With a lawsuit already filed against them by Joe Satriani for plagiarism and rumors that Cat Stevens, now known as Yusef Islam, ready to follow suit, Coldplay drummer Will Champion answered the claims in a recent interview on HamptonRoads.com. Its tough when people accuse you of stealing something when you know that you didnt, he says. So, we accept that its part of the territory and know it is only for some reason, God only knows why, the successful songs that seem to be the ones that are accused of being stolen. So, you go figure it out.
There are elements of our music that Ive heard in other peoples music but its kind of I dont know, he 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. I think it lies on an intent to steal, which we certainly have never done and never would.
Ironically, the same hit song, "Viva la Vida" is in question in both cases. Satriani claims the song was copied from his "If I Could Fly" and Stevens claims a similarity to his 1973 song, "Foreigner Suite". Listen to all 3 tracks below and you be the judge.