I've heard VLV so many times I've lost count. I have personal reasons too why it means a lot to me, but the thing I've noticed is that rather like a well written joke or sitcom, you never tire of listening to it (I'm thinking Fawlty Towers here!) and each time you hear it it sounds like the first time you have done so. If ever there was a showcase for Chris Martin's writing or Brian Eno's producing talent - here it is.

 

VLV was awesome when I first heard it and it remains so today. I've never tired of hearing it once. It sounds just as fresh as it did back in 2008 to me, and I'm still finding little nuances to the song in the way it was produced.

 

I regarded it as work of high art at the time - something that trascended just music. I still do. For once the art achieved the recognition that it deserved, with no1 being attained (amazingly their first UK no 1) on both sides of the Atlantic.

 

The beauty of the strings, the uplifting riff and yet at the same time the deeply melanchony lyrics. It is one of very few songs (The Pet Shop Boys are also able to achieve this with me), where I can "tune" into either the music or the lyrics and be uplifted or downbeat. Coldplay operate on several levels with their music, and I'm not just referring to the obvious allegories that many have (in)correctly drawn from the lyrics of Viva La Vida.

 

Even now, having heard it so many times, I still wonder how Eno created those mystical and distorted sounds we hear -

 

[ame=

]

[/ame]

 

0-13s: underlying melody: is this a piano or an earlier instrument? Fortepiano ?

 

1:38 - 1:52: guitar distorted + distorted harpsichord?/ Pedal steel guitar?

 

 

I've often VLV called Baroque Pop - I think this song will have as much longevity as its categorisation.

 

Chris Martin, Coldpay, Eno, thankyou from the bottom of my heart for this beautiful song. Truly etheral.

I have tired of it , but it was never my favourite song off the album .

I have tired of it , but it was never my favourite song off the album .

 

My favourite is actually LIJ, but VLV keeps drawing me back to it...

I know what you mean. :) I heard Viva over 500 times (!?) acording my ipod. :) I still love it..It reminds me of good times. When i fall in love in Coldplay. Of my Coldplay concert, who was the best day of my entire life. :heart:

 

Viva la Coldplay.

Funny Long Live Life: I feel just the same way about VIVA LA VIDA as you.

 

I've heard VLV hundreds of times and love it just as much as when hearing for the first time. I also have personal reasons why it means so much to me.

Funny Long Live Life: I feel just the same way about VIVA LA VIDA as you.

 

I've heard VLV hundreds of times and love it just as much as when hearing for the first time. I also have personal reasons why it means so much to me.

 

I dont need more words to tell exactly the same :)

Same here. I love the term "Baroque Pop", thanks for that :)

Covers

 

I also have several covers of this song, incl. the Pet Shop Boys. Here is a gorgeous classical cover :

 

[ame=

]

[/ame]

I kinda got tired of viva...but every time i hear it, i get so happy. Its my comfort song.

I loved Viva La Vida but it quickly wore off. The lyrics are a fine piece of work by Chris Martin and it is overall a truly bombastic song. However the overplay of the song wore it down. And it seemed that it was the only song they played on tv which was such a shame seeing as 80% of the album is far superior!

I loved Viva La Vida but it quickly wore off. The lyrics are a fine piece of work by Chris Martin and it is overall a truly bombastic song. However the overplay of the song wore it down. And it seemed that it was the only song they played on tv which was such a shame seeing as 80% of the album is far superior!

 

Yes it's amazing how much this song has been overplayed on TV (and yet I personalluy don't think the song suffers from over-familiarity like many other songs do when overplayed).

 

I've lost count of shows but I think Blackadder Rides Again, BBC News (election coverage), ITV news (election coverage) and BBC News (Milliband election). Isn't it used on the X-Factor as well, as well as the iTunes commercial?

 

Any ideas to the Qs. about the instruments in my OP BTW anyone?

I like viva la vida song simple everything must be symphonic good for my part

is as speed of sound

 

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itjURpjK-os]YouTube - Coldplay vs a-ha "Take on Viva La Vida"[/ame]

 

Yes it's amazing how much this song has been overplayed on TV (and yet I personalluy don't think the song suffers from over-familiarity like many other songs do when overplayed).

 

I've lost count of shows but I think Blackadder Rides Again, BBC News (election coverage), ITV news (election coverage) and BBC News (Milliband election). Isn't it used on the X-Factor as well, as well as the iTunes commercial?

 

Any ideas to the Qs. about the instruments in my OP BTW anyone?

 

Indeed! I remember watching Blackadder Rides Again documentary with that on it. I don't mind it's exposure on stuff like that or the election coverage but it's the times it gets played on those nasty radio stations like Radio 1, The Hits, Smash Hits and then follows something like Lady Gaga or Rihanna which makes it rather embarassing that the song is paired with claptrap like that. Thankfully it's effectively the only Coldplay song that gets played on those stations! I know it seems rather snobbish but I'd rather not like Coldplay to be seen as commercial whores because I know they're not. They don't need 1000 plays like Gaga or Rihanna in one day to get them to number 1. Usually one play a day captures everyone because Coldplay's songwriting is far superior to anything in the charts, and much better than anything produced by their rivals like The Killers or Kings of Leon (who are SHIT these days despite being awesome before).

 

Oh and I totally agree on Fawlty Towers - it NEVER tires.

I kinda got tired of viva...but every time i hear it, i get so happy. Its my comfort song.

 

This.

i think this song is brilliant (particularly lyrically), and i still love it as much as i did when i first listened to it.

i love listening to the strings, especially during the choruses. :wacky:

i think this song is brilliant (particularly lyrically), and i still love it as much as i did when i first listened to it.

i love listening to the strings, especially during the choruses. :wacky:

 

Me to! Do u think Coldplay would ever perform this song live with either an orchestra or string quartet?

Why I love it still.

 

Anyways, you can't deny. It's a good album.

You're all just hipsters.

Me to! Do u think Coldplay would ever perform this song live with either an orchestra or string quartet?

 

well, that would certainly be awesome :awesome: