Bitter Sweet Symphony

Song credits

Although the song's lyrics were written by Verve vocalist Richard Ashcroft, its distinctive passage for strings was sampled from the 1965 Andrew Oldham Orchestra symphonic recording of "The Last Time", arranged and written by David Whitaker, inspired by the 1965 Rolling Stones' song of the same title. The Rolling Stones' song is itself strongly inspired from "The Last Time" from the Staple Singers.

Originally, The Verve had negotiated a licence to use a six-note sample from the Oldham recording, but former Stones manager Allen Klein (who owned the copyrights to the band’s pre-1970 songs) claimed that The Verve broke the agreement and used a larger portion. Despite its original lyrics and string intro (by Wil Malone and Ashcroft), the music of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was sampled from the Oldham track, which led to a lawsuit with ABKCO Records, Klein's holding company, and eventually settled out of court. The Verve relinquished all of their royalties to Klein, owner of ABKCO Records, whilst songwriting credits were changed to Jagger/Richards/Ashcroft.

The Verve bassist Simon Jones said, "We were told it was going to be a 50/50 split, and then they saw how well the record was doing. They rung up and said we want 100 percent or take it out of the shops, you don't have much choice." After losing the composer credits to the song, Ashcroft commented, "This is the best song Jagger and Richards have written in 20 years", noting it was their biggest UK hit since "Brown Sugar". 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: "It's very interesting stripping that song down and actually taking away all the strings, and just taking it down to the chords and my lyrics and my melody, and doing that kinda version it becomes much more bluesy. Also shows that ultimately take away the dressing, take away the strings, take away the sample, there's an actual song there."

In a Cash for Questions interview with Q magazine published in January 1999, Keith Richards was asked if he thought it was harsh taking all The Verve's royalties from "Bitter Sweet Symphony". He replied, "I'm out of whack here, this is serious lawyer shit. If The Verve can write a better song, they can keep the money."

In 1999, Andrew Oldham also sued for royalties after failing to receive the mechanical royalties he claimed he was owed. After receiving his royalties, Oldham joked that he bought "a pretty presentable watch strap" compared to the watch Jagger and Richards would get with the money. In an interview with Uncut Magazine, Oldham stated, "As for Richard Ashcroft, well, I don't know how an artist can be severely damaged by that experience. Songwriters have learned to call songs their children, and he thinks he wrote something. He didn't. I hope he's got over it. It takes a while."

Production

"This was certainly the most successful track I've done," noted producer Youth. "I think Richard had actually cut a version with John Leckie but, by the time I came on board, he didn't want to do the song. I persuaded him to have a go at cutting a version but at first he wasn't really into it. It was only once we'd put strings on it that he started getting excited. Then, towards the end, Richard wanted to chuck all the album away and start again. What was my reaction? Horror. Sheer horror. All I could say was, I really think you should reconsider."

Music video

The scripted, 50+ cut music video (directed by Walter A. Stern) is an homage to the single continuous shot docu-fiction music video for Massive Attack's "Unfinished Sympathy" and focuses on Ashcroft lip-synching the song while walking down a busy London pavement, refusing to change his stride or direction throughout (oblivious to what is going on around him), except for one instance where he is forced to stop for a moving car and a reflection is seen of him standing stationary in the car's tinted window. He repeatedly bumps into passers-by in a laddish-like fashion (causing one young woman to lose balance and fall), narrowly avoids being hit by a car, and jumps on top of the bonnet of another vehicle stopped in his path (the driver gets out of her car and proceeds to confront him, while he continues unflinchingly). At the end of the video, the rest of The Verve join Ashcroft, and the final shot sees them walking down the street into the distance. This then leads into the beginning of the video for "The Drugs Don't Work". The music video was nominated for a number of awards, including three MTV Awards at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards.

Ashcroft starts walking from the southeast corner of the intersection of Hoxton and Falkirk Streets in Hoxton, North London, subsequently proceeding north along the east side of Hoxton Street until he reaches Hoxton Gardens. He then crosses to the corner of Purcell Street and walks back the way he came, before being joined by the rest of the band at the corner of Crondall Street, opposite where he started. The British comedy band Fat Les would later release a direct parody for their 1998 song "Vindaloo", an alternative anthem for England at the 1998 FIFA World Cup, where Paul Kaye takes the role of an Ashcroft look-alike who is mocked by a growing group of passersby as the video progresses.

Live 8

On 2 July 2005, at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, London, Coldplay invited Ashcroft to perform the song with them in their set. They played it after only one rehearsal in Crystal Palace. Ashcroft was introduced by Chris Martin as "the best singer in the world" and he described the song as "the best song ever written". On 25 December 2005, a documentary entitled Live 8: A Bitter Sweet Symphony was aired reliving moments of the day featuring a portion of Ashcroft's performance as the music for the show's opening soundtrack.

Accolades

Regarded as the band's signature song and one of the defining tracks of the Britpop era, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" has featured in best ever song polls; in 1998, BBC Radio 1 listeners voted it the third Best Track Ever. The same year, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was named the third-best single of 1997 by New York City weekly The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop annual critics' poll. In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked it number 392 on their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". In 2007, NME magazine placed the song at number 18 in its list of the "50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever". In September 2007, a poll of 50 songwriters in Q magazine placed it in a list of the "Top 10 Greatest Tracks". In the Australian Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time, 2009, the track was voted the 14th best song of all time. Pitchfork Media included the song at number 29 on their "Top 200 Tracks of the 90s" list. The publication also included "Bitter Sweet Symphony" in its collection of The Pitchfork 500. In 2011, NME placed it at number 9 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years". The song featured at number one in Paste magazine's poll of the 25 awesome one-hit wonders of the 1990s.

Film and television

Sports

Video games

Cover versions

Track listings

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (original) – 6:00
2. "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" – 4:51
3. "Country Song" – 7:50
4. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (radio edit) – 4:35

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (extended version) – 7:52
2. "So Sister" – 4:11
3. "Echo Bass" – 6:39

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (radio edit) – 4:35
2. "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" – 4:51

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (radio edit) – 4:35
2. "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" – 4:51

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony (original) – 6:00
2. "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" – 4:51
3. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (James Lavelle Remix)
4. "Country Song" – 7:50

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (radio edit) – 4:35

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (alt version)
2. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (MSG)

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (James Lavelle Remix)
2. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (James Lavelle Instrumental Remix)

US version

On 10 March 1998 Bitter Sweet Symphony was released in the United States. The single was distributed by Virgin Records.

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (original) – 5:58
2. "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" – 4:52
3. "So Sister" – 4:11
4. "Echo Bass" – 6:39

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (original) – 5:58
2. "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" – 4:52

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (radio edit) – 4:16
2. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (original) – 5:57
3. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (Call Out Research Hook 1 Vocal) – 0:12
4. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (Call Out Research Hook 2 Instrumental) – 0:11

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (James Lavelle Remix) - 5:50
2. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (album version) – 5:57
3. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (James Lavelle Instrumental Remix) - 5:50

Japanese version

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (original) – 6:00
2. "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" – 4:51
3. "Country Song" – 7:50
4. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (radio edit) – 4:35

Dutch version

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (original) – 6:00
2. "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" – 4:51
3. "Country Song" – 7:50
4. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (radio edit) – 4:35

Electro version

1. Dayze – "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (Original mix) – 6:13