on the radio in the episode 'We're Not in Kansas Anymore' from the teen drama, used as on 's 'Morning in America' radio talk show, and on the international soundtrack to the Brazilian soap opera which helped push 'Viva la Vida' up the charts in Brazil, where the telenovela had been shown. In 2009, covered the song. Also covered the song for. A live version of the song appeared on Coldplay's 2009. Pet Shop Boys also performed the song live on their 2009 Pandemonium Tour and the song appeared on their.
It was also used in an episode entitled ' of. The song was covered in the of by the boyband in 2010. Music videos The official music video for 'Viva la Vida' was directed by and premiered at Coldplay's official website on 1 August 2008. The video depicts the band performing against a blurry, warped version of 's painting, ending with the band members crumbling into rose petals. The video currently has over 540 million views on. Chris Martin as the king in the video A second, alternate video was shot in, the Netherlands, directed by and released alongside the first. This second version is a tribute to Corbijn's video for 's ' and portrays Chris Martin as the king from whose perspective the song is sung.
During the video, he carries Delacroix's painting. At the end, he hangs the picture up in a white stall on top of a hill. As he sings the last chorus, his band mates surface heading his way, tying in loose ends from the ' video. Critical reception 'Viva la Vida' received widespread critical acclaim. In the review of the album, critic Chris Willman wrote: 'Take the title track.
On which Martin imagines himself as a paranoid monarch. 'Who would ever want to be king?'
'Revolutionaries wait/For my head on a silver plate!' The confident majesty of the music, however, belies how he and his bandmates have invigorated their rock-lite reign.' Josh Hathaway from noted 'Viva la Vida' as the 'catchiest' song on the album. Chris Jones of the noted: 'The string/brass mutations that bolster a track like 'Viva La Vida'. Conjure tunes so sweetly melancholy.' In the review, critic Chad Grischow wrote, 'It is their one and only foray into unabashed orchestral pop, but the punchy strut of the strings and fantastic marching vocals make it far too charming and lively to dislike, and even harder not to love.' Champion performing 'Viva la Vida' during the 'Viva la Vida' was nominated for ', and won ', and ' at the.
This song also won the for 'Best Selling British Single'. The song was included in 's annual '100 Best Songs' of 2008 at number nine; it was also voted number two on Rolling Stone's Readers' Rock List: Best Songs of 2008. 'Viva la Vida' was also listed at number five on Blender's 1001 Downloads: The Top 144 Songs of 2008, as well in the number eight position on Village Voice's Pazz and Jop list.
'Viva la Vida' has been sampled in several other songs, including 's single ', 's 'Cut the Check' featuring (from his album) and 's 'Congratulations' from his mixtape. Chart performance 'Viva la Vida' has become the band's highest charting single. Fueled by high digital sales, the song peaked at the top spot of the U.S., becoming the band's first and, to date, only US number-one single and their second top ten on the Hot 100. It is the first song by a British group to reach number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 since ' by the in 1996.
Although the song was initially successful in digital sales, after being released, it went on to become the band's highest-charting single in American radio, becoming their first top-ten hit on the where it peaked at number eight. It had also become the band's first number-one single on the Billboard chart. On the Billboard, the song has become the band's first number one, as well as the first single on the label to ever top the chart. The single has been certified triple platinum by the. The song also became one of the first six songs to reach the 4 million mark in paid digital downloads. As of January 2014, it had sold 6,131,000 units in the US. The single was also successful in the United Kingdom.
Although the song had been disqualified from the UK charts due to initially being available only by pre-ordering the album on, it became eligible to chart after the album was released. 'Viva la Vida' hit number one on the, becoming Coldplay's first chart-topping single in the UK. In Canada, the single made a 'Hot Shot Debut' at number four on the on the issue of 24 May, making it Coldplay's highest debut there. It is also one of Coldplay's three highest-charting singles in, reaching number two (both ' and ' matched this peak in 2014 and 2017, respectively). In, the song was less successful, only peaking at number 16; however, the song stayed in the top 40 for 27 non-consecutive weeks. In Spain, the single peaked at #2 and achieved Double Platinum status due to the 80,000 copies sold. It also had a strong airplay on the Spanish radio stations.
Sporting usage. Martin performing 'Viva la Vida' during the band's 2008 During the 2008–09 season, the German football club used 'Viva la Vida' as their goal celebration song. It's also the goal celebration song of the German football club. The song also became the anthem of Spanish football club during the.
It turned out to be a season of unprecedented success for the Spanish club in 2009, as they won all six competitions they could possibly be involved in, which no football club has managed before in history. The song was selected by the manager of the club, – himself a Coldplay fan – to help motivate and encourage his team. It was often played at the before the start of a Barcelona match. The song was also played during Pep Guardiola's farewell before his final match coaching Barcelona at the Nou Camp, a 4–0 victory against Espanyol on 5 May 2012. Used 'Viva la Vida' as the goal celebration song for the. The 's played 'Viva la Vida' at after victories during the 2011 season. The song was used by the in a tribute video during number retirement ceremony held in 's.
It was also used in Game 7 of the when the won the Stanley Cup on Vancouver Ice. The play the song at the end of home games in. Additionally, it is also used by the to celebrate home runs and wins at. This was the at-bat music of, former of the. The song was also used pre-match during every game before the two teams took to the field and in the of in 2016. Plagiarism allegations Coldplay were first accused of of 'The Songs I Didn't Write' by American alternative band Creaky Boards, for the melody of 'Viva la Vida'. Creaky Boards' band member Andrew Hoepfner claimed that Martin had heard them playing the song at a live show in October 2007.
