Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends (often referred to as simply Viva la Vida) is the fourth studio album by Coldplay. It was released on 12 June 2008. The album was named after the Frida Kahlo painting "Viva la Vida", which depicts many melons. The name translates from Spanish to mean "Long Live Life".
Background[]
In late February 2006, drummer Will Champion stated that Coldplay already had “loads of songs ready” to be worked on for a new album and explained they would need a lot of work as the band were planning to record them as live as possible. Additionally, bassist Guy Berryman said that the group was feeling inspired to experiment more with their new set of songs, hinting that they might detour into electronic music or a sound somewhat edgier than their usual one at the time.[1]
In October 2006, two weeks after Guy had his first daughter Nico, reports circulated that the band would take a five-year hiatus after lead singer Chris Martin had reportedly discussed with friends after performing on stage with Jay-Z the band's decision not to work on new material unless it was organically.[2] The group's parenthood, coupled with the fact that Coldplay had no touring or recording schedule at the time, had fans wondering if the band's new album would not be released until 2011. Dispelling such reports, Ambrosia Healy, spokesperson to Capitol Records, sent an e-mail message to MTV saying that there was no self-imposed hiatus. However, Healy clarified that Coldplay was indeed “enjoying a much-deserved break”, and that there was no timetable for the follow-up to the band's third studio album, X&Y (2005).[3]
Early in December 2006, Billboard reported that the band's fourth album was set for release in late 2007; Coldplay subsequently denied it through their official website.[4] Initial work on the album began in November 2006 at The Bakery, their studio in North London, although being interrupted by the Latin American leg of the Twisted Logic Tour from February to March 2007.[5] While touring venues in Chile, Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico, the band intended “to play some intimate shows to try out their new songs”, although no new material ended up being played during the tour, due to the group's concerns that the performances would leak onto the internet.[6]
Discussing the new album in March 2007, Chris said the band were excited about one song in particular that would make the record; he explained, “In order for us to get excited about a new album, we have to have one song that we feel like everybody has to hear... before we die, otherwise we'll be terribly depressed. So luckily with this new record we're going to make, we have that one song.”[7]
Production[]
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends was produced by English ambient musician and record producer Brian Eno, Markus Dravs, Rik Simpson, and Jon Hopkins. Eno (who had previously worked with the band on X&Y's track "Low") embarked on the project after Chris asked him if he knew of any producers who could improve them as a band;[8] lead guitarist Jonny Buckland admitted that the producer had "picked us, really. With someone like Brian, if you can persuade him to work with you, you're doing well."[9] Eno confirmed his involvement in the production of the album on January 26, 2007, during an interview on BBC Radio 4's Front Row and claimed he expected the record to “be very original and very different from what [Coldplay] have done before.”[10] Eno's encouragement led the band to explore a variety of sonic directions as well as help them structure their working hours per week.[11][12]
Markus Dravs, Eno's longtime collaborator, was also along for the album's production and was usually described as a “brutal” force in the studio; he was most responsible for the technical aspects of the production and sound capture of the recordings.[13] Rik Simpson joined the production after helping the band design and build their North London studio, The Bakery, for the album's recording; Simpson had previously worked with Coldplay between 2002-2003 during the A Rush of Blood to the Head Tour.[14] Jon Hopkins was invited to the project and introduced to the band by Eno himself in early 2007 to assist them during the production of some songs that would require piano and keyboard parts; Hopkins co-produced two songs on the album, "Life in Technicolor" and "The Escapist", based on his original song "Light Through the Veins".[15][16]
In February 2007, American record producer, rapper, and record executive Timbaland expressed interest in working with the band, revealing that he planned to come to the United Kingdom in April to meet with them and discuss a possible collaboration. Their initial conversations had suggested that Timbaland could produce a substantial part of Viva la Vida; however, a spokesperson for the band communicated that Coldplay were not currently scheduled to work with him at the time.[17][18]
Recording[]
In late 2006, Coldplay acquired a former bakery in a northwest London backstreet, converting it into a studio facility and naming it The Bakery. The songs written during their time at The Bakery are lyrically “much more abstract, much more visual than before”, and musically “less straight-forward, more oblique.”[19] It was also stated that the band have been working on 25 "pieces" of music for the new album. Additionally, Martin wanted to make a vocal transition from his trademark falsetto to a lower register. This is explored in "Yes", where the main characteristic of the Velvet Underground-inspired song is the lowest vocals Chris Martin ever recorded – this was suggested by the producer Brian Eno, to make every single song sound different. The band's drummer Will Champion said in an interview for MTV: “One of the main things we tried to focus on with this record is changing vocal identities, because Chris has a very recognizable voice.”
