Handout 1 - personal.psu.edu la Vida Student Pac…  · Web viewFor 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

Viva la Vidaby Coldplay, 2008

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“Viva la Vida” LyricsColdplay, 2008

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvgZkm1xWPE

1.I used to rule the worldSeas would rise when I gave the wordNow in the morning I sleep aloneSweep the streets I used to own

2.I used to roll the diceFeel the fear in my enemies eyesListen as the crowd would sing"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"

3.One minute I held the keyNext the walls were closed on meAnd I discovered that my castles standUpon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

4.I hear Jerusalem bells are ringin’Roman cavalry choirs are singin’Be my mirror, my sword, and shieldMy missionaries in a foreign fieldFor some reason I can’t explainOnce you’d gone there was neverNever an honest wordThat was when I ruled the world(Ohhh)

5.It was a wicked and wild windBlew down the doors to let me inShattered windows and the sound of drumsPeople couldn’t believe what I'd become

6.Revolutionaries waitFor my head on a silver plateJust a puppet on a lonely stringOh who would ever want to be king?

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7.I hear Jerusalem bells are ringin’Roman cavalry choirs are singin’Be my mirror, my sword and shieldMy missionaries in a foreign fieldFor some reason I can’t explainI know Saint Peter won't call my nameNever an honest wordBut that was when I ruled the world(Ohhhh Ohhh Ohhh)

8.Hear Jerusalem bells are ringin’Roman cavalry choirs are singin’Be my mirror, my sword and shieldMy missionaries in a foreign fieldFor some reason I can’t explainI know Saint Peter won't call my nameNever an honest wordBut that was when I ruled the world (Ooooh Ooooh Ooooh)

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Reaction Tracker SheetA. After you’ve read the text

1. Who is the speaker?

2. What happens in this song?

3. What kinds of allusions do you see? What do they mean? Why do you think the writer included them?

4. What do you think the message of the song is (what does it mean to you)?

B. After you’ve heard the song5. Does seeing the movie and hearing it change any of your answers? If

yes, which ones?

6. What do you think the message of the song is now (what does it mean to you)?

C. After you’ve read the fan interpretations4

7. Which fans do you agree with the most? Why are their arguments believable to you?

8. Which fans do you disagree with? Why?

9. What do you think the message of the song is now (what does it mean to you)?

D. After you’ve read the biography10. Does reading the biography change any of your ideas about the

meaning of the song? If so, which parts? If not, why not?

11. What do you think the message of the song is now (what does it mean to you)? Has it changed a lot since the beginning, or has it stayed the same?

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Fan Interpretationshttp://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858719657/

1. raviolicadillac 05-08-2008

well, first off, I'm really impressed by this song. I absolutely love it...the instrumentals are amazing and Chris Martin's voice and vocal melodies are perfect. The first verse is talking about a decline from wealth and fame to a nobody. I've been trying to figure out what the relevance of this is, but no ideas yet. In the second verse, his mindset seems to have changed and he's accepted his lower status and now is questioning, "who would ever wanna be king?" Well, he used to be the King and now that he sees what it looks like from an outsider's perspective, he realizes that he's glad to have left it behind.

I have no idea about the chorus. Hopefully someone else has some ideas.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~2. RJ10 05-08-2008

I think this song has something to do with religion because of the references to romans, Jerusalem and the opening line 'I used to rule the world, seas would rise when I the the word'. I can't figure it out. But I love this song already the sound is so different to the normal coldplay and is refreshing to hear. This along with violet hill have really got me lookig forward to the new album.

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3. Viva La M u sica 05-09-2008

I really like this song.Coldplay seems to be throwing in a ton of Religious and Christian references into there newer songs."Revolutionaries wait For my head on a silver plate Just a puppet on a lonely string Oh who would ever wanna be king?" -This could be a reference to John the Baptist of the New Testament.In The Book of Mark, John is noted as the one that comes before Jesus to announce His coming to Earth. A lot of people thought he (John) was going to be their Messiah, however he corrected them and told them that it was the One after him that would fill that role. I, also, argue that point because it is

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said somewhere that John's head was brought to king Herod on a Silver Platter.

