Viva La Vida: What is Coldplay singing about?

"My missionaries in a foreign field" I have to confess: that line in Coldplay's new song "Viva La Vida" caught my ear. I bought the album a few weeks ago and really like it. I have played the number one song Viva La Vida a few times with my kids, reading the lyrics, and taking a few guesses as to the meaning. Is Chris Martin thinking of a historical figure (King Louis as the cover art suggests or Caesar in Rome?) or is he thinking of himself, having made himself a king with false words (castle on sand) and having a girlfriend leave him when she found out the truth - thus the tumbling down of the kingdom? Or is it a deeper spiritual song that goes beyond relational conflict and historical precedents? Its worth a ponder. Someone on askYahoo asks if it is a Christian song? No - but there are a lot of biblical references (pillar of salt, head on a silver plate, castles on sand, sword and shield, etc).
Any thoughts?

Comments

[David Brush]

To compare a couple of similar lines towards the end of the song:

1. For some reason I can not explain
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world

2. For some reason I can not explain
I know Saint Peter will call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

The exchange of 'will' for 'won't', and 'but' for 'and' in the second iteration is significant, it shows that the dishonest life of the King has been left behind, that he has chosen the honest life of the working man. He ties the 'dishonest King' role to damnation and the 'honest working man' role to salvation.

This song (I am also alluding to the album cover) is about the struggle of the weak and downtrodden against the 'kings' of the world and their lack of 'honest words.' So perhaps while not overtly Christian in tone, Chris is definitely picking up on some pseudo-Kingdom themes. Short of an interview I can't discern if that was his intent or not, but I likely expect he is alluding mainly to a civil in/just kingdom vs. a theistic one.

[derek]

maybe they are all about CCM

[andrew jones]

we are not talking about CCM, Derek, but rather we are talking about music that makes you think and ask questions. there is a big difference. . . . which is why i dont listen to CCM

[becky]

Andrew - this sounds like some of Dylan's lyrics - whenever anyone asked him about the "religious symbolism" behind his music, he would get pretty testy noting that what he had to say, he said in the song. Also, from what I've read about Bono, while he is more receptive to discussing the psalmody present in U2's songs, he doesn't care for the stream of books that explore the spirituality of U2.

[Ben]

It seems to me that the song is about death and the weighing of a life.

[David Derbyshire]

A friend of mine Mike Rimmer wrote this about the song on the Crossrhythms website:

‘There's a hint in the song that maybe Chris Martin's hopes of transcendent faith were dashed by the disappointing realities of the faith communities he has encountered where "never an honest word" is spoken.’

http://www.crossrhythms.co.uk/articles/music/Secular_Albums_Christian_Reviewers_2_Mainstream_albums_old_and_new/31939/p1/

What do you think?

[David Derbyshire]

I think the end of that last link got cut off. It ended with... _Mainstream_albums_old_and_new/31939/p1/

Any ideas how to get links to work in the comments section?

[Scott]

i'm not sure about this particular song, but in the past of have heard (from a credible source) that chris martin used to be a worship leader in the uk. that might explain some of the biblical references. it doesn't however shed a whole lot of light onto what the lyrics themselves mean.

[andrew jones]

there is no better way to put a link on these or any comments without writing a little code that turns it into a hypertext link. Its easy to learn and is worth remembering.

here is it here

[David Buckna]

I recall Chris Martin saying in an interview that the lyrics to Viva La Vida aren't told from a specific person's viewpoint, but a composite. Something like that.

http://www.christianitytoday.com/music/glimpses/2008/vivalavida.html

Coldplay
Viva la Vida (Capitol Records)
by Russ Breimeier
---
Also, Martin does not sing:

"For some reason I can not explain"

but

"For some reason I can't explain"

Most reviews of the song I've read on the net have Martin only singing "I know Saint Peter _won't_ call my name"

In his 2006 sermon based on Coldplay’s music

www.thetapestry.ca/tappodcasts/coldplay_jan_22_2006

Pastor Albert Chu [The Tapestry Church, Richmond B.C.] said that as one listens to Coldplay’s Yellow, “...imagine it’s a love song, not a love song written by us to God, but just imagine that it is a love song written by God to us.

‘Look at the stars/Look how they shine for you/And all the things that you do.’

[Chu: “These are the words of God who created the stars and the world for us.”]

‘I swam across/ I swam across...’

Chu: “These are the words of Jesus who left the comforts of heaven and swam across the great divide to come to us.”

‘Your skin and bones/Turn into something beautiful ...
And you know for you, I’d bleed myself dry’

Chu: “And these are the words of Jesus who bled himself dry on the cross to turn us into something beautiful.”

[David Derbyshire]

Thanks Andrew.

The Crossrythms link is Mainstream albums old and new where Mike Rimmer writes about Viva La Vida.

[Joe Carter]

Chris Martin says he got the song (and album) title "Viva la Vida" from a Frida Kahlo. The literal translation of that title is "Long Live Life." However, since Kahlo painting is of melons that isn't much help.

The album cover, though, is of Eugène Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People." The use of that image and hints from the lyrics lead me to the conjecture that the song is about…King Louis XVI?

At first the lyrics point to a religious figure, but upon closer examination I think they are the words of a man whose death is pending. For example, the line "I know Saint Peter won't call my name" refers to being called into heaven.