After being inspired by their visit to Latin America during their last tour leg in early 2007, Coldplay has moved from initial recordings in London and started recording in churches in Spanish-speaking countries, such as in Barcelona, Spain, in mid-July. Despite the “strengthening Hispanic theme” that was being reflected in both the music and lyrics, it was stressed that the influence was not in any specific sound or instrument but a general feel — a subtle but important effect — to the songs taken as a whole. On their website, the band also revealed taking an acoustic guitar, a laptop, and basic recording equipment “from church to church” in Barcelona and experimenting with particular sounds, especially group-singing sessions, enjoying the reverberation within those environments.[20]
Throughout the recording of Viva la Vida, Coldplay communicated to fans through handwritten notes posted on their website signed under the pseudonym Prospekt, and some song titles were being revealed during this process. The band intended to make “a short, concise record with no fat”, not extrapolating 42 minutes long and containing nine tracks overall. In an early September post, Coldplay had named eight songs in contention for the album: "Lost!", "Cemeteries of London", "Violet Hill", "Poppyfields" (previosuly titled "Poppy Fields"), "42", "Yes" (previously titled "Yes!"), "Leftrightleftrightleft", and "Rainy Day".[21] A new writing surge sparked due to the band's self-imposed deadline pressure in late October and two more songs were written: "Famous Old Painters" and "Glass of Water".[22] A December 2007 post hinted the recording stage was nearly finished and that the mixing stage had started for a few songs; the title "Prospekt's March" was also revealed.[23]
While the band recorded two more songs in four days ("Lovers in Japan" and "Strawberry Swing") one week before Christmas of 2007, a January 30 post claimed that the mixing had been “slow and painstaking” though stating “another month or so” to be finally concluded.[24] Italian violinist Davide Rossi contributed with Coldplay to record strings on his acoustic and electric violin throughout the album. He worked on ten songs overall: "Viva la Vida", "Violet Hill", "Life in Technicolor", "42", "Rainy Day", "Yes", "Strawberry Swing", "Leftrightleftrightleft", "Cemeteries of London", and "Lovers in Japan".[25][26] The album's final track listing was unveiled on April 10, 2008; the songs "Famous Old Painters" and "Leftrightleftrightleft" did not make the record and were not released, while "Prospekt's March / Poppyfields", "Rainy Day", and "Glass of Water" were later added to the Prospekt's March track listing instead.[27]
Composition and themes[]
Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends is a rock album, which has been more specifically described as alternative rock, art rock, pop rock, indie pop and art pop, with dream pop influences. Musically, it contrasts with their first three records; Jonny Buckland described the album as a new direction for Coldplay, a change from their previous albums, which they have referred to as a “trilogy” that they had finished.[28] Rolling Stone described the songs “considerably rougher around the edges, with distorted guitars and more prominent percussion.” The lyrics often deal with recurring themes of death and loneliness. And on several songs, Martin extends his vocal palette considerably beyond the falsetto that has largely defined him, exhibiting a lower, sexier mode that feels more personal and real.[29]
The title track uses an orchestra, while "Lovers in Japan" features a tack piano. "Lost!" is influenced by tribal music, whereas "Strawberry Swing" incorporates Afropop music. He said the album featured less falsetto as he allowed his voice's lower register to take precedence, which is particularly evident on such tracks as "Yes" and "Death and All His Friends".
The album contains an array of different themes such as love, war, and revolution. Unlike their previous releases, the album has a more universal approach, dealing less with personal problems and more with issues of humanity. Songs like "Life in Technicolor II" (which didn't make it to the final track list, but instead was released on Prospekt's March) and "Death and All His Friends" talk about war and politics, while "Violet Hill" has been described as the first anti-war protest song from the band. Martin stated the lyrics of "Violet Hill" were a commentary on Fox News. Other songs, such as the double track "Lovers in Japan/Reign of Love" and "Yes", are about love and desire.
Revolutionary themes are also an important part of the album and its promotion. Coldplay used customized French revolutionary costumes throughout the Viva la Vida Tour and in the videos produced for the album's singles. Chris Martin stated that a big inspiration for the album was the book Les Misérables by Victor Hugo.
The work of the Beatles is apparent as an inspiration throughout the album starting with orchestration on the title track. The song "Violet Hill", with its distorted guitar riffs and bluesy undertones, references the Beatles' album Abbey Road (1969), being named after a street near Abbey Road and borrowing its rhythm from the Beatles. At the 2009 Grammy Awards, when accepting the award for Song of the Year, Will Champion joked: "I'd like to say, first of all, thank you and sorry to Sir Paul McCartney for blatantly recycling the Sgt. Pepper outfits."
