Coldplay Plagiarizes???
Filed under: Anglophilia > Music Minute > ColdplayDid Coldplay steal the gist of their new song, Viva La Vida, from a little-known band called the Creaky Boards???
Seems so!
This video provides very convincing evidence!
Posted: June 17, 2008 at 3:28 pm
the two songs sound nothing alike!!!! i dnt see a similarity at all…….perez whats your deal jst shut the f up! u jst like talking shit about ppl u knw the songs are completely different!
this isnt the first time. They ripped off that krafwerk song as well…
it doesn't sound at ALL like it.. are you kidding?
Publicity Stunt !! I Say yes…
They have taken online marketing and used it to their advantage !!
I commend them on their efforts, a very clever marketing tool. Like Sandi Thom, Lily Allen… and so many more that are now manipulating the internet to their own advantage… welcome to the digital age… How many people will go and view 'The Creaky Boards' web site and check it out… even the lyrics are suggestive enough to suggest parody…
Brilliant…
Wow, they sound exactly the same..
What a crock of shit. So they sound similar, big deal. I'd rather listen to Coldplay. Thay Creaky Boards song is rubbish. I'd like to them try and sue Coldplay for plagiarism. No chance…..
Perez; I normally like you but I think you talk rubbish sometimes. This is sooooo funny. You are slagging Coldplay off yet you have an advert for their new album on your sites……what's that all about…..you will slag them off but soon take there money!!!
I love Coldplay - they're extremely gifted, since when is it so wrong to notice that some songs share similarities? Yeah, maybe the beginning of the songs SOUND SIMILAR, but that certainly does not mean that the song was plagarized. Being as talented as Coldplay, why would you need to plagarize another song, when every other piece you have written has been magic?
It's interesting Perez, how you were so completely excited to hear about Coldplay's tour being announced, and praised them on your website; however, now that they are finding more success, yet again, you attempt to bring them down. Just do something else, something valuable with your life - what are you doing to change the world? Nothing. You're attempting to create more assholes I suppose, but don't you think we have enough.
hmmmm interesting kind of….
Damnit…does sound super similar..but out of how many songs that they have made…………i know every coldplay song..not just the hit singles..and i love all their songs…..i still like them…..
Creaky Boards just want to be famous!
wah wah no one knows who the fuck you are!!
i'm sure chris martin attended this shitty gig HAH! YEAH RIGHT
what? you guys think it doesnt sound anything like coldplay?!?!
i agree with perez!!!!
sounds like someone STOLE music!!!!
THIS SOUNDS NOTHING LIKE VIVA LA VIDA!
that guy's song sounds horrible and looks like he's housing several std's in his mouth.
coldplay is redonkulously exponentially a thousand times better than that cheap-shit garbage.
Perez we love you, but just stop hating on Coldplay.
Dude.. they really don't sound that alike. Honestly there are worse rip offs than that. I love you Perez but honestly, Coldplay are amazing - leave them alone.
hahahaha the irony is that there's an ad for Coldplay's new album "Viva la Vida" on the left hand side of this page.
Meh… maybe they used the same boppy sound but it's a different song with different lyrics. That's not plagiarizing. This band's song is horrible and that sound isn't exclusive.
I just saw another article about this and the Creeky Boards guy is seriously back-pedelling his story… what a surprise… he now says that maybe he didn't really see Chris Martin at the gig as, according to him, all British people look the same (okaaay…) and he's excited to hear the demo of Viva La Vida recorded OVER A YEAR AGO that they are sending him…
Well, as far as lame publicity stunts go I guess he's got what he wanted (except now I just think he's a fame-seeking idiot), but perhaps it might have been smart to check the facts before going around accusing people!
You need to author a retraction to this story Perez.
This has been confirmed to be a hoax.
God this is so ridiculous! He thinks, THINKS Chris Martin came to see his show! Theres no guarantee he even knows who the hell Creaky Boards are, I sure as hell don't!
