If you were anywhere near a radio last summer, you must have heard (and maybe got sick of) the song ‘Viva La Vida’ by Coldplay. With a catchy beginning, these four guys from England were positive that they had a number one hit in the bucket. It wasn’t until guitarist Joe Satriani heard the song, and listened closely to the beginning instrumental of their song. After getting email after email from friends and family asking if he had heard the song, and people complaining that Coldplay ripped him off, Satriani called his lawyer and filed court papers. Coldplay’s new summer hit was nominated for 7 Grammy’s and Song of the Year (for Viva La Vida) but were being questioned for their artistic writing skills.After filing the papers against Coldplay, Satriani decided to take them to court, wanting a jury trial, and seeking ‘any and all’ profits from the number one Billboard Hot 100 hit.
Stariani’s song never made it as a hit. Do I sense some jealousy?
Of course, Coldplay denied any copying on their part. They went to their homepage, and made an apology out to Satriani, saying that the similarities between these songs are total coincidental.
“Joe Satriani is a great musician, but he did not write or have any influence on the song Viva La Vida. We respectfully ask him to accept our assurances of this and wish him well with all future endeavors. Coldplay.” [1]
While Coldplay was all sweet and innocent, Joe Satriani’s reply was, “a dagger went right through my heart” when he heard Coldplay’s single for the first time. [2]
If I was Satriani, I would be upset too. This instrumental in his song ‘If I Could Fly’ took him over 10 years to write. “Thinking about it, loving it, nursing it, and then finally recording it and standing on stages the world over playing it - and then somebody comes along and plays the exact same song and calls it their own,” is what striked Satriani the hardest. [2]
Many bloggers and music lovers were shocked at Satriani for over-reacting about this whole situation. But he wasn’t ready to sit back and let them rise to the top. Afterall, the best thing an artist can do is try and protect his song and music.
So, what does ‘copyright infringement’ exactly mean? According to the US Copyright Office, "As a general matter, copyright infringement occurs when a copyrighted work is reproduced, distributed, performed, publicly displayed, or made into a derivative work without the permission of the copyright owner." [3]
In my opinion, it’s obvious that Coldplay copied Satriani. Even if it was a mistake, or it was on purpose, Coldplay made their hit sound like Satriani’s guitar instrumental.
Now, for the moment of truth- the songs. Listen for yourself, and you decided whether Coldplay copied Joe Satriani’s song.
[4]
[1] “Joe Satriani- A statement from the band”. Coldplay Official Website. December 9, 2008. March 26, 2009.
[2] “Joe Satriani Speaks About Coldplay Lawsuit”. MusicRadar.com. December 7, 2008. March 26, 2009
[3] “Copyright Infringement”. Lost Quilt Come Home Page. March 27, 2009
[4] "Joe Satriani *IF I COULD FLY* & Coldplay *VIVA LA VIDA* Experimental Morph/Remix" Youtube.com . December 29, 2008. March 27, 2009.
1st Picture From: Coldplay Fansite. 2008.
2nd Picture From: Joe Satriani Fansite. No Date.
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