Viva la Vida

Day 145 / 366

Viva la Vida translates to “Long live life”. It is also the title of one of my favorite Coldplay songs. I have no idea what the song or the lyrics mean. I just love the vibe of it. This is the case with a lot of songs that I like.

For instance, during COVID, I was obsessed with the song “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles. It has this line that hits so well

Little darlin’, the smile’s returning to their faces
Little darlin’, it seems like you since it’s been here

To me, the second line means that the singer is comparing the feeling of being with someone he loves to the joy that comes when we get some sun after a long and cold winter. Sounds beautiful doesn’t it? Except for one little thing that I had misheard the lyrics for so long. The actual lyrics are

Little darlin’, the smile’s returning to their faces
Little darlin’, it seems like years since it’s been here

Which doesn’t sound nearly as romantic. But who cares? I still sing the version I misheard.

Noel Gallager, the lead singer and songwriter in Oasis once said in an interview that he tries to avoid talking about the meaning of his songs. He believes that the meaning lies with the listener. What a song means to you depends not only on its lyrics but also on the phase of your life that you heard it, and how it affected you. Different people can derive different meanings from the same lines. What’s the point of spoiling it by attaching a singular meaning to art and robbing people of their feelings?