Theres a similar guitar riff but the lead singer here seems to sing in the same fashion as Martin, is that plagiarism!
swear to god only in America could you sue somebody for something so trivial and idiotic!
It's already been proven that Chris Martin wasn't at their gig and that he wrote Viva La Vida back in March 2007. Get your facts straight before you post a retarded article like this. Do a little research.
The whole album is amazing…. I LOVE YOU CHRIS MARTIN. Perez stop picking on them. Whats your fucking beef with them anyway?
Who cares? Coldplay fucking sucks anyway. Pretentious garbage is what it is. All their shit songs are just way watered-down Radiohead songs. Chris Martin and his haggard, bitter troll of a wife can go die in a fire. They both probably believe the whole world would mourn them though, they have so much unwarranted self-importance.
the songs just a bit similar. i still love Coldplay! (and it seemed the guy who made the video loves the band too!) so Perez.. how about u??
I'm sorry, but these guys are delusional. Their song sounds nothing like Viva La Vida.
It's true, the melodies at the beginning are strikingly similar.
But unfortunately logic defies this so-called 'plagiarism', because Coldplay has been working on that particular song for years. They already had the melody and were just working on the second half of the lyrics when they finally thought of some and decided to use the old song on their new album.
Also, just a word to this band: Being in the music business, you should know that no song or melody is completely original. Many will sound similar because there is virtually no "new" material that exists. Try to remember that.
they don't sound alike at all. coldplay's is 1000000 x's better.
Okay so here is the deal… THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CRAPPY HOMOGENEOUS POP MUSIC WORLDS COLLIDE!!!! All pop music sounds the same, and the same note progressions have been used since god knows how long ago. If you gave me enough time, I'd be able to pull up probably over 100 examples of songs that use the same note progression. THIS IS NOT PLAGIARISM, they just both suck. Plain and simple.
okay if this guy really had a problem with this he wouldnt go and make a video about it. It does sound similar but barely. and I really dont believe Chris Martin went to go see this band and stole this song. Thats ridiculous. No one has heard of Creaky Boards and obviously he is jealous of Coldplay. Seriously, go cry about it.
there is such a thing called INSPIRATION. we are all copies of copies, surprise surprise suckas!! the orginal is whoever was the first the copy the other (the inspiration) and go pubic with it. ohhh the woes of life.
This is retarded… it sounds NOTHING like the coldplay song. Watch their i-tunes sales skyrocket, the pricks
they don't sound that similar. he can't prove chris martin was at this concert, so, that video will eventually amount to…..nothing. he's still some band no one's ever heard of and coldplay is one of the world's most well liked bands.
Firstly way back in the early Baroque era when scientists worked out equal temprament, Bach wrote 48 Preludes and Fuges for piano. 48, one for each key. As you can see, there are not only 48 songs in the history of the world, so there is going to be some overlap with songs, which means they will sound similiar.
Secondly, Chris Martin is a brilliant musician who has written some of the greatest songs of our generation so I doubt he would risk losing his credibility by plagarising another bands song.
Thirdly, this random guy is seriously stetching the truth alot. The melodies are similiar, but not identical, Coldplay have added some brilliant string riffs in, and some amazing percussion. They are in the same time signature, but again there are going to be overlaps with this also.
I encourage the Creaky Boards to keep writing songs and performing. Keep going becuase you LOVE it! Passion is the most important thing.
And as for Coldplay, they need to continue being amazing!
~*~ Where words fail, Music speaks ~*~
This is ridiculous.
They for one don't even sound that similar.
You could choose any song in the world and find another thats sounds as "close" as this.
Secondly, it's completely obvious the guy is doing it for publicity. There is no proof Mr. Martin was at that concert.
Coldplay is amazing and they deserve everything they get.
VIVA Coldplay!
this dudebrah needs to get real. the songs sound nothing alike.
it doesn't sound that similar to me…am I crazy?
