There are so many people claiming to have written Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” at this point that it’s become somewhat of a joke and has probably ruined the chance of any one accuser getting a settlement. Meanwhile, Cat Stevens is waiting for the outcome of Satriani’s lawsuit before taking legal action and the Creaky Boards, the Brooklyn-based indie band that first called out Coldplay, probably can’t even afford lawyers.
Coldplay have been somewhat quiet on the issue, but drummer Will Champion has now offered a few reactions to the accusations. Speaking to Hamptonroads.com’s Malcolm Venable, Champion said the claims come with the territory of having a huge hit song, adding, “God only knows why, the successful songs seem to be the ones that are accused of being stolen. So you go figure it out.” He’s right about that. I mean, The Satch did file his lawsuit exactly one day after the song was nominated for the “Song of the Year” Grammy award.
As for there being multiple accusers, Champion said, “there are only eight notes in an octave and no one owns them. And there are probably about 12,000 songs that feature the exact same chord progression.”
Oh, great. That means there’s going to be another 11,997 more “[Musician Name Here] Calls Out Coldplay” headlines. I guess all hit singles will have to be run through Pandora before they drop from here on out.