Coldplay Plagiarized Joe Satriani?

[NightTrainLayne]

I guess when you "Viva La Vida" you gotta expect some controversy:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/dec/08/joe-satriani-sues-coldplay


Coldplay sued by Joe Satriani for copyright infringementThe American guitar whizz claims Chris Martin and his crew have borrowed 'substantial original portions'



It seems everyone thinks they wrote the Coldplay track Viva La Vida. Earlier this year, New York band Creaky Boards posted a YouTube clip claiming the song was similar to one of their own. And now acclaimed American rock guitarist Joe Satriani is suing the band for copyright infringement. Satriani claims that Viva La Vida rips off his song, If I Could Fly. The suit contends that "substantial original portions" of his song are recycled in Coldplay's hit.

On the one hand, you have Satriani's six-and-a-half-minute instrumental from 2004, with cheese-ball guitar wailing, moments of shredding, and long bouts of soloing. On the other hand, you have Viva La Vida: Eno-produced, Grammy-nominated, full of strings, church bells, drum rolls, chorales. And a sort of harpsichord solo. Certainly Viva La Vida is cheese-ball as well - but it feels more cheddar than Dairylea.

Enterprising YouTubers have already created head-to-head comparisons, but unfortunately for Satriani it's not internet commenters who will decide whether his song has been plagiarised. The 52-year-old is seeking a jury trial, demanding damages and "any and all profits" from the song.

Even if Satriani is unsuccessful, Coldplay may yet have difficulties with Creaky Boards. The band still allege that at least three seconds of Viva La Vida were nicked from their (aptly named) tune, The Songs I Didn't Write.

Not only that, Creaky Boards are, er, pretty sure they saw Chris Martin in the crowd at one of their gigs. Your honour – throw away the key!

When I was out to lunch earlier Howard Stern was playing them simultaneously. . .Satriani might have a case.

[MOtorboat]

I heard this on Friday, actually. I don't think Creaky Boards has much of a case, but the melody line in Satriani's is exactly the same.

[NightTrainLayne]

I heard this on Friday, actually. I don't think Creaky Boards has much of a case, but the melody line in Satriani's is exactly the same.

Stern had a recording and mixed them/played them simultaneously. .. it sounded like Satriani was playing with them. It matched perfectly.

It's one of those things though. .. I doubt Coldplay actually copied it, but there's just so many combinations of notes within keys that you can do before something gets repeated by random.

I don't think Satriani has to prove that they copied though. . .just that it's the same and he copywrighted it first.

[horsesense]

It sounds similar, but youre right there is only so many ways to skin a cat.

[MOtorboat]

Same thing happened to The Verve not too long ago on Bittersweet Symphony...the violin line at the beginning was the exact same as some old Rolling Stones song, and the Stones sued them for royalties.

[Hobe]

Sounds like Coldplay pulled a Vanilla Ice ;)

[Northman]

Same thing happened to The Verve not too long ago on Bittersweet Symphony...the violin line at the beginning was the exact same as some old Rolling Stones song, and the Stones sued them for royalties.

Really? I was not aware of that. I love Bittersweet Symphony. Interesting.

[Northman]

As for Coldplay, im not really surprised. They suck anyway.

[MOtorboat]

Really? I was not aware of that. I love Bittersweet Symphony. Interesting.

http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/511079/01111999/verve.jhtml

And you like the Verve, but think Coldplay sucks...:confused:

[Northman]

http://www.vh1.com/artists/news/511079/01111999/verve.jhtml

And you like the Verve, but think Coldplay sucks...:confused:

I like the one song. When i bought the album back then it was just for that song.

[MOtorboat]

I like the one song. When i bought the album back then it was just for that song.

I did too, there were a couple of songs that were OK on it.

[BigDaddyBronco]

Nobody plagiarized Joe Satriani because nobody listens to Joe Satriani.

[MOtorboat]

Nobody plagiarized Joe Satriani because nobody listens to Joe Satriani.

Well, you're wrong there.

:coffee:

[BigDaddyBronco]

Well, you're wrong there.

:coffee:

:tsk:

[G_Money]

Here's the clip, played over each other:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ofFw9DKu_I

There's no way Coldplay wins this. None.

Copyright law is very clear. Joe's came first, they took more bars from it than allowed, they didn't ask permission, they didn't sample, they gave him no royalties.

