Bitter Sweet Symphony is the hit song from the English britpop/alternative rock band The Verve, which was released on 16 June 1997, as a single from their album Urban Hymns that came out the same year. The song became notorious due to the popularity and the two decade long plagiarism claim.
Production/Writing Process
After a short break up that occurred after the release of their second album A Northern Soul in 1995, the band reunited with the addition of Simon Tong on guitar. The band went on to record their third album as a five-piece band in 1996. The recording of Bitter Sweet Symphony was almost cut from the album by the lead singer and writer Richard Ashcroft. Producer Martin Glover (aka Youth) explains:
"This was certainly the most successful track I've done. 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."
Plagiarism Dispute
As mentioned before, the song was a part of long legal battle because it features the sample of the strings riff from a song by the Rolling Stones called »The Last Time«. The riff was played by the Andrew Oldham Orchestra, and was written and arranged by David Whitaker, and not by the Stones. The Verve actually got the permission to use the sample by the copyright holder of the recording Decca Records, but did not get the green light from the Rolling Stones manager from the 1960's Allen Klein. Klein was the manager of both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in the 60's and was known for very aggressive negotiations in the music industry. After the lawsuit, the Verve gave back all the royalties to Allen Klein, and the songwriting credits got changed from Ashcroft to Jagger-Richards.
Ashcroft jokingly stated at the time: "This is the best song Jagger and Richards have written in 20 years«
And from the Rolling Stones camp, guitarist Keith Richards commented: "I'm out of whack here, this is serious lawyer shit. If the Verve can write a better song, they can keep the money."
The story luckily has a happy ending. Ashcroft revealed in 2019 that the dispute was settled after negotiating with Allen Klein's son, and the Rolling Stones manager Joyce Smith. Ashcroft said:
»As of last month, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards signed over all their publishing for "Bitter Sweet Symphony", which was a truly kind and magnanimous thing for them to do. I never had a personal beef with the Stones. They've always been the greatest rock and roll band in the world. It's been a fantastic development. It's life-affirming in a way.«
Music Video and Legacy
The music video was released in June 1997 and was directed by Walter A. Stern. It features Ashcroft walking down a street in London in a straight line, not dodging pedestrians, and lip-synching the lyrics. At the end of the video Ashcroft reunites with fellow bandmates, and they walk down the street together. The alternative version of the video shows Ashcroft bump in to three men who then beat him up. After they leave, he continues to walk forward with blood covering his face.
The song continues to be very popular with over 800 million views on Youtube, and over 700 million plays on Spotify. It was also featured on several best of lists from publications such as Rolling Stone, NME and Pitchfork. The song got a Grammy for the Best Rock Song and was nominated for the Best British Single by the Brit Awards in 1998.
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