Viva la Vida

"Viva la Vida" is a song by British rock band Coldplay. It is from their album Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends. The song was released as the second single on 25 May 2008.  It was the band's first number one single in both the United Kingdom and the United States.

Coldplay sang the song on The Simpsons episode, "Million Dollar Maybe".

 Composition 
"Viva la Vida" is composed in the key of F minor. Its main chord progression is D5–Asus4/E–A–Fm. The time signature is  and the tempo is around 138 beats per minute. Unlike the then-typical arrangement of Coldplay songs, in which either the guitar or piano is the prominent instrument, the track mostly consists of a string section and a digital piano playing the song's upbeat riff, along with a steady bass drum beat, percussion (including a timpano and a church bell), bass guitar, and Martin's vocals; there is limited use of electric guitar. All the strings are arranged and conducted by violinist Davide Rossi, who is one of the main collaborators of the album. Rossi's strings comprise the main driving force throughout the song, with a strong beginning loop that supports Martin's voice, until the choruses where the symphonic power of the orchestra takes its fullest shape. The prominent chords played by the string section throughout the song (and in the chorus of "Rainy Day", another of the band's songs) are very similar to those used by "Viva la Vida" co-producer Brian Eno in his piece "An Ending (Ascent)", meaning they could have been suggested partially for the song by Eno.

 References 

Category:2008 songs
Category:Coldplay songs
Category:Billboard Hot 100 number one songs