Comment

Comment by Ryan Parsons on March 10, 2009 at 8:06pm

Fantastic question! It is a good song.

Is it purposefully pro-spirituality? I'm not sure. There have been times where I have thought an artist might be trying to communicate something profound only to discover later they weren't. On the other hand, I think the song is definitely pro-spirituality. I think most of the top hits today contain something that is very pro-spirituality. The key is the void that is described in almost every song. It manifests itself in different ways whether it be eternal love, forgiveness or a place to belong. Recently I have been evaluating a couple hits by Nickelback and Metallica in order to identify the way they describe the void. Listening to current popular music gives us a window into the culture’s perceived void. It serves us well to connect on that level with people and help them recognize the only thing that will fit the void…Jesus.

Thanks James!

Obligated to Him,
Ryan Parsons
Church Blog Theory

Comment by Tony Whittaker on March 8, 2009 at 1:03pm

I don't know that it is pro or anti anything! It's a mixture of enigmatic imagery that offers a number of themes that people can think about.

And therefore (whatever the intent of the songwriter) it makes an incredibly good starting-point to connect with people and start unpacking and analyzing some themes which relate to bible truths or Jesus.

I blogged about this last week here - about the incredible value of using popular culture as a starting point, online or offline. I did a quick google, and could find no one seems to have tried. LIkewise with Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah, which was No 1 and No 2 in the UKs charts over Christmas (owing to the winner of the X-factor singing it).

Blessings

Tony

Comment by Danny Bratcher on March 8, 2009 at 12:48pm

James, this is the first time to hear this song, and I really like it! I am a big U2 fan (who have a lot of song with spiritual content) so Coldplay is right up my alley. I have not heard it enough to let the lyrics sink in, but I would venture to say that he is talking about pro-spirituality because of all the references that he makes.
I wondered about the meaning, so I began looking online, and found that their is a lot of talk about the meaning of this song. One thing I discovered is that this song can be a source of outreach because of what some of these people are saying. Here is just one of the quotes that I found on this site.

http://www.sing365.com/music/Lyric.nsf/Viva-la-Vida-lyrics-Coldplay...

Ivonne | Reviewer: Ivonne | 10/23/08

The song is definitely about Louis XVI. The two comments from Anonymous are correct. The rest... boy! review your history classes or take one. Nevermind, for sure they are Americans... who show up at the Opera wearing flip flops and shorts.
That is why they talk about puppies in other comments.

Jesus? God? People, Jesus and God dont rule the world. They let us do whatever we want (we are supposed to do good and be like Them but we are too busy with a selfish attitude), that is why we are messing up weather, disrespecting everything/everyone, and spreading all sorts of diseases, and infections. The True King, is about to start His Kingdom... Soon, very soon and when He comes back to earth... I just hope i have done enough good to present as a gift...OR AS A SHIELD FOR HIS JUSTICE.

I never found what the artist was trying to say, but it would be interesting to find out!

Comment by James Nored on March 7, 2009 at 10:39pm

Chip, I too hear the "emptiness" in ruling the world, and you give some excellent examples here of Madoff and others. And while he speaks of St. Peter not calling his name, he says that this was "when he ruled the world." Seems to be past tense.