Honk If You Wrote Coldplay's "Viva La Vida" Too!

I would like to take the opportunity to claim that I wrote Coldplay's "Viva La Vida." In fact, I wrote "Viva La Vida" just about an hour ago after hearing the news that my pal Yusuf -- the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens -- feels that the undeniable Coldplay smash is too close for comfort to one section of his "Foreigner Suite" from his 1973 album "The Foreigner."

So to be honest here, I'm not exactly sure if I actually stole "Viva La Vida" from Coldplay, from Cat Stevens, from Joe Satriani or from some obscure band called the Creaky Boards who actually called their version of our collective hit "The Songs I Didn't Write."

But rather than waste any time haggling and trying to figure out who's actually right here, let me make a very modest proposal to keep get this peace train back on the rails. Why don't we all just split the royalties for "Viva La Vida" equally among the five of us? It's only fair, right?

Heck, because the stock market went up today, I'll sweeten the pot a little and declare right here in the Huffington Post that if Coldplay agrees to my plan by midnight Friday night, I will personally treat the entire extended "Viva La Vida" writing team to dinner at a participating Red Lobster to be mutually agreed upon -- assuming someone can spot me an advance on my royalties.

"Viva La Vida" indeed!

Comments

[skippypicasso]

I liked Coldplay back when they were called U2. Anybody know why the name change?

[oldschoololdsoul]

Artistic plagiarism is a sad commentary on today's crop of music non entities. If they had more original talent, they wouldn't be accused of stealing so much. As it is, most new acts are copycats. Great music died with the end of the 20th century. And Cashbox went out of business in the mid 90s. That says it all.

[countfloyd]

Sounds like a U2 song to me. At least they stopped being Radiohead lite.

[sisterdebmac]

HONK! Those dues are always ripping off my songs. Where do I line up to sue?

[David Wild - Huffpost Blogger]

I'm not certain where, but I'm pretty sure we'll be able to tell because there's a "Yellow " line

[Milash]

"I've been alive forever, and I wrote the very first song".
Please send all of your royalty checks to Bruce Johnston.

[David Wild - Huffpost Blogger]

Thanks Milash for the witty responise -- that is possibly the single best Bruce Johnston joke I've ever heard.
Do you have any Al Jardine material?

[theaetetus]

when you you have something significant to contribute, write something. until then show some restraint.
what is this commentary about?

[David Wild - Huffpost Blogger]

What's it about? About 150 words. So sorry if you feel I wasted all the time it took to read it.

[greendream]

I wish to sue everyone who had anything to do with it because once that damn song gets in my head it will not leave. It was just starting to die off and here you've gone and brought it back.

You will be hearing from my lawyer!

[twintwine]

Just about any songwriter could have written Coldplay's "Vida la Vida". It's bland. It's boring. It's dull. There's a good chance it could sound like it was stolen because it might as well be a remade tune.

This is the type of music we get when we disingenuously perpetuate the notion that artistic innovation is dead, that "it's all been done".

[themightyspitz]

Everyone copies off of Maurice Ravel.

Listen to Ravel's "Pavane for a Dead Princess" - around 14 seconds in. Sounds just like "Foreigner's Suite, Part II" about 5:20 in, right? Same key, relatively same progression.

Coldplay, Satriani, Stevens, Alizee, Creaky Board - hell, even Kiwi singer Hayley Westenra lifted the whole thing for her song "Never Say Goodbye"- all copied off of Maurice Ravel's "Pavane".

[peterg76]

I think ripping off artists started thousands of years ago. It was definitely around by Shakespeare's time, and he himself never wrote anything original, just strung together a lot of well-known catch-phrases.

[Holypat777]

I'm sorry but I coined the phrase "Harmonic Convergence" Yes, it's true. I was jamming with Jian Gomeshi!

Did you ask BBT, btw?

[magneato]

Shouldn't Cat Stevens sue Joe Satriani first? Or maybe Joe should be suing Cat.
How about this; All artists who wrote this song get together and file a class-action.

By the way, next time you talk to Sting, could you please tell him he owes me about twenty five years worth of royalties for Every Breath You Take.

[David Wild - Huffpost Blogger]

Not sure Sting will let me Stand So Close to him, but I will try

[William Bradley - Huffpost Blogger]

That's San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's theme song.

Maybe he wrote it, too ... :)

[David Wild - Huffpost Blogger]

Sure, why not, the more the merrier -- though we are beginning to cut into my royalties.

[learntofly]

Red Lobster - yummy!

[David Wild - Huffpost Blogger]

I know when I wrote those two lovely words, I had overwhelming visions of reasonably price shellfish.

[learntofly]

..The best kind

[RadicalRepublican]

I wrote John Mellancamp's "I need a lover three or four years ago." It's an inversion of 12 bar blues. My wife told me that it had already been done. If you know John, please ask him to write me a check.

[David Wild - Huffpost Blogger]

Sure, next time see the Little Bastard -- and that's what he calls himself!

[mcthfg]

I bet he can afford it, after selling out to the car companies.

[RepugsOut08]

Last I heard, we all got sold out to the car companies. ;)