Add Yusuf Islam — formerly known as Cat Stevens — to the list of artists who think Coldplay's "Viva la Vida" sounds just a bit too familiar. The
60-year-old singer said his son recently made him aware that the title track from the English band's multiplatinum 2008 album sounds remarkably similar to his 1973 song "Foreigner Suite."
"My son brought it to my attention and said, 'Doesn't that sound like 'Foreigner Suite"?' " Islam told Reuters on Monday. "The song definitely sounds like it ['Suite'] ... It has such logical chords and the melody has to be what it is."
Coldplay are already being sued by guitarist Joe Satriani, who has accused the band of copyright infringement in a suit that claims "Viva la Vida" borrows heavily from his song "If I Could Fly"; Coldplay have denied the claims. A spokesperson for Coldplay had no comment on the matter.
When asked if he were considering his own lawsuit against Coldplay over the song, Islam told Reuters that it "depends on how well Satriani does." The Satriani song is an instrumental the guitarist said he wrote in honor of his wife, while the Stevens song is an ambitious, 18-minute, multi-part epic that took up the entire first side of the 1973 Foreigner album, which was recorded in Jamaica and found the pop-folk singer flirting with a more R&B sound.
"Foreigner Suite" is a slowly building love ballad that begins on solo piano, adds in a female choir and then a full band midway through, at which point a jazzy piano line comes in that bears a distinct resemblance to the melody of the Coldplay tune.
This report is from MTV News.
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