Coldplay Debut Hype Williams, Anton Corbijn "Viva La Vida" Videos

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Always democratic, Coldplay revealed to their fans this weekend not one but two videos for the abridged title track of their new album, "Viva La Vida." In the Hype Williams-directed video above, Coldplay stick with the motif they showcased in that iTunes commercial you've no doubt saw a million times leading up to the album's release, with each member of the band performing in front of what looks like either computer screensavers, cloud formations or really muddy lava lamps. The "official alternative" video, directed by "Heart-Shaped Box" and Control visionary Anton Corbijn, casts Chris Martin as a king, walking around from landmark to picturesque landmark with a framed copy of Delacroix's "Liberty Leading the People" (Viva La Vida's album cover) tucked under his arm. Shot in a film stock that echoes '70s porn, Martin searches for a place to hang his painting, ultimately finding solace with the rest of Coldplay on what could be the same beach where the band filmed their "Yellow" video. Check out Corbijn's version here:

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Song Stories

“Everyday People”

Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.

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