Coldplay is the best band ever, and y did joe over there not saying anything about the song when it cam out 4 MONTHS AGO. To me this is an act of being desperate, it makes it look lke he needs the money. Plus coldplay i think is teh best band in the world.

I think that if Coldplay were influenced by either or both of these artists it would be only fair for them to credit them and give 'em some money too. Only the person who wrote the song for Coldplay will know whether the similarities are coincidence or whether the artists above influenced the track. I'm not suggesting Coldplay pay out every artist who's ever written a chord progression. I'd also hope that the artists above aren't too greedy. Sure their songs are similar, but I'd actually listen to Coldplay's version.

I'm sure we'll hear the Coldplay lads take on this as the prospect of a lawsuit is big stuff. And yeah, I prefer the Coldplay tune to both of these folks as well...

Wow, some chords are similar. That makes a sureshot grounds for a lawsuit. Groan.

You know that long instrumental part of Layla? Before I located the song (it was in my head, but I couldn't figure out who sung it), I asked a bunch of people for help in locating the song and they suggested multiple others that had a similar chord progression.

Vida la Vida is a freakin awesome song. Is another band just upset that Coldplay was successful?

I hate frivolous lawsuits. I should sue people who "copy" my blog posts because one single sentence they wrote is identical to mine.

There's a long list of songs with similar if not the exact same chord progressions, and so it's not too surprising the melodies sometimes line up as well. I chalk this up to "musical concidence" - and the fact two totally different artists are claiming Coldplay ripped them off is an example of this. I mean, would Coldplay rip off Satriani and an unknown band? Or did someone really get ripped off and the other is the "musical coincidence?" And even if so, how could one prove the difference? :)

I can't decide if Coldplay is the worst band in the world, because they steal their songs from other artists - or if they are the best band in the world, because they copy music from more talented artists.

No seriously - Joe Satriani's album "Is There Love in Space?", which features the song "If I Could Fly", came out in 2004. Coldplay's "Vida La Vida" came out last June. This doesn't come down to "who you're a fan of", this comes down to the cold hard fact that Coldplay took music, uncredited, from other artists and called it their own.

I'm glad they stole from Joe Satriani, because it sounds like the other guy doesn't have the means to file his own lawsuit. And yes, Joe Satriani is very successful himself, even if you have never heard of him. ;)

Heh - I actually did see Satriani opening for a concert way back when - it was either Oingo Boingo or Yes, I can't remember.

Nah, you're pretty well-rounded, dude. I meant the rabid Coldplay fans I see replying to this here, and elsewhere. It doesn't come down to who you like better, who did the better song, etc. It's who created the music first, and if they really are similar enough that you can prove one took it from the other without crediting (and subsequently, royalties).

If you've got the patience, and a little familiarity with making music (I barely do), check out this excellent video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEGGFJLpbu4

The guy pulls apart the Coldplay-Satriani debate with music theory.

I think Creaky Boards has the right attitude - quite a compliment to have been copied by such a successful group. I like Coldplay's version better, but Satriani's even moreso.

Colplay stole a song from my husband and they won a grammy for it
if there is anyone that knows how we can contact Joe Satriani
the members of Creaky Boards I would appreciate an email
because we would like to get involved.
We have a copy right a year before their release on file.

yeah song sounds similar. Joe satriani is an amazing artist and my favorite guitar player

I'm a middle school student from China , I can say nothing but I think Viva La Vida is really good!