All their base are belong to him as far as the money generated by that song goes. The Verve lost every dime they made off of Bittersweet Symphony to the Stones, and Joe Satriani is gonna make more money off the stolen licks from his song than he ever did off of his own albums.

Not that I'm blaming him - if you're gonna be stupid enough to steal music from someone, try not to do it from the guy that taught Kirk Hammett how to play.

Anybody associated even tangentially with Metallica will put your nuts in a jar when it comes to stolen music.

~G

[haroldthebarrel]

I find the fact that bands like Coldplay and The Verve who sounds like they are always complaining and whining, I find the fact that they are busted for plagiarizing ironic and hilarious.

Let Coldplay create a song that sounds like "MOM! They say I am copying another guy, get daddy to talk to them"
That is the picture I get.

[NightTrainLayne]

G$ do you really think that they actually stole it?

I don't really care one way or the other, but it would really be surprising to me for a band with the notoriety/fame that Coldplay enjoys to actively go out and actually "steal" the melody for a song.

Maybe I'm naive, but I'm more apt to think that two decent musicians came up with the same chord progression on their own, but Satriani did it first.

Won't help Coldplay's case at all, they will still lose it, but I just don't see a band that big intentionally stealing stuff like that and putting it out there as the lead song for an album.

[Northman]

G$ do you really think that they actually stole it?

I don't really care one way or the other, but it would really be surprising to me for a band with the notoriety/fame that Coldplay enjoys to actively go out and actually "steal" the melody for a song.

Maybe I'm naive, but I'm more apt to think that two decent musicians came up with the same chord progression on their own, but Satriani did it first.

Won't help Coldplay's case at all, they will still lose it, but I just don't see a band that big intentionally stealing stuff like that and putting it out there as the lead song for an album.

Its not uncommon for a musician to have heard a riff and then subconciously use the riff without realizing what he had done. But, i have no idea if any Coldplay member is a Satch fan or not. Never the less, the riff/melody caught someone's attention enough and it all spiraled from there. Could they have come up with the same riff on their own? Maybe. I just dont know how they would go about proving it was.

[NightTrainLayne]

Its not uncommon for a musician to have heard a riff and then subconciously use the riff without realizing what he had done. But, i have no idea if any Coldplay member is a Satch fan or not. Never the less, the riff/melody caught someone's attention enough and it all spiraled from there. Could they have come up with the same riff on their own? Maybe. I just dont know how they would go about proving it was.

Well, as I said it doesn't matter as far as the case goes. Satriani owns that music, and however they came up with it I think they lose the case.

I'm just curious more about motive to actively steal it. I don't see it, and would give them the benefit of the doubt, but they'll still owe Satriani a ton of royalties.

[Northman]

Well, as I said it doesn't matter as far as the case goes. Satriani owns that music, and however they came up with it I think they lose the case.

I'm just curious more about motive to actively steal it. I don't see it, and would give them the benefit of the doubt, but they'll still owe Satriani a ton of royalties.

My guess is it wasnt intentional. I used to play songs in my head from my favorite bands only to say to myself "what if they slowed down this riff or made it faster" and tried to make it sound like it would in my head. Im not even a musician and i would do that. For years i was wondering how Gary Numan's "Cars" would sound in a metal enviroment. So when Fear Factory did it as a cover it sounded much like i thought it would. So i do believe this may just be a case where one member heard something from Satch that stuck in his head which he may of interpreted later on as a riff of his own. I could be wrong, but i like you find it hard to believe they would purposely copyright someone's else's material. But then again, we did have Milli Vanilli at one point. :lol:

[Benetto]

I don't doubt it, Joe Sat is top 5 all time guitarists in my book.

[CoachChaz]

If Coldplay wasnt such a gaggle of fags, I dont think Joe would have such a problem with it

[Requiem / The Dagda]

If Coldplay wasnt such a gaggle of fags, I dont think Joe would have such a problem with it

Funniest thing I read all day Coach, LMAO.

[NightTrainLayne]

I was listening to the "History of Howard Stern" yesterday and he was replaying some of his clips from a stint where he was on Hollywood Squares.

They played the theme song, and it immediately hit me that it sounded eerily similar to these other two songs. ..

Take a listen for yourself. I think it's funny.

Coldplay/Satriani: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvB9Pj9Znsw


The New Hollywood Squares: http://www.televisiontunes.com/New_Hollywood_Squares_(The).html