Chris Martin Responds To Coldplay Plagiarism Claims From Joe Satriani
December 10, 2008 by Dave Parrack
Last week ended with the news that American guitarist Joe Satriani was suing Coldplay claiming they had plagiarized one of his songs. Satriani claims that the 2008-released Viva La Vida rips off his 2004 single If I Could Fly. Coldplay has now responded to the claims, with Chris Martin vehemently denying them.
Satriani is seeking all profits Coldplay have made from Viva La Vida because he thinks the British band stole “substantial original portions” of one of his works. He wants a jury trial for the case, which will be to determine if Viva has copied from Satriani’s album track, If I Could Fly.
Satriani told MusicRadar:
“I’m just doing what I need to do as an artist, to protect what’s mine, to protect those feelings I put down in song. I felt like a dagger went right through my heart. It hurt so much. The second I heard it, I knew it was [my own] ‘If I Could Fly’.”
“Almost immediately, from the minute their song came out, my e-mail box flooded with people going, ‘Have you heard this song by Coldplay? They ripped you off man.’ I mean, I couldn’t tell you how many e-mails I received. Everybody noticed the similarities between the songs. It’s pretty obvious.”
Now Chris Martin has finally spoken up about the claims, which he vehemently denies. He told NME Radio:
“When these things happen it’s a coincidence and we’re as surprised by it as anybody else. Oh, I know exactly where the song ['Viva La Vida'] came from. It came from the middle of the night, on a piano. I just get embarrassed about having to talk about these things.”
I completely side with Martin and Coldplay on this, mainly because having listened to both songs side by side, I don’t think Viva La Vida is a rip-off at all. Sure, there are a few similarities, but none that can’t be batted away as pure coincidence.
Here are video embeds of both songs, as well as a mashup – check them out one after the other and see what you think. Do you side with Coldplay or Satriani?
Coldplay – Viva La Vida
Joe Satriani – If I Could Fly
Coldplay Vs. Satriani Mashup
Unless a song borrows the exact same riff from another, I really can’t see how plagiarism claims stick. Like it or not, there are only so many ways of blending notes together, and as the heritage of modern music extends further into the past, the chances are high of some similar sounding songs being released.
My girlfriend is a big fan of Satriani and backs his view that Viva La Vida is too similar to If I Could Fly, but I’m on the other side of the fence. So if and when this case does come to court, I’ll probably be able to blame Joe Satriani for some arguments between us. Maybe I should sue him for that!
[Photo Source: From Newscom with permission]
Since I’m a Coldplay hater, I have to side with Satriani…but at the same time it could just be pure coincidence. Chris Martin may have heard that song somewhere at some time in his life and it might have been in his subconcious. He started writing a song and that melody came to mind without intentionally copy Joe’s songs. You never really know.
Same tempo, Same melody, same chord progression, same rhythm. ‘Nuff said.
nice rip off. I’m not a huge fan of either one of the artists, but you have to be deff not hear the similarities.
Wow my recommendation to Chris and Coldplay settle out of court now before its too late.
If Martin claims Viva la Vida came from his piano late at night then he must of heard Satriani’s song on the way home that evening. Satriani should get every penny Coldplay made from that song. Especially after those dicks dressed up like Sgt. Pepper at the Grammys. Can they do anything original?
Coldplay is awesome. I havn’t heard the satriani song, but Coldplay seem too kind, and definantly too classy to pull a stunt like that. I’m siding with Coldplay.
Whether it is a rip-off or not i’m not sure – sounds different enough to me (and i like both side’s music)… but if there is a lawsuit here, then every 12 bar blues song ever created can be considered illegitimate too… “hey, i cam up with that I IV V progression first, you owe me $1million!” What BS… I’m sure there are other VI VII III I progression songs out there in the world – probably some near the same tempo as well… there are probably hundreds of ‘em… only difference in this story is Coldplay has millions of $$$$$
I am a Coldplay fan but as a musician I would as one commenter already said have to be deaf not to know that it’s the same song sure their are differences but they are minor differences in comparison to the the tempo, melody line and the progression which are the same. When a guitarist is soloing or playing a melody it’s the same as a singer singing so I hear the same song.
Well being a Coldplay fan I’m obviously going to defend them. Fans of Satriani will side with him obviously.
