Coldplay’s 2008 hit, ‘Viva La Vida’ is an intense, rousing, and satisfying song. It combines a lot of relatively simple elements, with complex results. Listen to it below.

Looking at the elements…

Chords: About as standard as they come – although the way they’re delivered, primarily by marcato strings, is unusual for a pop song. The chords for almost the entire song are a 4 bar cycle:

||: Db | Eb | Ab | Fminor :||

There’s a lot of variation within the orchestration of this 4 chord pattern, but the chords themselves don’t change other than an 8 bar interlude near the end, basically a Bridge, where ||: Db | Fminor :|| is played 3 times, followed by 2 bars of Eb.

The power of repetition combined with a strong arrangement and melody reduce the possible enervating effect of the lack of harmonic variation.

Melody: This is also pattern-based. The notes in the first phrase are C, Db, Bb, C, Ab. The melody mostly follows this up-down-up-down pattern. After two phrases with small differences it jumps up a fourth and follows a similar pattern. The melody peaks in the Chorus with a ‘G’ on the words “I can’t explain“.

The range of the melody is an octave and a major second. It’s carefully worked out – all the minor (but crucial) variations in the melody remain the same in corresponding sections throughout the song. And, due to this care, the melody builds, subtly but consistently, climaxing in the Chorus.

The melody – and this is important – is also relentless. The only pauses are for a beat or so; enough for a breath. Otherwise the melody keeps coming at you. Even the Chorus continues to develop the basic melodic themes of the song – it doesn’t attempt to ‘take it to a much higher level’ as many songs’ Choruses do. Given what he’s singing about and the static nature of the harmony, the constant momentum of the well-planned melody is a principal element of this song’s power.

Also note some interesting note choices – for example, the melody on the first downbeat starts with a ‘C’ note over a Db chord, immediately catching the ear with a major 7th. That major 7th sound (‘G’ over an Ab chord this time) returns in a touching way at the end of the Chorus on the words “When I ruled…”.

Lyrics: I like these lyrics. They sound good when Chris Martin sings them.  Almost all rhyming couplets, they’re the first person story of someone who once “ruled the world’ but now ’sweeps the streets (I) used to own” – a powerful idea that’s echoed in the grand, pulsating arrangement. The biblical imagery contributes to this too. A sample:

One minute I held the key
Next the walls were closed on me
And I discovered that my castles stand
Upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

CHORUS
I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringing
Roman cavalry choirs are singing
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can’t explain
Once you’d gone there was never
Never an honest word
And that was when I ruled the world

There at the end of the 1st Chorus the idea of a personal loss is introduced – nice touch. The 2nd Chorus ends differently, with doubt about the narrator’s redemption –

For some reason I can’t explain
I know St Peter won’t call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

The song could easily have been called “When I Ruled The World’. As many choose to do, Coldplay picked a Title that represented a theme, not from words in the song.

This song is a great example of combining repetition with activity and variation to generate powerful momentum.

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