Also, while on this subject - at the beginning:"I used to rule the world Seas would rise when I gave the word Now in the morning I sweep [sleep?] alone Sweep the streets I used to own"-The speaker used to be a king, now he is not... and has turned over kingship. Potential reference of someone giving God kingship over his life….

"I know Saint Peter won't call my name"-The speaker has doubts about going to heaven after he dies??? Maybe, he may just believe that good, "honest" works won't get him in to heaven.That is it for now.This is only my opinion, and would like to see if anyone agrees with me.VIVA LA VIDA!

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4. tgbeinlich 05-10-2008

There is a TON of spiritual imagery in this song. One that particularly caught my eye was when he refers to his castles standing "upon pillars of salt and pillars of sand". I think this possibly is a reference to the sermon on the mount where Jesus speaks of a wise man building is house on a rock while the foolish man builds his house on the sand, only to be washed away. I am not sure on most of the meaning of this song but I do think that there is a link between total power and foolishness, contrasted with the loss of power (dependence on something else?) and gaining wisdom of your situation.

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5. GoochyLittlePig 05-10-2008

Perhaps it's sung from the point of view of Jesus, who used to rule the world but now is no longer a powerful force to a lot of people. Probably not, but just a thought. Also, the part "The old king is dead. Long live the King" is what happens in the UK when the sovereign dies, power is instantly transferred to the heir. Hence, long live the new King.

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6. diegonorte 05-10-2008

I think it is about the decline of the Roman Catholic Church. At one point the church was the major world power. It had total control and during the crusades the crusaders were thought of as missionaries which would help to make sense of the chorus.

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7. the7keys 05-11-2008

Given that this album seems to revolve around the theme of celebrating life (Viva la Vida) and revolutions (the cover art depicts the French Revolution by Delacroix), I think this song embodies the nature of revolutions. The lyrics to this song seem to refer to revolutions in history thus far, about kings, queens, emperors, and other rulers who fall from high places after revolutions from below. The French Revolution, the Chinese Revolution, the Russian Revolution, and the British Civil Wars in the 17th century all come to mind when I hear these lyrics. Each revolution overthrew a powerful central government, with a powerful head of state in a violent and bloody fashion (think "heads on a silver plate"). These lyrics are telling their stories from the point of view of the fallen leader, in a very poetic way, but the message is essentially "Oh, who would ever want to be king?" Because revolutions have occurred over and over in history, and they will continue to occur, but such is the story of life and of humanity.

In a way, the sound of this album is a "revolution" from previous works of Coldplay. The inclusion of instrumentals and choir-like vocals is quite a departure from their previous works. So, to me, this song is about celebrating revolutions of every form -- political, economic, social, and especially artistic. Because without revolutions, there would be no progress. And this fourth album is part of Coldplay's progress.

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8. AYesso 05-13-2008

Well...I seriously agree w/ the last person...the cover IS the clueso here's why:1. The song seems to be about desperation, about someone who has lost everything- King Louis xiv fled during the French Revolution to escape the new constitution of the national assembly...he was desperate, even going to the queen's family in Austria ( the Hapsburgs) to ask for help...

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2.The song describes something about a kingdom/castle on pillars of salt...during the Revolution, the entire government was falling to pieces...people were executed,arrested, or even tortured for being loyal to dthe king....ESPECIALLY Catholics...anyway, so this is what King Louis would have seen as he was leaving France, his entire kingdom, everything he had ever known, was fall ing apart, and there was nothing he could do about it...So, as you can see...there are many different ways this song is connected to the French Revolution...and if ya'll are wondering where I got this stuff, we just covered the French Revolution in Religion, so I just felt like sharin' all this info....

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9. Morgan Freeman 9 05-14-2008

To me, this song is talking about World War 2, or possibly the vietnam war. The frequent allusions to "swords" and "shields" are clues, as wars are fought with both of these two things, or at least they used to be, until guns were invented, and airplanes and such. And I think, if my theory is correct, that Hitler is represented by "the pillar of salt" (such a bad taste!) or maybe the "bell a'ringing", because Hitler, much like bells, really grabbed our attention, didn't he? The Roman Calvary, of course, refers to the allied forces, who fought bravely and might have even won world war 2, I can't remember actually who won, but in the end, does it really matter? Because as coldplay says "one minute I held the key (ie. the atomic bomb), next the walls were closed on me (ie. good-bye japan, you're blown up now)", so whatever, it's just a theory.