COLDPLAY IS A GREAT BAND, THERE NEW CD IS GREAT AND ALTHOUGH IT GOT A BAD REVIEW FROM PEREZ HILTON(who cares) IT GOT A GREAT REVIEW FROM THE LA TIMES!! GO COLDPLAY…STOP BEING SO MEAN TO EVERYONE PEREZ I CHALLENGE YOU TO SAY SOMETHING NICE ABOUT SOME ONE EVER!
Um… i luv that song viva la vida and that creaky boards song doesnt even sound that much like it… so um… i like coldplay
The beginning sounds similar, but not exact by any means. Maybe this guy is jealous because he wrote a shitty song, and a more popular band wrote a better one?
First of all there is NO resemblance to Coldplay WHAT SO EVER! Anybody with an ear for music can tell you that. Second of all this guy needs to shave that hideous mustache and then get to an Orthodontist ASAP! I don't think Chris Martin needs to go looking for song inspiration, especially on Youtube. He's pretty brilliant, and so is his band!
The thing with finding something you love, is that you can't ever really remember where it came from. It was probably floating around in Chris Martin's brain for years, and with all the hoopla of having a kid named after fruit and a wife with a better career than he has….well, he just thought he came up with it. Throw the artists some cash….support all music. Anyway, Perez…they just found out what a gay brain looks like, and it looks just like you…..weird.
Re: geriz –
i know for a FACT he writes his own material.
If a singer does not write his own material it will say "co-written" on the cd cover, Coldplay's cover say written by all four of the band (so they recieve equal royalties) but its actually generally chris that does most of the writing.
Re: M –
you mean VIVA LA VIDA!
Oh please. This guy is a total moron. Nobody stole his shitty song. WTF is it about anyway?
Coldplay Rocks! Viva la Vida!
If you have a background in music, you can see the similarities in the rhythm, the delivery of the verses, it's almost like if they did steal it, they only took the feel of the song, not the notes exactly. Either way, Creaky Boards can dream, but the only way they'll get anything outta this is if someone is tired of the bad publicity and settles outta court or if they somehow get a musically inclined judge in court. In other words, it's not likely. It's not even a sure thing that songs that share any similarities actually are derived from one another in anyway, there are a finite number of scales to use, bound to have a couple similar ones. Also, you're allowed to be influenced by things you see and hear, so if your favorite band is Creaky Boards and you end up makin a song that sounds similar, do you get sued? Only way Creaky Boards stands a chance against a team of high priced lawyers hired by the label is if they can prove somehow that Chris Martin was in fact at their show and was lying about that, thus ruining his credibility.
coldplay rulez there it is……there is some similarities but i don't at all think that this band would rip someone off like that…..all Coldplay haters suck a fuckin' nut sack……i don't get why bands or artists that are amazin' and huge success's get hated on just don't understand but whatever…..Coldplay rulez
Except that this band sucks and coldplay actually sounds good. Sorry Creaky Boards!
Re: geriz –
You're an idiot. I've studied music for nearly two decades now and I can tell you that these two songs are not similar enough to prove anything. If the guy were to attempt to sue Chris he would lose. They share a similar beginning melody but that's it. Big deal.
that doesnt sound anything like the coldplay song…
Sounds nothing like it tards
they sound nothing alike.
Yeah, sorry, but they sound very little alike. The kind of begin with the same rough beat and length of a the first few notes, but the similarities end there. I'm not even that big a fan of colplay, but theirs is a fairly good song, and whoever the small band is, they really suck. What an awful video.
Frankly Perez, this is a load of bollocks… not being a fan of coldplay myself… listening to the two songs together sounds convincing… bit really… they share a couple of similar cords… just like every other song on this planet does.
Ive known Andrew from creaky boards for years now and hes a freaking amazing musician, its obvious that coldplay jacked his song, which is good cause now hes getting the exposure he's worked so hard for and deserves.
