Viva la Vida
"Viva la Vida" (Spanish for 'Long Live Life'; /ˈviːvə lə ˈviːdə/, Spanish: [ˈbiβa la ˈβiða]) is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It was written by all members of the band for their fourth album, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008). The lyrics to the song contain historical and Christian references, and the track is built around a looping string section in unison with a digitally processed piano, with other layers gradually being added as the song builds.
Not to be confused with Livin' la Vida Loca."Viva la Vida"
"Death Will Never Conquer"
7 May 2008 (album version)
25 May 2008 (single version)
2007–2008
- 4:01 (album version)
- 4:04 (single version)
- 3:45 (radio edit)
The track was first made available as part of the album pre-order on 7 May 2008, being released individually on 25 May 2008 as the album's second single. Debuting to critical acclaim and commercial success, "Viva la Vida" reached the top spot of the UK Singles Chart and Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's first number-one single in both the U.S. and U.K. The song also won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in 2009.
Background[edit]
The song's Spanish title, "Viva la Vida", is taken from a painting by 20th-century Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. In Spanish, viva is an expression used to acclaim someone or something,[4] so "Long Live Life" is an accurate translation and the painting reflects the artistic irony of acclaiming life while suffering physically.[5] When asked about the album's title, referring to Frida Kahlo's strength, enduring polio, a broken spine, and a decade of chronic pain, lead singer Chris Martin 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."[6]
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."[7]
Chart performance[edit]
"Viva la Vida" became Coldplay's highest charting single. Fueled by digital sales,[53] the song was their first to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and their second to enter the Top 10 in the United States.[54] It was the first song by a British act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart and Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously since Rod Stewart's "Maggie May", released in 1971.[55] "Viva la Vida" also went on to become the band's highest-charting single in American radio, becoming their first top-ten hit on the Hot 100 Airplay where it peaked at number eight.[56] Similarly, it was their first number-one single on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart.[57] On the Billboard Hot Adult Top 40 Tracks, the song has become the band's first number one, as well as the first single on the Capitol Records label to ever top the chart.[58] The single has been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[59] The song also became one of the first six tracks to reach the 4 million mark in paid digital downloads.[60]
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 iTunes, it became eligible to chart after the album was released. "Viva la Vida" hit number one on the UK Singles Chart, becoming Coldplay's first chart-topping single in the UK.[61]
In Canada, the single made a "Hot Shot Debut" at number four on the Canadian Hot 100 on the issue of 24 May, making it Coldplay's highest debut there.[62] It is also one of Coldplay's three highest-charting singles in Australia, reaching number two (both "A Sky Full of Stars" and "Something Just Like This" matched this peak in 2014 and 2017, respectively). In the week starting 27 November 2023, the single once again returned to the same charts, entering at number 28.[63] In New Zealand, 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 No. 2 and achieved Triple Platinum status due to the 120,000 copies sold. It also had a strong airplay on the Spanish radio stations.
Plagiarism allegations[edit]
Coldplay were first accused of plagiarism of "The Songs I Didn't Write" by American alternative band Creaky Boards, for the melody of "Viva la Vida".[67] Creaky Boards' band member Andrew Hoepfner claimed that Martin had heard them playing the song at a live show in October 2007.[68] The band released a video clip, in which it compares sections of both songs.[68] Coldplay denied the claim. Band spokesman Murray Chambers said Martin was working in AIR Studios in London at that time, having checked the singer's diary.[69] In addition, Coldplay had recorded a demo version of "Viva la Vida" in March 2007, long before Creaky Boards performed it live in October of the same year.[68] Creaky Boards later retracted the accusations and speculated that both songs may have been inspired by the video game The Legend of Zelda.[69]
On 4 December 2008, American guitarist Joe Satriani filed a copyright infringement suit against Coldplay in Los Angeles.[70][71] The suit claims that "Viva la Vida" incorporates "substantial, original portions" of his instrumental track "If I Could Fly" from his 2004 album Is There Love in Space?[72] The band has denied the allegation, saying the similarities were "entirely coincidental".[73] On 14 September 2009, the case was dismissed by the California Central District Court, with both parties potentially agreeing to an out-of-court settlement.[74]
In May 2009, Yusuf Islam stated that the song is very similar to his song "Foreigner Suite," recorded under his former stage name, Cat Stevens. He said "My son brought it to my attention and said: 'Doesn't that sound like 'Foreigner Suite?'"[75] Islam said that any legal action he might take "depends on how well Satriani does."[75] Coldplay drummer Will Champion denied the claim, stating, "We're confident we haven't done anything wrong."[76] 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."[77]
In a documentary for Sveriges Television (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 "Se tu m'ami" by the Italian composer Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, who died in 1736. "Obviously this is a work that we would call in the 'public domain'", Dr. Ferrara said.[78][79]
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!"[80] 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."[81]