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10 .redsaber 05-15-2008

I think all of you are absolutely right.

You have to remember the picture from Delacroix as the cover. That is a very important part of the real meaning of this song.

"Viva la Vida", or "life is well done". In other words, I think the meaning of this whole song is "what goes around, comes around". I think he uses so much images to Christianity, Napoleon, the french revolution and such to bring us into a "general mood", a "general idea" behind that album. It is a very political/philosophical album. They want to give it an "epic journey" feel (Who knows, maybe it's becoming a father that makes you open your eyes like that).

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I think the "general idea" behind this album and this song is that "Everything is gonna be alright". Kings are just humans after all, they fall and they will suffer the consequences of their acts. That can be true for Bush, Napoleon, the french artistocracy, etc.

Remember, always, you might want to rule the world, have an effect on everyone, have everyone want to be at your place, but once you're at the top, it does not mean that you'll not have to answer for your acts: St-peter might not call your name into heaven, or in non-christian words, you might have to face your own conscience.

Life is well done. All that goes up, must come down.

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11. LostMan31 05-21-2008

The song is written in the first person by a king, or least a person who use to be king.

1. The person use to rule the world, but now, he is sweeping "the streets I used to own."2. He then goes on to talk about how he became corrupted . Thinking he could do anything, he use to role the dice on whether or not to attack the enemy. 3. We thought he had the power, but it turns out that his government, where crooked. They were using him to do their will. ChorusThe stanza, like others have said, is filled with Christian symbolism. "Jerusalem" seems as though it refers to Jesus. Jesus was thought praised when he entered Jerusalem, but a week later was being being put to death by the same people who had praised him. 4. Listening to his advisor's, who fed his corrupted propaganda, it turned the people against him. Could be a reference to a famous king who was outed. 5. Because of what he was forced to do, "revolutionaries" wait to kill him. He maintains that he was just following the advice of others-"Just a puppet on a lonely string."Last noteImportant to note that although his decisions probably led to neglecting the people in his kingdom-"people couldn't believe what I'd become"- he believes that it was not his fault. "Saint Peter will call my name" means that he believes Saint Peter, the gatekeeper at Heaven's gate, will still let him in.

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12. peeje 05-22-2008

How can no one here have been reminded of more modern examples? Such as Tony Blair, or George Bush (he may not have been deposed yet, but he's certainly immensely unpopular world over). It's all very well linking it to the past, which seems quite explicit in the lyrics, but i'm pretty sure they were thinking of modern examples as well. Mostly I thought of Tony Blair the first few times of hearing it, and thought about how even in these modern times, leaders still wield such power and decide the fate of millions at the roll of a dice. Anyone else get that from this song?

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13. mjcmike1 05-23-2008

i think it rather obvious it is about George Bush. basically how we was able to do some much with his power and instead of good things, he has done so many terrible things. he, being a Christian, will not be recognized by St. Peter when he comes to the gates of heaven. there are times when the song might seem about Jesus, but I think it is really about Bush and all the ills he has caused the world. "a puppet on a string".

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14. gibbonse2 05-23-2008

this song is definitely political. the question is what political context are they refering to? the artwork suggests it is the french revolution, but the album name is spanish. this could refere to the revolutions that take place all over south america. maybe the song and the entire album is a tribute to great revolutions and revolutionaries, thats just the feeling i get from it.

i also think that this song is a prediction of what America will look like soon. american should pay attention to patterns: the bigger they are the harder they fall. he refers to world superpowers that have fallen and what it is like.

i don't like to disect songs line for line, but i love the FEELING of this song. i think this album will be very ground breaking not only lyrically and instrumentally, but because coldplay has something to say and they are saying it with conviction.

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15. mjcmike1 05-23-2008

just to add a little more as I listen…

I think he is referring to Bush hearing the "bells ringing" and the "calvary choir" singing, this could be his supporters. the missionaries in a foreign field are definitely soldiers in Iraq.