So…. Coldplay version is still better, the Creaky Boards still fuck up their own song
Perez, seriously. You're just shit stirring here. This guy is so tone deaf, I can't even tell what note he's singing. He runs through about four pitches before he finds the one he's looking for-no wonder he hits some of the notes in Viva La Vida. This is just a lame attempt for publicity by some no-talent-ass-clown band. Coldplay probably have no clue who this prick is. And you've done this before-I'm disappointed, P.
PEREZ GETS PAID TO ENDORSE ROBYN! AND SHE SUCKS!
AND RECORD COMPANIES PAY HIM TO BASH COLDPLAY!
HOPING HIS INFLUENCE CAN SWAY CONSUMERS…
BUT WE SAW HIS INFLUENCE AT HIS HOT TOPIC SIGNING…
OR LACK THERE OF….
i like the coldplay song better…
Re: ??? –
That's what the whole issue is over… They're in the process of doing that.
Not only do I barelly hear the similarity but with the millions of billions of songs in the world how is it impossible to get two sounding barelly the same. Every bad gets their sound from someone they loved as a kid or now in the music world. I think coldplay has the most unusual sound in the music industry and I think he's a great musician with an amazing imagination.VIVA LA VIDA punks!
There are some similarities but that actually doesn't sound much like the coldplay song…a lot of songs have similar melodies…it's just a coincidence.
wow they sound similar a bit but i hope the two bands can overcome this.
oh god. give them a break. coldplay would never do that and it's probably COINCIDENCE. it's just part of the verse that sounds the same, and it not even exactly the same.
They aren't the same.
Shut up.
Ask anyone who has half a brain when it comes to music–those clearly aren't the same melodies.
this is ridiculous. first of all the songs sound nothing alike.. second of all coldplay isnt desperate enough to copy some crap band.
this song is not even close, not to mention it sucks. the chorus' are completely different. i've never even heard of this band, and i'm fairly up on indie artists considering i'm a dj. i doubt coldplay stole shit.
he needs to fix his teeth.
Horrible band… of course they stole it. They aren't smart enough to come up with their own songs!
COLDPLAY SUCKS
That's probably true…I hate Coldplay and can't believe so many people like their boring ass music. It puts me to sleep. They suck!
reguardless of wether or not coldplay plagerized this. theres no real way to tell. some could say that the creaky boards realized that the songs are vaugly familiar ( and i mean vaguely, shame on perez calling this "very convincing evidence") and decided to throw a publicity stunt. personaly i think they sound kind of familiar. but not enough to warrant the very serious alligation of plagerism. coldplay's public imge could be very damaged by this reguardless of wether its true of not. just a side note im not a coldplay fan. but yeah, in conclusion, not plagerism. but the creaky boards arent bad for standing up for themselves.
you really need to get a better ear for music perez, one LINE in the song sounds SIMILAR. not the same. different notes. find a different band to rag, because unlike most bands these days, coldplay makes real music. and it's much better than anything you could do.
You should only be so lucky Creaky Boards.
either way the coldplay song is so much better and i love that itunes comercial that was a relly stupid video too why the hell did that guy actually waste time and energy to make that?
wow that sounds a hell of alot alike!! i hate coldplay anyways.. they fuckin suck !
Perez: stop the coldplay hate. there is no similarity besides the first two notes. the instrumentation is COMPLETELY different. the song's chords are mostly major whereas the other band's are mostly minor. give me a break.
This claim is such sh*t. I mean come on..which other way is some shitty Brooklyn based band going to promote themselves out of obscurity? By some headline grabbing claim as they've just done.
It's really pathetic that you all come to this site, read gossip, and immediately believe it to be true. THINK before you post!
fricken stupid.
this sounds NOTHING like the Coldplay song.
and this other band is CRAP compared to Coldplay.
what is your deal with Coldplay Perez?
I really don't think they sound too similar at all.
