The members of Coldplay have offered up a unique remembrance of the late David Bowie, explaining how the legend once passed on the opportunity to collaborate with them.

Speaking with Reporters, Coldplay drummer Will Champion explained that Bowie pulled no punches in letting the rock giants know he wasn't a fan of their proposed track.

"Chris Martin once submitted a song to him with a note that said, 'Would you please sing on this song, because it's got this three-part thing,' and we had a sort of David Bowie-type character," the drummer recalled in a video for NME.

"And Bowie came back, 'It's not a very good song, is it?' I was like, 'OK, I'll take that as a no.'

So he was very discerning. He wouldn't just put his name to anything, so I'll give him credit for that."

Both Champion and guitarist Johnny Buckland appear in the video tribute but neither reveal exactly what song they pitched to Bowie.