Say it ain't so, Joe!

Coldplay has finally gotten around to shooting down Joe Satriani's allegations of song-swiping made in a copyright-infringement suit filed last week. copyright-infringement suit

In a statement Tuesday, Chris Martin and crew flatly deny lifting the melody of the guitar whiz's 2004 track "If I Could Fly" for their chart-dominating "Viva la Vida."

"If there are any similarities between our two pieces of music, they are entirely coincidental, and just as surprising to us as to him," Coldplay says. "Joe Satriani is a great musician, but he did not write the song 'Viva la Vida.' We respectfully ask him to accept our assurances of this and wish him well with all future endeavors."

We're guessing the compliment will fall on deaf ears...

Satriani just told the site Music Radar that hearing Coldplay's tune "felt like a dagger went right through my heart, it hurt so much."

"The second I heart it, I knew it was 'If I Could Fly,' " he said. "I spent so long writing the song, thinking about it, loving it, nursing it, and then finally recording it and standing on stages the world over playing it—and then somebody comes along and plays the exact same song and calls it their own."

And scores an iPod ad and three Grammy nominations —Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group.