LMAO
those guys are really brave to put that thing out!!!!!!!!
and honestly that tune is not that hard to come up with…
your an idiot. listen to the songs u plank yes there simila in ONE section. have u never heared a linkin park? lol ever song sounds the same but there all different in myopinion coldplay are amazing! ur just gelous
this guy just wants his 15 mins of fame and you are giving him just that. his song sounds like shit!!! coldplay's song is amazing and chris martin should sue that loser for trying to sound like him! perez quit hating on coldplay.. what's your beef with them anyway? they didn't give you free tickets to a show and now you're mad? gwyneth paltrow and chris martin are artists who like to live their lives in privacy, what's so wrong with that? just because they don't like to expose their children to the world for a quick buck and just because they want to spend their lives as NORMAL PEOPLE gives you no excuse to lash out and hate on them. not everyone wants to be a freakin mediawhore like you. if only there were more artists like them and johnny depp who truly appreciate their craft instead of exploiting it for $$.
it only sounds vaguely similar, and chris martin clearly sings better than him and has a huge band that people actually know. hes just bitter.
The commercial's track sounds similar, but when I downloaded the coldplay song, its not as catchy as it seems in the commercial. this guy is a loser. everyone wants a free dollar.
OMG! they dont sound anything alike! who r they kiddin!!!! ive hear viva la vida 200000 times and its not the same!!! viva la vida is way better and even if they did they made it wayyy betterrrr!!!!!!
Figures… the first song of theirs I actually enjoy, and the basis of it comes from someone else. Well, my universe makes sense again.
Creaky Boards: Don't whine about tip jars like you got what you deserved. If you feel you have a case, talk to a lawyer… though I get the sense you did, and discovered how nearly impossible it is to win such a case (especially if you don't have any money for court fees). Sue the bitches anyway!
Re: J – you fcking stole that form the 40 year old virgin! still coldplay is the best band right now…
Coldplay sucks… but because all these little kids worship anything mtv and/or mainstream, they're viewed as a great band. They're a fucking joke.
It seems Coldplay rips off many artists. Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, you name it. They are so unoriginal.
that sounds absolutely nothing like coldplay. many songs sound alike due to chords and the way artists arrange them into their songs if you think that that is plagiarism then you can say that soo many songs have been plagiarized.
that band is just jealous that coldplay is more famous than they are.
and you are wayyy to harsh on coldplay they are an amazing band they completely understand music as opposed to the crap that you think is good.
Re: Laure – your an idiot.
What the hell. Those songs aren't even that similar. Small bands need to stop attempting to get publicity from false accusations. Seriously.
anyway, coldplay SUCKS
I live in Brooklyn and am tight with the Creaky Boards. It was all a joke. Did everyone really fall for this. We got drunk last night and laughed for hours at the video they made for free that became a priceless press campaigne. Eat it up, America! HAHAHAHAHA
this sorta stuff happens all the time in the music business. i actually like the creaky boards version better.
It's just not that similar.
I don't really like Coldplay, but that song is pretty good, far better than this crybaby's song.
These songs have one note that sounds similar… It's funny to me that this band thinks so highly of themselves to think someone would actually want to steal it.
why don't you post what Chris Martin's legal team put out saying they can prove that Chris wasn't at that show, and also Viva La Vida was written and demoed 7 months before that show.
Looks like " creaky boards" wants some undue publicity.
Even if Coldplay did steal the song… at least they turned that piece of junk into an actual good song!
I never leave comments, but I think these guys have claimed their 5 minutes of fame too long and give up already. They have done a brilliant job themselves doing piggy back and association marketing to coldplay, and ultimately apple/itunes as well. There are some similarities in melody, but not really and their song is awful! It is not scientifically pleasing to the ears, as Viva La Vida is probably one of the most brilliant music compositions combining a full symphony into such a high bpm with thoughtful lyrics. Also the lead singer of the creaks was very careful to note in the video "we thought we saw" which does not confirm Chris Martin in attendance. Again, association. Although just doing his job and to be fair, I am sadly disappointed that perez would post something that compares such a work of art to a horrible song that really only has a couple notes in teh beginning that are similar when he strips background music. Grrrr.
ok, what the hell? these songs sound NOTHING alike.
why do you hate coldplay so much?
all they are is talented.