My favourite song from the album is the title track, and I've spent a bit of time lately thinking about why I really like the songs I love, like this one. Where I've come to is that many of the songs I enjoy the most are ones that really build - songs like Viva la Vida, Straight Lines by Silverchair, Knights of Cydonia by Muse. There's something great about the way in which a song starts low, then gradually builds to a musical explosion... awesome.
It seems to me that life, at its best, is full of a similar feeling. We move through periods where the music dies down, then gradually starts to build (and our expectation with it), leading up to a key moment, where something significant happens, then the music starts to die down again, before rebuilding and starting again.
Just like with music, if it was pumped the whole time, or if it was quiet the whole time, life would get boring - it's the changes in tempo, feel, and the crests and troughs that make life enjoyable. Sure, sometimes we'd prefer it would build a bit quicker, or die down earlier, but if we (I!) can learn to ride the waves, and appreciate the subtle changes, and where it is taking us, I'm sure it would be so much easier to enjoy life.
Viva la Vida!