The band released a video clip, in which it compares sections of both songs. Coldplay denied the claim. Band spokesman Murray Chambers said Martin was working in in London at that time, having checked the singer's diary. In addition, Coldplay had recorded a version of 'Viva la Vida' in March 2007, long before Creaky Boards performed it live in October of the same year. Creaky Boards later retracted the accusations and speculated that both songs may have been inspired by the video game. On December 4, 2008, American guitarist filed a copyright infringement suit against Coldplay in Los Angeles. The suit claims that 'Viva la Vida' incorporates 'substantial, original portions' of his instrumental track 'If I Could Fly' from his 2004 album The band has denied the allegation, saying the similarities were 'entirely coincidental'.
On September 14, 2009, the case was dismissed by the, with both parties potentially agreeing to an out-of-court settlement. In May 2009, stated that the song is very similar to his song ',' recorded under his former stage name,. He said 'My son brought it to my attention and said: 'Doesn't that sound like 'Foreigner Suite?' ' Islam said that any legal action he might take 'depends on how well Satriani does.' Drummer denied the claim, stating, 'We're confident we haven't done anything wrong.' In June 2009, Islam later said, 'They did copy my song but I don't think they did it on purpose,' adding, 'I don't want them to think I am angry with them.
I'd love to sit down and have a cup of tea with them and let them know it's okay.' In a documentary for (2011) American music professor Dr. Lawrence Ferrara showed that the melody structures of 'Viva La Vida', 'If I Could Fly' and 'Foreigner Suite' were very similar to the composition ' by the Italian composer, who died in 1736. 'Obviously this is a work that we would call in the 'public domain', Dr.
Ferrara said. Chris Martin once said that the plagiarism allegations were inspiring him and added: 'If everyone's trying to take away our best song, then we'd better write 25 better ones!' Will Champion has also talked about the accusation saying, 'For some reason, God only knows why, the successful songs seem to be the ones that are accused of being stolen.' Formats and track listings Digital download No. Title Length 1. 'Viva la Vida' (New edit) 4:04 CD single No. Title Length 1.
'Viva la Vida' 4:01 2. 'Death Will Never Conquer' 1:18 Promotional CD single No. Title Length 1. 'Viva la Vida' (Radio edit) 3:45 2. 'Viva la Vida' (Album version) 4:01 Live version ' / Viva la Vida (Live at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards)' by with Released 8 February 2009 ( 2009-02-08) Format Recorded 8 February 2009 Venue, Length 11: 10. singles chronology ' (2009) ' / Viva la Vida (Live at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards)' (2009) ' (2009) singles chronology ' (2008) ' Lost+ / Viva la Vida (Live at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards)' (2009) ' (2009) The song and ' was performed live at the, took place at the in, on February 8, 2009. Coldplay performed a medley of 'Lost+' and 'Viva la Vida' on the ceremony.
American rapper, who was the featured vocals of 'Lost+', performed 'Lost+' with Coldplay in the stage. The performance was recorded and released on 8 February 2009, after the release of ' Track listing (featuring ) / Viva la Vida (Live At the ) No. Title Length 1. 'Lost+ (featuring Jay-Z) / Viva la Vida' 5:35 2. 'Lost+ (featuring Jay-Z) / Viva la Vida' (Video) 5:35 Cover versions Darin version 'Viva la Vida' by from the album Released October 2009 Format. singles chronology 'Karma' (2009) ' Viva la Vida' (2009) ' (2010) Swedish singer 's cover of the song reached number 1 on 30 October 2009 on the.
The song appears in Darin's 2010 album. In 2010, it was yet again included as the B-side of Darin's ' single, reaching #3 in the. Coldplay's original single had already charted in Sweden for a total of 49 weeks between 15 May 2008 and 23 October 2009, peaking at number seven. Other recorded cover versions. performed an instrumental cover of 'Viva la Vida' in their debut album 2Cellos.
included their cover version of the song on the deluxe edition of their 2010 album. artist covered the song on the 2009 album. Canadian band covered 'Viva la Vida' on the album Northern Redemption. Australian singer recorded a version for his 2013 album. 's Postmodern Jukebox recorded a cover on YouTube and on the album Top Hat on Fleek, with as the lead vocalist. DJ Jonathan Hussein included an Trance remix version of 'Viva la Vida' under the pseudonym 'Trance Winter' in their album I`m Here in 2016.
German violinist David Garrett recorded a cover of Viva la Vida, made with a loop station, included on his 2012 album 'Music' Cover performances. ' – (songwriter) (1981).
' – & (songwriters) (1982). ' –, & (songwriters) (1983).
' – (songwriter) (1984). ' – & (songwriters) (1985). ' – & (songwriters) (1986). ' – & (songwriters) (1987). ' –, & (songwriters) (1988). ' – (songwriter) (1989). ' – & (songwriters) (1990).
' – (songwriter) (1991). ' – (songwriter) (1992). ' – & (songwriters) (1993). ' – & (songwriters) (1994). ' – (songwriter) (1995). ' – (songwriter) (1996). ' –, & (songwriters) (1997).
' – & (songwriters) (1998). ' – & (songwriters) (1999). ' – & (songwriters) (2000) 2001−present.