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16. MasterAndreRaven 05-24-2008

I am not sure if someone has already posted something along these lines, but this is how I view this song. (Brilliant song, by the way)

I had the power to part the seas, I was a mighty ruler of menI have become a normal person, perhaps a recluse, living how the other half lives. My subjects have all left me now; peasant?I gambled in war, often taking risks in order to make a pointI heard only the adoration of my subjects, though the adoration was only because I was the king at the timeI had everything I could have wanted, but things became too stressful, and I soon became trapped in my own gloryAll of my possessions were only things, and all good things come to pass; everything I worked to build fell apart as I did.I can tell that I am to part this life soon, and I hear the sounds of death approachingTell me who I really am. Give me shelter and protection for the things I have doneI often sent those to speak for me in far away lands, but the words I sent were liesNo one told me the truth, for I was king. They dared not to tell me of the truth, for fear of my wrath.In the distruction of my kingdom [or kingship], I realised who I really was.When we were invaded, people realized that I was not a true king, and I had no way to protect them.There were those who plotted against me while I was king, waiting for me to fail, as I did.I only played the role of a king; I did not do all that a true king should.I realize now that I was a fool for thinking that I could have been a king in the first place.

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I have done many bad things in my time, and it is unlikely that I will see such glory as I did when I was king in heaven.

Hope this has shed some light...perhaps not, but it was worth a try.

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Coldplay BiographyRolling Stone Magazine:

http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/coldplay/biography

Indeed Coldplay's sound — dulcet, largely mid-tempo, melodic, and very dramatic — bore plenty of similarity to mid-1990s Radiohead. Indeed, when Coldplay issued its debut, Parachutes (Number 51, 2000), the success of the album's easeful sound was widely chalked up to the group's having stepped into the breach Radiohead had left with the release of the experimental Kid A. But Coldplay's penchant for melodic hooks and ability to pull heartstrings proved them no flash in the pan as they became one of the most commercially successful acts of the new millennium.

Coldplay formed at the University College of London in 1998 by guitarists Chris Martin, a pianist from childhood and also a singer, and Jon Buckland; they were later joined by drummer Will Champion and bassist Guy Berryman. (Tim Rice-Oxley was asked to join on keyboards, but was too busy with his own group, Keane.) They played their first shows as "the Coldplay," and in 1998 self-issued an EP, Safety; the following year, U.K. indie Fierce Panda released the Brothers and Sisters EP, the group performed its first sessions for the BBC Radio 1 presenter Steve Lamacq, played Glastonbury, and signed to Parlophone.

Though Parachutes' lead single, "Shiver," didn't make much impact, the follow-up, "Yellow" (Number 48, 2001), was omnipresent on radio and one of the first power-ballad hits of the new decade. The group's follow-up, A Rush of Blood to the Head (Number 5, 2002), consolidated Coldplay's position as the go-to band for melodically sturdy guitar-rock weepers, as it spun off a fistful of big hits: "In My Place" (Number 17 Modern Rock, 2002); "The Scientist" (Number 18 Modern Rock, 2003); the piano-driven "Clocks" (Number 29, 2003), which won the 2004 Grammy Award for Record of the Year; and "God Put a Smile on Your Face."

In Rush's wake, Martin became an outspoken advocate of fair trade (he appeared with the phrase "Make Trade Fair" written on his hand on a magazine cover) and spoke in favor of John Kerry's presidential bid, though Martin doesn't have an American vote. (His wife, the Oscar-winning actress Gwyneth Paltrow, does.) The band gives ten percent of its profits to charity.

Those profits went way up in 2005, when Coldplay released its third album, X & Y, which went straight to Number One in 22 countries, including the U.S. and U.K. Despite critical pans (including a high-profile drubbing in the New York Times), the album spun off the radio tracks "Speed of Sound" (Number Eight, 2005), "Fix You" (Number 59, 2005), "Talk" (Number 86, 2006), and "The Hardest Part" (Number 37 Adult Contemporary, 2006). Martin became a tabloid fixture thanks to his marriage, but his appeal, and his band's, remained relatively down to earth.

