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Viva La Vida
Coldplay
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- Album
- Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends
- Released
- 2008
- Genres
- Length
- 4:02
- Tempo
- 138 BPM
- Label
- Parlophone UK
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About this song
The title comes from the Spanish phrase "Long Live Life" and takes its name from Frida Kahlo's last painting before her death. Chris Martin said in a March 2008 Rolling Stone interview that he loved the boldness of the painting's words. The song debuted to massive success, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart, and won Song of the Year at the Grammy Awards in February 2009. Joe Satriani sued Coldplay for plagiarism over similarities to his instrumental "If I Could Fly", and the case was settled out of court.
What it's about
The song tells the story of a monarch who has lost his kingdom. Some listeners also read it as a narrative about the French Revolution, given its historical and biblical references.
Fun facts
- Sampled in 44 other songs, like “Fallen Primadonna by himynameisshan.”.
- Covered 38 times, including “Viva La Vida by J.Fla”.
- Written by Chris Martin, Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland and Will Champion.
- Produced by Brian Eno, Markus Dravs and Rik Simpson.