The meaning of the lyrics of “Viva La Vida” is a description of the final days of Louis XVI.

Louis XVI was already immensely unpopular by the time he struck a deal with the Prussians. The Prussians invaded France and threatened anyone who wanted to stand against Louis. He thought that having the Prussians back him would save him, but it backfired spectacularly. Not only was the invasion undone by the Prussian soldiers suffering from an outbreak of dysentery, but the effects on Louis’s popularity, such as it was, were catastrophic. Little more than six months later, he went to the guillotine after a contentions vote among the 721 delegates to the new French parliament, which was by a single ballot.

The Artistic Angle

“Viva La Vida” means “long live life.” In addition to deriving inspiration from the last of the French kings, the band looked to Frida Kahlo, the artist. “Long Live Life” was the ironic title of the last painting she did before she died more than 50 years before the song’s release. Chris Martin said that he liked the boldness of her painting of her watermelons and its title. He admired the way she went through, as he put it, a lot of [profanity]. In one of the song’s two music videos, the band played in front of another painting: “Liberty Leading the People.” The artist is Eugene Delacroix. The two paintings could not be more disparate. One is a still life of fruit while the other is a battle scene where a woman rallies troops that include a young boy holding two pistols.

Chart Performance

The song only stayed No. 1 on the Billboard 100 for a week in June 2008, but it earned Song of the Year honors at the 2009 Grammys. It finished the year at No. 13 and was still No. 55 at the end of 2009. It also hit No. 1 in the United Kingdom and finished 2008 at No. 25. In Germany, the song peaked at No. 1 for three weeks in June and July of 2008.

Other Media

On television and in the movies, the song has appeared quite a number of times. The television appearances are either from reality programs that involve singing or dancing or dramas like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Medium” and comedies like “The Simpsons.” Movie appearances include “The Big Year” and in the cinematic portion of the popular video game NBA 2K13.

Lyrics

I used to rule the world
Seas would rise when I gave the word
Now in the morning, I sleep alone
Sweep the streets I used to own

I used to roll the dice
Feel the fear in my enemy’s eyes
Listen as the crowd would sing
Now the old king is dead, long live the king
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

I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringin’
Roman Cavalry choirs are singin’
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

It was a wicked and wild wind
Blew down the doors to let me in
Shattered windows and the sound of drums
People couldn’t believe what I’d become
Revolutionaries wait
For my head on a silver plate
Just a puppet on a lonely string
Oh, who would ever want to be king?

I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringin’
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
I know Saint Peter won’t call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-oh, oh-oh, oh

I hear Jerusalem bells a-ringin’
Roman Cavalry choirs are singin’
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
My missionaries in a foreign field
For some reason I can’t explain
I know Saint Peter won’t call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Christopher A. J. Martin / Guy Rupert Berryman / Jonathan Mark Buckland / William Champion

Viva La Vida lyrics © Unison Rights S.L., Universal Music Publishing Group

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