Second July

08 November 2008

long live life

Generally, the MP3s (and WMAs) in my laptop can be classified into 3 groups.

First would be those that no matter how many times I listen to, I would never develope a liking. I also have no idea why they are still sitting there in my laptop. For displaying purpose I guess.

The next category would be those that I've develope a liking only after looping them. An example would be Jay's newest album, Capricorn. *gasp* Yeah, his new songs didn't leave much of a strong first impression, especially the first song. Sad to say, it has the worst, most 'lan' (read in mandarin, not cantonese mind you) opening song among all his albums. On the contrary, my personal favourites are track 6 - 說好的幸福呢, 7 -蘭亭序 and 8 -流浪詩人.

And that leaves the rest of the songs in the last category - those that I fell in love on first listening. Yeap, they're that powderful. Sometimes I wonder what makes a song so captivating, so much so that I can loop them over and over everyday for weeks. The last time I got hooked so much to 4 minutes that I've decided to blog about it, now it's happening again.

It's Coldplay's Viva la Vida (which translates to 'long live life'). I know, it's a song released months ago. The first time I got a taste of that song was when I was back in KL in September, in HC's car and the effect was immediate. I asked JJ for the song's title and band name (thank god she knew) and made a mental note to download it once I get back home (we were heading to a mall).

Do note that I rarely do that to English songs, even if it's English, it definitely will never be one of Coldplay's, at least til that September. And I really think Coldplay did a great job on that song, since it is not one of their typical arrangement of electric guitars and that sort.

Nope, you'll need sharp ears to hear a single guitar in that song. All you can hear (besides Chris Martin's vocals) is the strings and a steady beat of bass drum. Not a single fancy drumworks. And that is what makes the song so perfect. The short timpani roll before every chorus is powerful. The usage of church bell is perfect. The background choir adds to the list of uniqueness. And you know what? The song kept repeating the same 4-chord progression throughout (if I'm not wrong). A bit like Pachabel's Canon, but way sexier and powderful.

For some unknown reasons, the song reminds me of my brother. Don't ask me why. It sounds like one of those songs he kept looping in his room and car (and eventually got me crazy enough to get hooked to a few of them, then in the end I became the one who loops the songs more often than him).

The lyrics is special. It's not about love nor break-ups nor umbrella. It's medieval-themed, or specifically, about a loser king. Heck, it has this effect of lifting up my spirits so much that I think it could've been the official Olympic song if they were to alter the lyrics.

Unsurprisingly, according to the US and UK charts, it is the band's most successful song. Ever.
Ladies and gentlemen, Viva la Vida.

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-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

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-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 St. Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

Ohh...

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
I know St. Peter won't call my name
Never an honest word
But that was when I ruled the world

Credits: LyricWiki

Labels: The Musician

posted by: JYLing @ 5:46 PM

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