On 2008's Viva La Vida Or Death And All His Friends (Number One, Top 200) Coldplay's sound became more overtly experimental and political as the band

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worked with boundary-pushing producers like Brian Eno who helped bring the band both critical and commercial acclaim.

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Sentence-Level Stress in American English Stress is determined by two groups of words:

o content words o function words

The table below explains more about each group:

Content words Function wordsCharacteristics

have independent meaning have no meaning, but address grammatical relationships

Stressed? usually stressed usually unstressed, unless the speaker wants to draw attention to them

Examples - nouns- verbs- main verbs- adverbs- adjectives- question words (what, when, etc.)- demonstratives (this, that these, those)

- articles (a, an, the)- prepositions- auxiliaries (will, have, forms of “to be”)- pronouns (her, it, him, etc.)- conjunctions (and, or, as, that)- relative pronouns (that, which, who)

How do you know where the main stress is in a sentence? o Major sentence stress falls on the stressed syllable of the last

content word in the sentence. o For example:

I walked home in the rainstorm. The function words are “I,” “in,” and “the” The content words are “walked,” “home,” and

“rainstorm” The last content word in the sentence is “rainstorm,”

and as we learned in the last unit, the stress falls on “rain” So, the major sentence stress is on the “rain” of “rainstorm”

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What if you want to emphasize something out of the ordinary?o Change the stress to a word that is not the usual major sentence

stress (we call this informational stress) Whatever you decide to stress changes the meaning to

highlight that particular aspect as most importanto For example, if you decide that you want to make sure that your

friend knows that you didn’t ride in a car on the way home from school even though it was raining, you can say:

I walked home in the rainstorm. By stressing “walked,” you are emphasizing the fact

that you did not use another form of transportation o How do you think the meaning would change if you said it this way?

I walked home in the rainstorm.

o Or this way? I walked home in the rainstorm.

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Stress Activities1. Use the new lyrics sheet on page 17 and work with your group to…

o Mark what the normal major sentence stress would be (using each line as a sentence)

o Listen to the song again and mark where the song stress is different from the normal major sentence stress (the song may have more stressed words than just one per line).

o Choose a few of the most interesting differences. For each choice, do you think the stress is different because of the music, or because of informational stress? Write your group’s answers in the chart on the next page.

Place of Difference (Stanza and Line #’s)

This is an example of Musical Stress only(why?)

or This is an example of Musical and Informational Stress (why?)

2. Work with your group to write a skit in which you use informational stress at least three times. For example, instead of saying “Would you like some ice cream?” (with normal major stress), say “Would you like some ice cream?” (with informational stress). Be creative!

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“Viva la Vida” Lyricsby Coldplay, 2008

1.I used to rule the worldSeas would rise when I gave the wordNow in the morning I sleep aloneSweep the streets I used to own

2.I used to roll the diceFeel the fear in my enemies eyesListen as the crowd would sing"Now the old king is dead! Long live the king!"

3.One minute I held the keyNext the walls were closed on meAnd I discovered that my castles standUpon pillars of salt and pillars of sand

4.I hear Jerusalem bells are ringin’Roman cavalry choirs are singin’Be my mirror, my sword, and shieldMy missionaries in a foreign fieldFor some reason I can’t explainOnce you’d gone there was neverNever an honest wordThat was when I ruled the world(Ohhh)

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5. It was a wicked and wild windBlew down the doors to let me inShattered windows and the sound of drumsPeople couldn’t believe what I'd become

6.Revolutionaries waitFor my head on a silver plateJust a puppet on a lonely stringOh who would ever want to be king?

7.I hear Jerusalem bells are ringin’Roman cavalry choirs are singin’Be my mirror, my sword and shieldMy missionaries in a foreign fieldFor some reason I can’t explainI know Saint Peter won't call my nameNever an honest wordBut that was when I ruled the world(Ohhhh Ohhh Ohhh)

8.Hear Jerusalem bells are ringin’Roman cavalry choirs are singin’Be my mirror, my sword and shieldMy missionaries in a foreign field

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For some reason I can’t explainI know Saint Peter won't call my nameNever an honest wordBut that was when I ruled the world (Ooooh Ooooh Ooooh)

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