Martin revealed he had been reading many Charles Dickens novels during the recording process which may have contributed to the strong visual imagery on such tracks as "Violet Hill" and "Cemeteries of London". In an interview for the Latin American TV channel Boomerang in 2010 Chris said that a big inspiration for the record was the book Les Misérables, which can be noted by the French revolution themes on "Viva la Vida" for example.
Title[]
As the handwritten notes posted on Coldplay's website during the recording process were signed under the name "Prospekt", rumours that this would be the album's title began to gain traction; however, the band clarified on January 30, 2008, that the actual title would be different than Prospekt.[30] The album's official title was announced on March 18 in a Rolling Stone interview with vocalist Chris Martin. The disparate double title, Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, reflects the record's recurrent theme about the duality of life and death. The title's first half, Viva la Vida, is a Spanish phrase that translates into English as "Long Live Life" and it takes its name from a painting by Frida Kahlo, an acclaimed 20th century Mexican painter. Regarding the reason for choosing the title, Chris explained, “[Kahlo] went through a lot of shit, of course, and then she started a big painting in her house that said 'Viva la Vida', I just loved the boldness of it.”
Chris also admitted that there could be comparisons between the album's title and "Livin' la Vida Loca", Ricky Martin's 1999 single from his self-titled album. He stated, “Everyone thinks it comes from Ricky Martin, which is fine. I have absolute respect. I've been through this before, naming something or someone and everyone saying that ‘That's a terrible name’. But then saying, ‘Well, fuck you, that's what it's called, and I'll be proved to be right eventually’. So when Viva la Vida came along, I was kind of annoyed because I'm going to have to try and convince everybody of this, but it just felt right.”[31]
Artwork[]
The artwork for Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends was designed by Coldplay and graphic design duo Tappin Gofton; the duo was responsible for creating all previous artworks for the band's albums and singles. The design style for Viva la Vida took months to be completed; it was initially developed from a set of large-scale sketches and paintings of expressive typography. Lyrics and song titles were boldly painted across old maps, books, copies of old paintings, newspapers and various sorts of second-hand things. The final work was photographed and some additional typography was later added by computer.
Almost all tracks from the album and the EP Prospekt's March have one or more graphic images. On the album's booklet there are nine paintings made by the band. The first is a blue map of Brazil that includes part of the lyrics from "Glass of Water" painted in white. However, the image was later reworked and used as the artwork for the "Lost!" single cover art. The second painting on the booklet illustrates the song "42"; the image consists of part of the song's composition written in a red background, with a black stripe covering the centre. The design for "Cemeteries of London" contains an illustration of London, the song's title and a messy violet background; a portion of the lyrics is used on the top of it. The visual design for "Reign of Love" has its lyrics drawn on a green background. In the middle of the booklet, most of the lyrics of the album are shown amidst an unrecognizable object. The artwork for "Yes" consists of a ripped heart and a line from the song. The painting next to the song's artwork contains lyrics from "Viva la Vida" painted in black on a blue background. The artwork for "Death and All His Friends" was made with scissors and paper. Lyrics for the song appear in the design. The last page in the booklet is simple: a Roman numeral of the number 7 painted in red and green on a yellow background. Some of the paintings were shown on a screen during the Viva la Vida Tour, or used on big balloons inside of the venues.
There were three covers for the album. The front cover for the standard edition is a painting by Eugène Delacroix, entitled Liberty Leading the People, which was slightly altered for the cover by using a white paint brush to draw "VIVA LA VIDA". The Prospekt's March Edition cover uses the same words again, but bigger and painted in gold on a solid black background. The cover for the Prospekt's March EP included another Eugène Delacroix painting (The Battle of Poitiers), and had "Prospekt's March" drawn across the painting similarly to how "Viva la Vida" was drawn across Liberty Leading the People for the standard album cover. The cover used for the Asian Tour edition, has the word "VIVA" painted in red and black stripes against a white background, this same painting was used as the home page for the official Coldplay website during a period, it was created by the band and painted by the drummer Will Champion on a wall at the studio called The Bakery.
Info[]
The first single, "Violet Hill", was released on 9 May 2008 to moderate success. The second single, "Viva la Vida", was released on 25 September 2008 and was a huge success, becoming Coldplay's first Number One on the UK Singles Chart and first Number One on the US Billboard Hot 100. It won Best Rock Album at the Grammy's and was nominated for Album of the Year.
