Viva La Vida (2008)

"Viva la Vida" (, Spanish: [ˈbiβa la ˈβiða]; Spanish for 'long live life') is a song by the 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), on which the band explored new styles. The lyrics contain historical and Christian references (King Louis XVI and the French Revolution, "Roman cavalry choirs", Saint Peter) and the track is built around a looping string section with a digitally processed piano, while other layers are gradually added.

The title was taken from Mexican artist Frida Kahlo's final painting in which the words "Viva la Vida" were inscribed on a watermelon. Chris Martin had seen the painting while at the Frida Kahlo museum in Mexico, and thought it was a good title for a song. The song primarily tells the story of a king who has lost his kingdom, and reflects on the social aspects of revolution. The song went through several different styles as the band struggled to settle on its composition. Eventually, a church bell sound effect was added which completed the sound they were searching for. After hearing the bell, Martin remarked: "That's it."

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 United Kingdom and United States. It won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards in 2009 and has been featured on several critic rankings and listicles. It is one of the most-streamed songs on Spotify with over 3.1 billion plays.

Two music videos were produced for the song. The official version, directed by Hype Williams, depicts the band performing against a blurry, warped version of Eugène Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People. A second, alternate video is a tribute to director Anton Corbijn's video for Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence" (1990) and portrays Martin as the king from whose perspective the song is sung.

Multiple artists claimed that the band had plagiarised parts of their work to produce the song. American band Creaky Boards suggested Coldplay had taken from their song "The Songs I Didn't Write", though this was later retracted. Joe Satriani took the band to court over alleged similarities to his song "If I Could Fly" (2004), but the case was dismissed. Cat Stevens claimed the song was similar to his 1973 song "Foreigner Suite" but also said that he did not think they copied it intentionally.

Background and writing

The song's Spanish title is taken from a painting by 20th-century Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. In what was her final painting, which was finalised a few days before her death, the words "Viva la Vida" are inscribed on a melon wedge at the bottom of the canvas. In Spanish, viva translates to "long live", so "Long Live Life" is an accurate translation for the title. 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 polio, a broken spine, and a decade of chronic pain, lead singer Chris Martin said: "She went through a lot of shit, of course, and then she started a big painting in her house that said 'Viva la Vida', I just loved the boldness of it."