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Viva La VidaColdplay

Released: May 25, 2008

Songwriter: Will Champion Jonny Buckland Guy Berryman Chris Martin

Producer: Rik Simpson Brian Eno Markus Dravs

[Verse 1: Chris Martin]
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

[Verse 2: Chris Martin]
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

[Chorus: Chris Martin]
I hear Jerusalem bells are 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

[Verse 3: Chris Martin]
It was the 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
Aw, who would ever want to be king?

[Chorus: Chris Martin]
I hear Jerusalem bells are 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
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

[Bridge: Will, Jonny, Guy, Brian]
Oh-oh-woah, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-woah, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-woah, oh-oh, oh
Oh-oh-woah, oh-oh, oh

[Breakdown: Chris Martin & Will, Jonny, Guy, Brian]
(Oh-oh-woah, oh-oh, oh)
I hear Jerusalem bells are ringing
(Oh-oh-woah, oh-oh, oh)
Roman Cavalry choirs are singing
(Oh-oh-woah, oh-oh, oh)
Be my mirror, my sword and shield
(Oh-oh-woah, oh-oh, oh)
My missionaries in a foreign field
(Oh-oh-woah, oh-oh, oh)
For some reason I can't explain
(Oh-oh-woah, oh-oh, oh)
I know Saint Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

[Outro]
Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm
Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm
Mmm, mmm...

Coldplay

Coldplay is a British rock band, formed in 1997 by University College London classmates Chris Martin (vocals, guitar, piano), Jonny Buckland (guitar) and Guy Berryman (bass), along with drummer Will Champion. The band’s name comes from Tim Crompton, a student who was in the same university as the members (University College London) at the time.

Once they issued their debut, Parachutes in 2000, many saw them as a Radiohead knock-off. No doubt, Coldplay’s sound —elegant, melodic, vaguely spacey and very dramatic — bore plenty of similarity to mid-1990s Radiohead. But the group’s hooks, sharpened by frontman Chris Martin’s ability to pull heartstrings, and the their willingness to evolve their sound, gave Coldplay staying power. The greatest examples are second album A Rush of Blood to the Head (2002), which was generally considered to be musically and lyrically more mature and sophisticated, and less obviously the product of one particular influence, and the fourth one Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends (2008), where producer Brian Eno influenced the band to broaden their sound and led to various sonic landscapes. Both won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Album and spawned sucessful singles such as “Clocks”, “Viva la Vida”, “In My Place”, “Violet Hill” and “The Scientist”.

As a result, the band became one of the most commercially successful acts of the new millennium, with over 80 million albums sold – even if along with the acclaim came a vocal opposition, due to the supposedly derivative nature, the overtly emotional lyrics, and the fact they’re good-mannered English boys instead of wild rockstars. As a result, Coldplay are thought as either a punchline showing all that’s wrong with 21st century rock, or a really good if overplayed band with songs tailor made for stadium performances.

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