The cover art is the painting Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix with the name of the album written on top of it.
Track listing[]
All tracks written by Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, and Chris Martin, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producers | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Life in Technicolor" | Berryman • Buckland • Champion • Martin • Jon Hopkins | Brian Eno • Markus Dravs • Hopkins | 2:29 |
| 2. | "Cemeteries of London" | Eno • Dravs • Rik Simpson | 3:21 | |
| 3. | "Lost!" | Eno • Dravs • Simpson | 3:55 | |
| 4. | "42" | Eno • Dravs • Simpson | 3:57 | |
| 5. | "Lovers in Japan" / "Reign of Love"
|
Eno • Dravs • Simpson | 6:51
| |
| 6. | "Yes"
|
Eno • Dravs • Simpson | 7:06
| |
| 7. | "Viva la Vida" | Eno • Dravs • Simpson | 4:01 | |
| 8. | "Violet Hill" | Eno • Dravs • Simpson | 3:42 | |
| 9. | "Strawberry Swing" | Eno • Dravs • Simpson | 4:09 | |
| 10. | "Death and All His Friends"
|
Berryman • Buckland • Champion • Martin • Hopkins ("The Escapist") | Eno • Dravs • Simpson • Hopkins ("The Escapist") | 6:18
|
References[]
- ↑ https://www.nme.com/news/music/coldplay-513-1352952
- ↑ No new Coldplay album for five years? Digital Spy. Written by Daniel Kilkelly, published on 30 September 2006.
- ↑ No Five-Year Hiatus for Coldplay — But They Are Taking a Break. MTV. Written by James Montgomery, published on 2 October 2006.
- ↑ Coldplay to Unveil New Songs in Latin America. Billboard. Published on December 1, 2006.
- ↑ Coldplay Mixing Next Studio Album. Billboard. Written by Ray Waddell, published on February 21, 2008.
- ↑ Coldplay Announce Latin American Tour. Coldplaying. Published on December 1, 2006.
- ↑ https://www.chinadaily.com.cn/entertainment/2007-03/05/content_819618.htm
- ↑ Chris Martin: The Rolling Stone Interview. Rolling Stone. Written by Brian Hiatt, published on June 26, 2008.
- ↑ Break's Over: Coldplay Tap Super-Producer Brian Eno for X&Y Follow-up. MTV. Written by James Montgomery, published on February 5, 2007.
- ↑ Coldplay Drafts Eno to Produce Fourth Album. Billboard. Written by Jonathan Cohen, published on January 26, 2007.
- ↑ https://rollingstoneindia.com/bassically-speaking/
- ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/coldplay-at-work-on-something-different-for-upcoming-album-84625/
- ↑ https://timeline.coldplay.com/article/prospekt-the-key-is-communication/
- ↑ https://www.uaudio.com/blog/artist-interview-rik-simpson/
- ↑ Coldplay Promo Interview on Viva la Vida, Part Six (2008). YouTube. at 2:02.
- ↑ Interview: Jon Hopkins. Coldplay.com. Published on November 12, 2008.
- ↑ Coldplay considering collaboration with Timbaland. Entertainment Weekly. Written by Simon Vozick-Levinson, published on February 7, 2007.
- ↑ Timbaland to work with Coldplay. NME. Published on 22 March 2007.
- ↑ Prospekt: “When Brian Eno Speaks, We Listen” Coldplay.com. Published on April 20, 2007.
- ↑ Prospekt: “We’re Recording in Barcelona”. Coldplay.com. Published on July 20, 2007.
- ↑ https://timeline.coldplay.com/article/prospekt-the-arguments-about-tracklisting-have-begun/
- ↑ https://timeline.coldplay.com/article/prospekt-the-next-few-weeks-will-be-intense/
- ↑ https://timeline.coldplay.com/article/prospekt-the-ups-and-downs-come-thick-and-fast/
- ↑ https://timeline.coldplay.com/article/prospekt-mixing-has-been-slow-and-painstaking/
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20100203085445/http://www.coldplaying.com/forum/showthread.php?p=2361675
- ↑ https://coldplaying.com/forums/topic/67875-coldplays-secret-member-davide-rossi/
- ↑ https://timeline.coldplay.com/article/prospekt-reveals-the-viva-tracklisting/
- ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/in-the-studio-coldplay-94587/
- ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/coldplay-at-work-on-something-different-for-upcoming-album-84625/
- ↑ https://timeline.coldplay.com/article/prospekt-mixing-has-been-slow-and-painstaking/
- ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/rolling-stone-exclusive-coldplays-new-album-title-revealed-98198/