Coldplay used the guitar riff from Kraftwerk’s “Computer Love” for their song “Talk”. They received permission and gave credit for it.
So knowing that and that they’ve been such a successful band thus far, you’d THINK they wouldn’t have any problem giving credit to Joe Satriani. However… they didn’t.
I believe they didn’t intend to steal it, however I think it was an unrealized, subconsience influence. And a unfortunate one at that.
Meaning I think Chris Martin had heard this song years before and forgotten about it. It must have resurfaced without him knowing as he wrote something he believed was original.
Praytell, what does it mean to “not intend” to steal something. I like Coldplay but they’re saavy enuf to know when they’ve lifted some notes from elsewhere.
Is it so hard to concieve the idea that he came up with a verse melody line that just happened to be the same as the Satriana song? With billions of published songs out there, it’s near impossible for something not to sound like something else that’s already been done. These two songs sound nothing like each other except for the one similarity of the verse melody.
What do you think of Michael Martin’s play on plagiarism. How many did he plagiarize¿ At least more less than the nest. What’s your best?
They both ripped off Cat Stevens’ “Foreigner Suite” from 1973. Listen to it all the way to the end. It’s the same song.
Really? Are we really saying that a band as big as Coldplay purposely ripped off someone else’s song and then said, “if we don’t say anything maybe we’ll get away with it.”? Gimme a break. When you write a song all kinds of influences come to mind… and there are only so many note combinations that sound good. It’s similar, but definitely NOT the same. Get over it Satriani… if you don’t want people influenced by your music, stop playing it.
You are all correct in your opinions. However, if this goes to court, the jury will be asked to compare the melodies. Sound “pretty similar” to my musical ear. I’ve been playing for 40 years and do legal work, as well. It is my non-legal opinion that, in the end, a jury will side with Satch on this one. chances are that the jury pool will not have a singer-songwriter on board, so there will be no room for coldplay to argue a point that the melodies are “only similar.” look into the lawsuit against George Harrison and the reasons why John Lennon did that horrible album of old rock and roll. In this case, there will be no such deal. Either ColdPlay turns over some, if not all, of the profits to Satch, or they will wind up paying the direct damages, atty fees and punitive damages, which ARE allowed in non-contract cases.
Good Luck to either side… My advice to both parties is to settle NOW, before it costs a fortune in wasted attys fees.
They both have a striking similarity to the original theme song from the TV series M.A.S.H.
The Coldplay tempo is slightly faster, and the cadence is different, even the emphasis is different. Even the periods are different. The sections do not even has the same length. Note that portions of the phrease in the Coldplay tune beats out 16th notes, whereas the phrases in Joe’s tune does not vary (all 8s). I like both artists, and I like both tunes. However, I cannot see any plagerism. One might argue some influence, but even that I don’t see it. Viva la Vida actually beings other tunes to my mind, but not Joe’s.
Well, perhaps Joe-Joe did some subconscience channeling of his own since the tune he lays claim to writing sounds remarkably like ‘Frances Limon’ by Enantios Verdes. Probably just one of those coincidence things, eh, Joe. And let’s not leave those Creaky Boards boys out of all this. Now, are they and their song ‘The Song I Didn’t Write’ thieves or victims. Oh, can’t forget to include Cat-Yusuf-Islam-Stevens and his ‘Foreigner Suite’ claim. Oy.
well, it’s not a particularly original chord sequence anyway..it doesn’t matter what key you’re in but it’s a basic kind of ‘c; d; g; e minor’ thing which has been kicked around for ages in virtually every shape or form with a few variants and some related chords thrown in and changed around a bit for good measure..it limits what one would choose for a melody by definition, as all the chords are derived from the same major scale..practically any musician could write some sort of tune around this chord sequence, and there are many examples if one cares to listen to enough music, and, yes, they’re all similar..a fuss about nothing really!
Having allegiance to neither and listened to both (unfortunately the “mash up” isn’t working any more but I didn’t need it anyway), I would agree with Northern Comfort’s review that it’s similar yet dissimilar in those respects noted. (I kinda’ like Satarini’s song better as it’s more R&R to me, but no knock against Coldplay’s song – it’s good.)
Dave Daltry’s comments were also dead-on and I agree that it is “a fuss about nothing really!”. However I see Coldplay being e forced to settle out-of-court, per Charlie Boy’s assessment.
There – and I didn’t plagarize anyone…