Coldplay: the song they didn't borrow?

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So where do you stand on the Coldplay plagiarism debate? What do you mean what debate? Where have you been?

The story so far: as Coldplay releases their latest album, going straight in at No 1 pretty much everywhere, a Brooklyn band name of Creaky Boards accuses them of ripping off the title track, Viva la Vida.

It's the kind of unprovable accusation that big bands must have to put up with all the time. The difference this time was that it was made in a rather brilliant video posted on YouTube - brilliant both because of the song the Creakys say was plagiarised (called, curiously enough, The Songs I Didn't Write) and because of the singer's moustache.

Coldplay denied the accusations. A spokesman insisted that the Coldplay track had been written and demoed seven months before the concert at which, Creaky Boards say, the Coldplay frontman Chris Martin would have heard the song. The spokesman also denies that Martin was even at the concert in question.

But Martin hasn't done himself any favours with this promotional interview for the album in which he admits that Coldplay are "the world's worst—but most enthusiastic—plagiarists as a band".

Comments

[Max Westphal]

Wow I never knew that !!!!

Hey does anyone know where I can get a cheap subscription to a news magazine?

[fallingleaf]

Coldplay are obviously very arrogant about their plagarism.

Its concievable no one noticed the resemblance of Viva la Vida to the Creaky Boards song, but it is impossible that no one noticed that that awful "Let's Talk" song's main riff was Computer love by Kraftwerk? Bet the lawyers went over that with a fine tooth comb mannnnnnnnyyyyy times!

[radhoo]

I have a very strange story on my blog maybe you will read it. It is shocking ...

[Margaret Walker]

I couldnt care less, its formula music to cut your wrists by!

[Roger2001]

The band seems to be familiar with plagiarism as a blog shows, proof in hands, that the artworks and title of Viva La Vida has been first created by the Japanese rap band Dragon Ash for their album Viva La Revolution they released in...1999!

See the whole thing here (with other disturbing details about Brian Eno involvement in it):
http://sweethomenashville.com/?p=147

[Cameron]

Re: "Why has knocking Coldplay become a new National sport...? - I have asking the same question. It may not be the most innovative music of all time, but it's certainly not bad. I am reaching the conclusion that they are simply too popular to be respected. It's sad when such 'cool' people badmouth decent music simply because it's not 'underground'.

[Michael Zhivago]

No offense, DIGIVATE, but as a colonial living part-time in England and part-time in France it strikes me that the English relish building up their heroes and then tearing them apart for THE EXACT SAME REASONS that they built them up in the first place.

Knocking celebrities is the national sport. Even worse than the U.S. The tabloids are evil. They just make things up. One photo of the target yawning and they have a picture of the celebrity with their eyes half open. 'She's stoned!' What a headline! Have none of these so-called journalists ever heard of libel?

[David]

I don't think everyone dislikes Coldplay it's just that Chris Martin's head has got so big it puts people off the whole band.
'Coldplay - Better heard than seen '

[Fred]

I don't like coldplay that much - x&y left me fairly cold, the new stuff is alright, but I like them a lot more than their critics. Someone who is so personalityless that they get kicks from having a go at coldplay must be a black hole of boredom.

[Thomas]

Are U kidding Verve ripped off the Stones, Noel Gallgher ripped off the Beatles, The Stones ripped off Muddy Watters, The Beatles others, Elvis ripped off Sooo many black blues artists, name a modern guitarist NOT influenced by the Edge or Eric Clapton ...so what, the whole point of artistry is to influence others, is that not the point? so why cry about it afterwards when someone else does it better than you.

[Thomas]

"I'm not Coldplay's biggest fan, but they're good at what they do" -

No, they're not. They're terrible at what they do, which is why they're criticized. They're not up to the job. They never were. They lack the chops. They made one okay song, called 'Yellow. Since then. they neither entertain, nor edify, just create a big, empty air of mildly annoying meanderings.

[Pam]

I've never liked the Coldplay, they are far too banal & bland to be of any artisitc value. Though if they really did steal this particular song, I'd say no wonder.

[Charles]

Both these songs sound 98% like hundreds of other soft-rock, indie-light, instantly accessable, unchallenging music. So it all sounds the same, not a great surprise. I suggest listening to something a bit more edgy instead.

[ALF]

"I don't borrow - I steal" Pablo Picasso

both criminals and saints steal, but only one gets caught

[Jimmy Corkhill]

They ripped off Kraftwerk on their last bloody album. Listen to "Talk" then listen to "Computer Love", total rip off! And I doubt the coldplay song had been written and demoed 7 months before Computer Love came out...

[J.D.]

The fact that creaky boards says viva represents their song in any way is a joke. It has to be.

[Dick Pyle]

What debate? I've never even heard of Coldplay. What amazes me is that someone who writes "there song bares" would have the audacity to put his views forward on a public forum. And in The Times?

Jesus wept.

Dick Pyle, Barran

[Andrew Burrows]

what Camdenist's post shows is how how bland and interchangeable his opinions are.

[Digivate]

I'm not Coldplay's biggest fan, but they're good at what they do, and no ... there song bares little or no resemblence to Creaky Boards.

Why has knocking Coldplay become a new National sport - including the dim-witted remark from CAMDENIST above?

If you don't like them, don't listen to them. I'd have more time for your opinion if you were in a successful band who were known for not producing "bland and interchangeable" music ... but you're not!

[Camdenist]

what this skirmish really shows is how bland and interchangeable coldplay's music really is.