This section in particular leads me to think that it is about the king's impending execution:

Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh who would ever want to be king?

[Austin McIntosh]

Andrew your post was great timing for me. I've been listening to Viva La Vida repeatedly over the last couple of days. I think the key to understanding this song is to remember that it is a legitimate work of art which causes listeners to reflect on more spiritual, philosophical things. While, on the one hand, we may be trying too hard to find Christian elements in the song that Chris did not intend to be there, these elements and hints of spiritual conversation have been present since Parachutes. As Christians we are likely to be more receptive to any possible Christian themes and symbolysm so we should be careful about jumping to conclusions. But it certainly is nice to hope that Chris may be revealing his Christianity through this song.

[julie]

i agree with ben about 'death and the weighing of a life' as i think the whole album is about the struggle between holding on to life in all its fullness and facing down the shadow of death and all his friends - when i first heard this track i thought it was about a famous person embracing who they really are as a human being in the light of eternity, rather than the false figure that the media hypes them up to be and can't wait to topple - for me it is a very spiritual song (in the sense of talking a lot about what it means to be fully a human being)about change and the potential to look at ourselves honestly and realistically as we make an appraisal of our past moves and mistakes - i don't necessarily have to make it 'Christian' to understand it in that context - the religious symbolism and imagery that runs through the whole of the album always seems to be related to those two threads about making a sober judgement of the consequences and impact of our choices (especially how we allow ourselves to be influenced by morbid thoughts or the shock in middle age of facing the inevitability of death more quickly than we really want to) and the decision to ultimately choose life over death and all his friends - that's my twopennyworth anyway

[andrew jones]

hey thanks but no one is saying this is a "Christian song" (except the one person that asked YAHOO) or trying to make it that way

hellooo MATRIX!

but there are some spiritual themes going on and so thanks julie and others for your thoughts. i should listen to the whole album to get a feel for what they are trying to express.

[Hank]

According to his own words in Rolling Stone, Chris Martin is repulsed by his Christian(fundamentalist) upbringing. So it's safe to say, while using Biblical themes, he isn't basing his worldview on them at all.

Comparing him and Bono is comparing apples and oranges.

[matt]

everyone who leaves the church blames it on their "oppressive" Christian upbringing. funny how in my family, two out of four of my siblings turned their back on the church, the other two seem indifferent, and i'm a year into my MDiv, madly in love with God and surrendered to His work. funny also how i grew up in rural, central missouri on a cattle farm, in a town of 2,000, but i'm an artist, musician, and urban culture hawk living in chicago. guess we're all just products of our environment...

[Rhett Smith]

the only thing I know about Chris Martin's views on Christianity, faith, etc. I got from this article Dan Kimball posted on:

http://www.dankimball.com/vintage_faith/2008/06/chris-martin-ma.html

Looking forward to seeing them this October in Dallas...they are amazing live.

rhett

[becky]

I brought up Dylan and Bono as two examples of artists whose work also contains strong religious symbolism but they have an aversion to books penned about the spiritual themes present in their work especially if said works are in the Christian cheesy category - Dylan in particular would get enraged at reporters who brought up a Q about his faith. Their argument seems to be that what they had to say they said it in the song -- I do find if I overanalyze a particular song, then I can often miss the meaning behind the message.

[Colin McEnroe]

You mean that isn't the new Switchfoot song?

[andrew]

Exactly, and Coldplay will not be touring with Michael W. Smith.

which brings me back to the interpretation of the song. I like Joe Carter's thoughts on King Louis XVI which is an immediate connection but i am still wondering what the relevance for now is - ie, a broken relationship? a personal transformation? a decision to move away from dominating?

[Jed]

how about the song as a memoir of George W's? Sung from the presidents perspective it is a haunting tale of his downfall. The images of the overthrow of a king, religous justification for war, and the current state of backlash towards his reign always play out images of the last 8 years in my head.

[andrew]

is that you, Jed Brewster? are you blogging yet?

[Tommy O'Keefe]

I think both this song and the next one (violet hill) are about the crusades, and it is the church, not a person depicted as the entity that once "ruled the world".

[kelly]

this song definitely reminds me of a "louis" - maybe XVI, or the one who actually ended up being beheaded (XVII?). don't know that he ever "swept the streets (he) used to roam", but he definitely experienced a shift from power. i also agree with jed & see connections with george w. also, i think the missionary part may speak to the connections of power between the catholic church & the government, where "missionaries" were often just conqueors, claiming whatever new land for their king & forcing their culture upon the people (which also might be the way chris martin sees modern day missionaries/fundamentalist-evangelical church & their connection to george w). i also see this theme in the talk of the "jerusalem bells" & their connection to the crusades.
especially looking @ the album as a whole, for me the song is an expression of the rage of our human pride & arrogance, in it's truest form. whoever the first person is, he sees everything from his point of view & even "for some reason (he) can't explain, " (he knows) st. peter will call (his) name." that is maybe the ultimate of pride - to be a careless conqueoring person/king & also flippantly say for whatever reason, you will be given the ultimate reward - you will go to heaven.
one more thing - i think it's possible to have a good deal of loathing towards your fundamentalist christian background & also still be a christian.