Whose song is it anyway?
Updated on 19 June 2008
When Coldplay are accused of plagiarism by little-known US band Creaky Boards, it's the music rather than the legalities that interests the fans.
Andrew Hoepfner, Creaky Boards' singer and songwriter, has claimed that Coldplay's song Viva La Vida has ripped-off the melody from his own song The Songs I Didn't Write. Creaky Boards' state their case in YouTube video
The irony of the song's title isn't lost on Hoepfner, who has posted a video on YouTube highlighting the similarity between the two tunes.
Coldplay deny any wrongdoing.
Not long after posting, the video has gone viral.
Creaky Boards claim that Chris Martin was spotted at one of their gigs at which the song in question was played: "We were flattered when we thought we saw Chris Martin in the crowd," he says. "He seemed pretty into it... Maybe TOO into it?"
But Coldplay refute the claim, insisting Martin wasn't even in the US at the time of the gig, let alone getting "too" into it.
"We totally refute their claims, and there are two facts that make it easy to disprove them," said the band's spokesman Murray Chalmers.
"First, on the night in October when the band say Chris Martin was watching them, he was actually working at the Air Studio in London, and we can prove that. Second, even if he had been at the gig, "Viva la Vida" was written and demoed seven months before the night in question, so it couldn't possibly have been copied."
But Martin has in the past discussed plagiarism light-heartedly. In a 2005 interview with Rolling Stone magazine, the singer said: "We're definitely good, but I don't think you can say we're that original ... I regard us as being incredibly good plagiarists."
Plagiarism Today, writing at the time of the 2005 interview, is concerned: "Despite this very open admission and some very wide exposure regarding it, Coldplay has seen no backlash from its fans, from the bands that it "stole" from or the media.
"It shows just how deep plagiarism has worked its way into our artistic society when even the number one band admits to engaging in it. Those of us with original content and wish to protect it against misuse are facing something far more pervasive than previously imagined."
Indeed, music fans don't seem too upset about the whole affair; they're more interested in whether either song has anything worth writing home about.
RockSellout says: "All of this glosses over the fact that neither song is terribly good.
"Viva La Vida is probably the most boring track on Coldplay's newest record, and the song by Creaky Boards is just... well, kind of annoying."
Even the parents on mumsnet.com are discussing it: "Am I the only person to find Coldplay inexcusably dull?" asks mamamamama, "Nope, I'm with you," replies Unquiet Dad.
That will surely be a comfort to Hoepfner. But even he doesn't seem to fussed, ending his YouTube posting: "I wish Coldplay the best of luck. If they ever want to collaborate, I've got some microphones we could use in my bedroom."
