“Viva la Vida” by Coldplay, Monday, February 21, 2022

My musical history started with hymns and classical music playing in the house, and sometimes classic and alternative rock in the garage. After going back to church, my mom stopped listening to secular music, well contemporary secular music, and tried to convince me that rock music was evil when I started liking the sound of it. Little by little, she started listening to modern music--first CCM, especially Michael W. Smith's This Is Your Time album because of the bagpipes. Then she started listening to music she grew up with, the soundtrack to her teenage rebellion. These were the smooth pop songs of Hall & Oats and Elton John and some rock bands like Boston and Journey.

MY MISSIONARIES IN A FOREIGN FIELD. All of these songs' artists could be heard on local light rock radio stations along with contemporary hits by Kelly Clarkson, Train, and of course Coldplay. When my mom heard "Viva la Vida," she loved it and bought the album. Soon, on long trips, the CD rotation included greatest hits compilations by The Bee Gees, Elton John, Hall & Oats, and 2008's Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends by Coldplay. At first, it was a refreshing change. Sure, this was the time when Coldplay was getting too big for music snobs who were questioning their musicality and whether or not they were a rock band or just a commercial pop act. I was, and still am, quick to defend Coldplay, though not as a rock band, but as what a big budget can do with some of the best producers. My mom was slow to adapt to the band's prior or subsequent albums, but Coldplay made her less resistant when I was driving and I slipped in a Copeland record. Today's my mom's birthday, so I wanted to revisit the eleven tracks on the original June 12, 2008-released standard edition of  Viva la Vida. 

Viva la Vida by Frida Kahlo

FOR SOME REASON I CAN’T EXPLAIN, I KNOW SAINT PETER WON’T CALL MY NAME. One thing I appreciated about Coldplay's 2008 album was the thought that went into the concept. While I was hesitant to call it a rock album due to the lack of distorted guitar-driven songs, I also didn't think it fit with the disposable nature of a hedonistic pop record. The single "Viva la Vida," for example was inspired by the painting of the same name by Mexican painter Frida Kahlo when she was suffering from health problems. The bold expression in her painting inspired lead singer Chris Martin. The song "Viva la Vida" mixes historical and biblical allusions to tell the story of a king who has lost his kingdom and now roams the streets he used to rule. Nothing is particularly sad about this song. Along with the optimism in the Kahlo painting, the message seems to be to make the best out of a bad situation. Like with "Viva la Vida," I feel that there's a classical quality reacting to and even appreciating romanticism--the forms must be kept. Nothing is overly emotional, just factual. Maybe it's the emotional restraint of Coldplay that keeps them from being loved by music snobs who prefer the garage band indie rockers or emo/goth kids. Coldplay is, well, boring if you don't step back and try to appreciate the simple, straight brushstrokes.

Read “Viva la Vida” by Coldplay on Genius