Kraftwerk / Coldplay connection

pigface

This may be old news to some, but I was at the Kraftwerk gig in Bonn on Sunday and I noticed something hitherto unknown to me. I'm not really familiar with Kraftwerk's stuff after 'Autobahn' and 'Trans-Europa Express' and when I heard the main riff to 'Computerliebe', I recognised it and told my dear wife that it was exactly the same as that in a Coldplay song. I am not a Coldplay fan but go about in public and so am sometimes obliged to hear things I would rather avoid. Upon returning home, I researched it and it is in fact the case. The song in question is 'Talk' and from some basic research it seems that Coldplay approached Kraftwerk for permission to use the riff and Kraftwerk said 'go ahead'. So there it is.

RocknRollDave

Computer Love (the English language version) was the B Side to the single The Model, which was the first single I bought*, so I spotted it the first time I heard Talk. Kudos for them crediting it appropriately from the off, as is only right.

Not a Coldplay fan but it’s a good use of the ‘riff’ and it makes a decent song.


*I bought XTC’s Senses Working Overtime at the same time, so joint first single.

Snap

I'm a Kraftwerk fan, thought Coldplay's take on Computer Love's riff was bleeding awful tbh. Not really a Coldplay fan, but appreciate the quality of their first two albums which I actually quite like.

What do I know? Clearly they are doing something right to be so huge just about everywhere. And still seem relatively normal people, as far as you can tell. 

pigface

RocknRollDave said:

Computer Love (the English language version) was the B Side to the single The Model, which was the first single I bought*, so I spotted it the first time I heard Talk. Kudos for them crediting it appropriately from the off, as is only right.

Not a Coldplay fan but it’s a good use of the ‘riff’ and it makes a decent song.


*I bought XTC’s Senses Working Overtime at the same time, so joint first single.

I think it's the only Coldplay song I've heard that I actually like. The mystery is now explained :-)

pigface

Snap said:

I'm a Kraftwerk fan, thought Coldplay's take on Computer Love's riff was bleeding awful tbh. Not really a Coldplay fan, but appreciate the quality of their first two albums which I actually quite like.

What do I know? Clearly they are doing something right to be so huge just about everywhere. And still seem relatively normal people, as far as you can tell. 

Yes, Coldplay are not for me but, like Sheeran, they must have something.

darthed1981

pigface said:

Yes, Coldplay are not for me but, like Sheeran, they must have something.

They sure do, they have both just become bands it is cool to hate on.  TBF as well a lot of the band/music scene skews hard rock/metal and hating on anything NOT metal (except "ironically") is part of that. 

Ironically "Fix You" is a much piss-taken song, but it just works in a room with a few thousand fans.

Snap

pigface said:

Snap said:

I'm a Kraftwerk fan, thought Coldplay's take on Computer Love's riff was bleeding awful tbh. Not really a Coldplay fan, but appreciate the quality of their first two albums which I actually quite like.

What do I know? Clearly they are doing something right to be so huge just about everywhere. And still seem relatively normal people, as far as you can tell. 

Yes, Coldplay are not for me but, like Sheeran, they must have something.

Yep - global appeal! 

I think, trying to be objective, they both do accessible stuff that is well crafted and inoffensive, catchy and melodic. Clearly most people like their music like that.

I think being able to make music that millions and millions of people like is a true talent.

Sheeran - not my thing at all, but I remember seeing him headline glastonbury, on tv, and you have to say - being able to entertain over a hundred thousand people, for over 90 minutes, with just you & a guitar and your songs - that's quality performance.

However, I'd find it painful, ha!! 

darthed1981

^^^

Honestly as well - that is a bunch of musicians playing, enjoying themselves on that stage.  They just happen to have become millionaires out of it.

The millionaire side of it is so random and such a crap shoot, it's almost not worth worrying about it.  I remember when Chris Martin gifted the (excellent) song "Gravity" to Embrace him saying it could just as easily have been them who made it globally mega-big... they just didn't.

