Wednesday, August 13, 2008

Viva La Continuation of my Argument

I found this Protestant interpretation of the album (let me just say, I only call it Protestant because of the name of the blog, denomination means little when it comes to this stuff).

I'm not so sure this guy is really getting it, though. I don't think there is an underlying Christian message, as he calls it, within the album. As I've read the lyrics more and more, my doubts are given assurance that Coldplay is mocking Christianity, not celebrating it or "discovering" it. It's like small children mocking or mimicking something they only have partial knowledge of, so they do an "interpretation", if you will. That's Coldplay. Perhaps they are exploring Christian themes, but they are certainly not elevating them. Anyway, give it a read.

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

More thoughts on Coldplay

I was doing some more research on attempting to understand the un-understanable "Viva La Vida" album, and came across this very sober article from a Christian perspective.

The author is of course recognizing the spiritual references that permeates most of the band's music and I don't believe he comes to any more of a conclusion than anyone else, but he does make some good points about Coldplay's philosophy. So give it a read, if your interested.

Being a person of faith, particularly Christian faith, in contemporary society is never an easy role to play, yet it is what we are. Pop culture and faith are strange bedfellows, but necessary ones when it comes to the dialogue of how they should and do interact and the Christian response to it. This is something has always sparked my own attention, especially seeing how history, society, and culture interact. Throw religion into the mix and it becomes something else entirely. Paying attention to the signs that culture plants in front of us, good or bad, whether negative or positive, is an obligation of the modern Christian. Not paying attention and not analyzing the world around us is, if I may be so frank, anti-intellecutalism, or a shying away from facing the more challenging aspects of what our faith means to us. It's simply spiritual laziness. Christ did not call us to take the easy route, after all.

Friday, August 8, 2008

A few thoughts on "Viva La Vida"



Coldplay's new album has been on my mind recently. I was attracted to it initially by its historical refrences: the Delacroix painting cover-art, the "VLV" music video that mimics it (I'm always impressed by that kind of video work) and looking at the track listing, it seems the songs would be sort of pretty.


But it's been handed a bad rap due to purported anti-catholic references within the lyrics "For some reason I can't explain/ I know St. Peter won't call my name", etc.


I've always been wary about getting too sucked in to music that could easily depress me or just isn't good for the soul (more latter than former), so I'm always analyzing everything I listen to (honestly, it keeps me busy while I listen to almost anything with lyrics). :) So I decided to do some research on the new Coldplay album because frankly I love Coldplay, but was feeling slightly odd about this one.


I read the entire lyrics for the album and there seems to be a running theme of "I know that God exists, but I'm not sure or I'm not ready, to let Him in yet." There is at least one religious reference within each song. Most of them are maudlin little ditties about cemetaries of London at night and "banks that became Cathedrals/And fog/that became God," (Violet Hill). But others are at least a little more poignant: "You thought you were a ghost/ You didn't get to Heaven, but you made it close."


?? Who wants to listen to that? It's rubbish (a polite word I use for something else, I'm afraid). I know that Chris Martin has given interviews about growing up Catholic in Anglican England, so perhaps this is his way of venting his needless struggles with faith, but I honestly don't see how Viva La Vida, which seems to be spouting the words of every disposed despot that ever lived, has anything to do with religion. It would make an excellent theme song for a biopic of Napoleon, starring Gerard Depardieu. :-P


So, no, I will not download the song Viva La Vida (the only one I like, anyway). I'm religious, if you hadn't guessed already, and I won't fund secularity, no matter how much it appeals to my senses. But...I will listen to it on YouTube from time to time, via iPhone. Something about driving with the top down and listening to Coldplay with the wind in your hair goes hand in hand. I think it's the string sections.


Viva La Optimismo!