Bitter Sweet Symphony

For the album by Jade Valerie, see Bittersweet Symphony (album).

"Bitter Sweet Symphony"
Song

"Bitter Sweet Symphony" is a song by English alternative rock band The Verve, and is the lead track on their third album Urban Hymns (1997). It was released on 16 June 1997 as the first single from the album, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart. The single was released in the United States in early 1998, where it reached number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also became famous for the legal controversy surrounding its use of an orchestral sample as its hook.

Rolling Stone ranked "Bitter Sweet Symphony" as the 382nd best song of all time. In May 2007, NME magazine placed "Bitter Sweet Symphony" at number 18 in its list of the "50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever". In September 2007, Q published a list of "Top 10 Tracks" as selected via a poll of 50 songwriters; "Bitter Sweet Symphony" is included.

Song credits

Although the song's lyrics were written by Verve vocalist Richard Ashcroft, it has been 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.

Originally, The Verve had negotiated a license to use a sample from the Oldham recording, but it was successfully argued that the Verve had used 'too much' of the sample. Despite having original lyrics, the music of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" is partially based on the Oldham track (the song uses the sample as its foundation and builds layers upon it, though the prominent violin melody is Ashcroft's creation), which led to a lawsuit with ABKCO Records, Allen Klein's company that owns the rights to the Rolling Stones material of the 1960s. The matter was eventually settled, with copyright of the song reverting to ABKCO and songwriting credits to Jagger and Richards.

"We were told it was going to be a 50/50 split, and then they saw how well the record was doing," says band member Simon Jones. "They rung up and said 'we want 100 per cent or take it out of the shops', you don't have much choice."

After losing the composer credits to the song, Richard Ashcroft commented, "This is the best song Jagger and Richards have written in 20 years."

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 the magazine Stay Free!. The song was also used in a Vauxhall Motors commercial and several of Opel, prompting Ashcroft to declare onstage, "Don't buy Vauxhall cars, they're shit." 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 was their most popular song was not positive; and it has been argued that the issue contributed to Ashcroft's depression and the band's later split.

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 realize 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 several audience members 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."

In a Cash For Questions interview with Q magazine in 1998, Keith Richards was asked if he thought it was harsh taking all The Verve's royalties from "Bitter Sweet Symphony" to which he replied, "I'm out of wack here, this is serious lawyer shit. If The Verve can write a better song, they can keep the money."

Music video

The video for "Bitter Sweet Symphony" features Richard Ashcroft lip-syncing the song while walking down a busy street; Ashcroft refuses to change his stride or direction throughout, apparently oblivious to what is going on around him. He repeatedly bumps into passers-by (causing at least one to trip and fall), narrowly avoids being hit by a car, and jumps on top of the bonnet of another vehicle stopped in his path (the owner proceeds to shout at him while he seems to be unaware). The end of the video leads into the beginning of the video for "The Drugs Don't Work".

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. The "sidewalk journey" format was inspired by the music video for the Massive Attack song "Unfinished Sympathy", in which Shara Nelson sings while walking through a Los Angeles neighborhood. The British comedy band Fat Les would later release a direct parody for their 1998 song "Vindaloo"; Paul Kaye takes the role of an Ashcroft look-alike who is mocked by a growing group of passers-by as the video progresses.

Live 8

On the 2 July 2005, at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, 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 'probably the greatest song ever written'.

On Christmas 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.

Other appearances

In 1998, a remixed version of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" appeared in the UK music charts called "Treat Infamy" by Rest Assured. CDs were pressed and do exist. However, due to copyright restrictions this version is no longer available commercially. This version is credited as having been written by Mick Jagger & Keith Richards with additional material by Laurence Nelson, Alastair Johnson & Nick Carter.

In late 2008 around the holidays, Ace Enders, former front man of successful New Jersey emo act The Early November, covered the song to kick off his solo project "Ace Enders and a Million Different People”. The song's proceeds went to benefit the VH1 Save the Music Foundation. This rendition was exclusively sold via Apple's Itunes, also one of the partners involved in the benefit. The single went on to sell ten's of thousands of downloads. As a pun on his new band name, he invited other successful front men in the genre to join him in singing on the track. Guests featured everyone from Mark Hoppus of Blink 182 to Matt Thiessen of Relient K to Craig Owens of Chiodos. All proceeds from the project went to the VH1 Save the Music Foundation. The song was also featured at the ending of the movie Cruel Intentions.

Track listings

UK CD1 (HUTDG82)

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (album version) – (5:58)
2. "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" – (4:52)
3. "Country Song" – (7:50)
4. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (radio edit) – (4:35)

UK CD2 (HUTDX82)

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

US CD (released 10 March 1998 by Virgin Records)

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