Hurling_Fruitmig

This song gave me two of my favourite Kraftwerk anecdotes:

That when Coldplay wrote to Kraftwerk requesting permission, they received a reply comprising a single sheet of paper with only the word "Yes" written on it, and

In response to a question about Coldplay using the riff, Ralf Hutter allegedly replied that "at last they asked, unlike that b'stard Jay-z".

roberty

Computer Love is my favourite Kraftwerk album

Redlester

I was aware of it at the time, as I read an article about it. 

At least Coldplay asked. 

The same article was generally about borrowing motifs and ideas from other artist's music- in fact it may well have mentioned the Coldplay Joe Satriani case from some years back. 

It also pointed out that the first phrase (ten notes or so) of the main theme from Kraftwerk's own "Tour de France" is reminiscent of the opening theme of Hindemith's Sonata for Flute. 

If that's anything to go by, borrowing is quite a fertile thing if it means that listeners 'join the dots' and go and listen to the song that inspired someone else. It started me listening to Hindemith, anyway. 

thecolourbox

pigface said:

Snap said:

I'm a Kraftwerk fan, thought Coldplay's take on Computer Love's riff was bleeding awful tbh. Not really a Coldplay fan, but appreciate the quality of their first two albums which I actually quite like.

What do I know? Clearly they are doing something right to be so huge just about everywhere. And still seem relatively normal people, as far as you can tell. 

Yes, Coldplay are not for me but, like Sheeran, they must have something.

There's a brilliant stand up routine by Nish Kumar about this - the gist of it is that if he could be anybody in the world, he would be the drummer from Coldplay. Reason being, they split all the money equally apparently, and all the negative comments about the band are largely aimed at Chris Martin, whereas the other bands members would hardly be recognised in the street yet still are raking it in just the same and having a blast. He mentions how the drummer from Coldplay was in the Game of Thrones Red Wedding episode, playing drums in the band, and despite being the drummer in one of the world's biggest bands, and doing what he's most known for in one of the biggest TV series in the world, nobody recognised him.

But the reason he wants to be the drummer more than say the bassist or the guitarist is brilliant - because he sits down

EricTheWeary

thecolourbox said:

pigface said:

Snap said:

I'm a Kraftwerk fan, thought Coldplay's take on Computer Love's riff was bleeding awful tbh. Not really a Coldplay fan, but appreciate the quality of their first two albums which I actually quite like.

What do I know? Clearly they are doing something right to be so huge just about everywhere. And still seem relatively normal people, as far as you can tell. 

Yes, Coldplay are not for me but, like Sheeran, they must have something.

There's a brilliant stand up routine by Nish Kumar about this - the gist of it is that if he could be anybody in the world, he would be the drummer from Coldplay. Reason being, they split all the money equally apparently, and all the negative comments about the band are largely aimed at Chris Martin, whereas the other bands members would hardly be recognised in the street yet still are raking it in just the same and having a blast. He mentions how the drummer from Coldplay was in the Game of Thrones Red Wedding episode, playing drums in the band, and despite being the drummer in one of the world's biggest bands, and doing what he's most known for in one of the biggest TV series in the world, nobody recognised him.

But the reason he wants to be the drummer more than say the bassist or the guitarist is brilliant - because he sits down

I was watching an interview with John Coghlan the other day (original Status Quo drummer)and he was talking about going to see bands asa kid and wanting to be the drummer because they were the only one who got a seat. He did okay out of it I guess. 

DefaultM

darthed1981 said:

pigface said:

Yes, Coldplay are not for me but, like Sheeran, they must have something.

They sure do, they have both just become bands it is cool to hate on.  TBF as well a lot of the band/music scene skews hard rock/metal and hating on anything NOT metal (except "ironically") is part of that. 

Ironically "Fix You" is a much piss-taken song, but it just works in a room with a few thousand fans.

Even Coldplay and Ed Sheeran isn't as bad as...

Coldplay and James Corden! 

thecolourbox

A bit of a diversion but to really get the hackles of the Fretboard up, I'll never tire of posting this video of the incredible Jacob Collier performing his version of Fix You in his music room at home: