"Bitter Sweet Symphony" is a song by the rock band The Verve, and is the lead track to their third album, Urban Hymns. It was released 16 June 1997 as the lead single from the album, charting at #2 in the UK Singles Chart, beaten by The Police cover, retitled "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy and Faith Evans (see 1997 in British music). The single was released to the US charts in early 1998.

Track listings

In the UK

• CD1 HUTDG82

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (album version)
2. "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know"
3. "Country Song"
4. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (radio edit)

• CD2 HUTDX82

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (extended version)
2. "So Sister"
3. "Echo Bass"

Cover by photography John Horsley [1]

In the US

• CD released 10 March 1998 by Virgin Records

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (album version)
2. "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know"
3. "So Sister"
4. "Echo Bass"

Song credits

Although the song's lyrics were written by Verve vocalist, Richard Ashcroft, it is also credited to Keith Richards and Mick Jagger because the song uses the Andrew Oldham Orchestra recording of The Rolling Stones' 1965 song, "The Last Time" as its foundation.

Verve had originally negotiated a license to use a sample from the Oldham recording. However, most of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was highly derivative of the original which led to a lawsuit with ABKCO Records, Allen Klein's company, which owns the rights to the Rolling Stones material of the 60s. The matter was eventually settled out of court, with copyright of the song reverting to ABKCO and songwriting credits to Jagger and Richards.

Contrary to popular belief, the song's main string riff is not a direct sample, but is based on a piano part found on the Andrew Oldham Orchestra recording.

The song was later used, against the will of the band, by Nike in a shoe commercial. As a result, it was on the Illegal Art CD from Stay Free!. However the band was able to stop further use of the song by employing the European legal concept of moral rights.

Ashcroft and the band's reaction to the loss of control and financial rewards from what is possibly their best song was not positive; it has been argued that the issue contributed to Ashcroft's depression and the band's split not long afterwards.

Ashcroft played the song, accompanied by Coldplay, at the Live 8 concert held in Hyde Park, London. It was introduced by Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay, as "probably the best song ever written" and he referred to Ashcroft as "the greatest singer of all time."

On Ashcroft's return to touring, the song traditionally ended the set list. Ashcroft also reworked the single for 'VH2 Live' for the music channel VH1 stripping the song of its strings. Ashcroft is quoted as saying during the show: "Despite all the legal angles and the bullshit, strip down to the chords and the lyrics and the melody and you realise there is such a good song there."

He also dedicated the song to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards at a gig at the Sage Gateshead in Gateshead. After an audience member booed Ashcroft exclaimed "don't boo man, as long as I can play this song I'm happy to pay a few of those guys' bills."

Verve guitarist, Nick McCabe, however has come to resent the song claiming that: "It wasn't the Verve, it was just Richard and some other blokes" [2]

In the media

• Played in General Hospital scene
• Played in the 1999 movie Cruel Intentions.
• Covered by Marston Smith, New Age Cello Soloist, on his CD, Trance Cello - 12/00, less drums/vocals. Also performed live on his CD, Marston Live - 6/01.
• The song was used by the Seattle Seahawks as they were introduced at the opening of Super Bowl XL in 2006.
• Also was played at the end of the Thanksgiving NFL game between the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos on November 24, 2005.

External links

• 382nd Best song of all time according to Rolling Stone Magazine: News - 500 Greatest Songs