A Closer Look at Life in Technicolor

Life in Technicolor, track one of Coldplay’s Viva La Vida album. It’s a truly breathtaking piece of music and until recently I felt that it was just a glorious introduction to an even more glorious Coldplay album…I was wrong.

Upon taking a closer listen, I found that this isn’t just any musical compilation where instruments are slowly introduced one by one to create a dynamic piece of music. It is a song that illustrates what occurs when you take a western civilization culture and collide it head on with a blast of eastern civilization culture. Allow me to explain…

For about the first 50 seconds we hear a very “organ-like” sound. My guess is that it is a keyboard but the sound is still very organ-like nonetheless. The organ, a lasting symbol of the western civilization and more specifically, the Roman Catholic Church; no doubt a leading figure when it comes to the historical development of western civilization.

Then, all of a sudden, a new instrument is introduced into the mix. What is that? (Does anybody know?) It looks a lot like a santur if you ask me. Nevertheless the sound is very “eastern” in nature and provides a wonderful contrast to the previously established organ.

As the song progresses more instruments are slowly added one by one, drums, guitar, etc. Then we have it, at exactly 2:04, the climax of the song, it was all building up to this. A fusion of sound, a burst of music, and a choir of voices . East meets west and what do you get as a result? Perfect Harmony.

Amazing, yet another wonderful example of kinship through dance and music! Thanks Coldplay, for not only a great track but for also providing a glimpse into what our future will be like once we set aside our petty differences and each follow the inspirational words of Mr. Thomas Paine,

"The World is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion."

Have an unforgettable weekend!
-C