Coldplay - Viva La Vida (G. Berryman, J. Buckland, W. Champion, C. Martin) ~ Erwin Lazaro 14911/18/2012 I covered “Viva La Vida” by Coldplay specifically for this week’s blog because it’s the perfect segue from last week’s blog about surrendering. I’m not sure about the intentions behind the lyrics created by all of the members of Coldplay, other than what’s referenced below from Wikipedia, but I will share what I’ve personally gained from one of my favorite songs in recent years.
First of all, I love the complexity of the original song and the layers of instrumentation and vocals that create vivid imagery in my mind’s eye. I’m a sucker for strings in pop music. LOL. Of course, I’m using a karaoke version of the original composition so it’s not quite the same, but it’s all I have to work with and I hope my cover is tolerable. Secondly, the title itself: “Viva La Vida” or “Live Life” is a significant ideology that NEEDS to be true for ALL. As contradictory as it sounds, “Viva La Vida” is one of the most difficult ideologies to make reality… except for children. People grow up and forget, not by choice, but by experience, that a child’s perception is how life should really be led. But, reality gets in the way and the brutality of experiences simply wipe away the innocence that is easily lost and rarely regained or remembered. I’m certain some people who read this may think that I have a naïve perspective about life, but it’s that same naivety that is an integral part of the treasure that youth has and which adults lose. It’s part of the fabled fountain of youth that people have mistaken for as a tangible item. The irony is that all lives are born with the fountain of youth within them, but that fountain becomes lost through living. The dreamers, the fighters, the inventors, the leaders … I believe people who make a difference within their environment are the people who have retained their fountain of youth and have nurtured that fountain over time. Seeing through the eyes of a child is not childish or naïve. It’s wise. Children are filled with the perception that anything and everything is possible. It’s the adults that provide all of the road blocks that hinder a child’s dreams from coming true. That’s what I find most remarkable about life. It’s the power of a blank canvas. The first stroke of paint that marks the canvas is the beginning of a painting and each additional stroke begins to form an image and that image changes with each stroke until the last stroke is painted and the painting is complete. That painting is our lives. Anything and everything is possible. Each person is responsible for their own painting. Lastly, the lyrics “Never an honest word, But that was when I ruled the world”, often makes me stop in my tracks and think. I think that I am weak. I am a weak person. Even so, I choose to fight. I fight to become a stronger and wiser person. I fight to protect the child within me. And, in particular, those lyrics … I’ve been there before. My parents always protected me. They still do, my mom in Heaven and my dad close by. As a teenager, I spread my wings. I broke barriers with my laughter and smiles, but as a high school student I started making poor choices even as I had found my way and excelled academically. In high school, I began distorting my painting. I became conceited, very full of myself. “I used to rule the world. Seas would rise when I gave the word.” That’s what I thought and I was a fool for thinking that way. I lost my way. I quickly learned at the university level how much of a fool I had become. Thankfully, I never stopped fighting to protect the child within me, the child urging me forward and eager to overcome the mess I had made. I fought by surrendering. I didn’t give up. I surrendered and then I was free to move forward, once again. More on that later … From Wikipedia: "Viva la Vida" (pronounced /ˈviːvə lə ˈviːdə/; Spanish: [ˈbiβa la ˈβiða]), is a song by the British alternative 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), and was released as the second single from the album. On the album, this song segues directly into the next track, "Violet Hill". Viva la Vida can have two meanings in Spanish, either "Long Live Life" or "Live Life". The lyrics to the song contain historical and Christian references, and the track is built around a repeating string section in unison with a digital processed piano with a percussion background. The song was released on 13 June 2008 as the album's second single, debuting to critical 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 US and UK. The song won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year at the 51st Grammy Awards in 2009. The song became the sixth song in digital history to reach the 4 million mark in paid downloads. It had sold 5.2 million copies in the United States by November 2011 and over 6.4 million copies worldwide in 2012.
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Author“Viva La Vida” or “Live Life” is a significant ideology that NEEDS to be true for ALL. As contradictory as it sounds, “Viva La Vida” is one of the most difficult ideologies to make reality … except for children. ArchivesCategories |