The lyrics contain historical and Christian references (King of France Louis XVI, Roman cavalry choirs and the French Revolution), and the track is built around a looping string section with a digitally processed piano, while other layers are gradually added.

"[10] "Viva la Vida" soars in with a grandiose instrumental arrangement and sweeping lyrics detailing the pain of being deposed from a lofty position.

Lyrically, the pain of the protagonist is clear, but the sweep of words about Jerusalem bells, Roman cavalry, and Saint Peter give "Viva la Vida" an air of intelligence rare in today's most popular pop songs.

Martin has explained the song lyric "I know Saint Peter won't call my name" in an interview with Q magazine: "It's about ... You're not on the list" to enter the pearly gates.

[12] When asked about the song, bass guitarist Guy Berryman said: "It's a story about a king who's lost his kingdom, and all the album's artwork is based on the idea of revolutionaries and guerrillas.

Rossi's strings comprise the main driving force throughout the song, with a strong beginning loop that supports Martin's voice, until the choruses where the symphonic power of the orchestra takes its fullest shape.

[15] The song was part of the pre-order marketing for Viva la Vida or Death and All His Friends, which also included exclusive acoustic versions for "Lost!"

[23][24] It has since gone on to make many media appearances, including being featured throughout the episode "A Person of Interest" from the paranormal drama Medium, as a song played on the radio in the episode "We're Not in Kansas Anymore" from the teen drama 90210,[25] and on the international soundtrack to the Brazilian soap opera A Favorita which helped push the track up the charts in Brazil, where the telenovela had been shown.

[33][34] This second version is a tribute to Corbijn's video for Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence" and portrays Chris Martin as the king from whose perspective the song is sung.

In the Entertainment Weekly review of the album, critic Chris Willman wrote: "Take the title track ... on which [Martin] imagines himself as a paranoid monarch.

[35] Chris Jones of the BBC noted: "The string/brass mutations that bolster a track like 'Viva La Vida' ... conjure tunes so sweetly melancholy.

"[36] In the IGN review, critic Chad Grischow wrote, "It is their one and only foray into unabashed orchestral pop, but the punchy strut of the strings and fantastic marching vocals make it far too charming and lively to dislike, and even harder not to love.

[44] "Viva la Vida" has been sampled in several other songs, including Flo Rida's "Be on You", Mac Miller's "Cut the Check" featuring Chief Keef and Drake's "Congratulations" from his So Far Gone mixtape.

[61] It was the first song by a British act to reach number one in the UK Singles Chart and Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously since Rod Stewart's "Maggie May", released in 1971.

[62] "Viva la Vida" also went on to become the band's highest-charting single in American radio, becoming their first top-ten hit on the Hot 100 Airplay where it peaked at number eight.

During the 2008–09 season, the German football club Hamburger SV used "Viva la Vida" as their goal celebration song.

The song was also played during Pep Guardiola's farewell before his final match coaching Barcelona at the Nou Camp, a 4–0 victory against Espanyol on 5 May 2012.

[71] The song was also played on Gerard Pique's final game at the Camp Nou on November 5, 2022, marking the end of his 25-year-long career with FC Barcelona.

The National Hockey League's New York Rangers played "Viva la Vida" at Madison Square Garden after victories during the 2011 season.

The song was also used pre-match during every 2008 Rugby League World Cup game before the two teams took to the field and in the band's Super Bowl 50 halftime show in 2016 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

[74] Singer Andrew Hoepfner, claimed that Martin had heard them playing their piece "The Songs I Didn't Write" at a live show in October 2007.

[76] In December 2008, American guitarist Joe Satriani filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against Coldplay in Los Angeles.

[77] It declared that "Viva la Vida" incorporates "substantial, original portions" of his composition "If I Could Fly", from Is There Love in Space?

[81] In May 2009, British musician Cat Stevens stated that "Viva la Vida" is similar to "Foreigner Suite" (1973), comparing them after talking with his son about it.

[83] In a documentary for Sveriges Television (2011) American music professor Dr. Lawrence Ferrara showed that the melody structures of "Viva la Vida", "If I Could Fly" and "Foreigner Suite" were all similar to the track "Se Tu M'Ami", which has its authorship attributed to Italian composers Alessandro Parisotti and Giovanni Battista Pergolesi.

[88] The song and "Lost+" were performed live at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, which took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, on 8 February 2009.