Bitter Sweet Symphony
"Bitter Sweet Symphony" | ||||
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Single by The Verve | ||||
from the album Urban Hymns | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 16 June 1997 | |||
Recorded | January–March 1997 | |||
Studio | Olympic Studios, London[1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | Hut | |||
Songwriter(s) | Richard Ashcroft[3] | |||
Producer(s) |
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The Verve singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Bitter Sweet Symphony" on YouTube | ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"Bitter Sweet Symphony" is a song by English alternative rock band the Verve. It is the lead track on their third studio album, Urban Hymns (1997). It is based on a sample it uses from the Andrew Loog Oldham orchestral cover of the Rolling Stones' song "The Last Time", and involved some legal controversy surrounding a plagiarism charge. As a result, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were added to the songwriting credits. In April 2019, Jagger and Richards signed over all their publishing for the song to The Verve.[4] "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was released in June 1997 by Hut Recordings as the first single from the album, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart and stayed in the chart for three months.[5]
Acclaimed in music publications, it was named Rolling Stone and NME Single of the Year for 1997, and is considered one of the defining songs of the Britpop era. The accompanying music video features lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft walking down a busy London pavement – in Hoxton Street, Hoxton – oblivious to what is going on around and refusing to change his stride or direction throughout.[6][7] At the 1998 Brit Awards, "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was nominated for Best British Single. The song was released in the US as a single in March 1998 by Virgin Records America, reaching No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100,[8] and the music video was nominated for Video of the Year, Best Group Video, and Best Alternative Video at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards.[9][10] In 1999, the song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song.[11]
Production
Producer Youth said: "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."[12]
Credits dispute
The opening strings are sampled from the 1965 Andrew Oldham Orchestra recording of the Rolling Stones song "The Last Time", arranged and written by David Whitaker.[13][14] The Verve negotiated rights to use a six-note sample from the recording; however, former Rolling 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.[15][16] This led to a lawsuit with ABKCO Records, Klein's holding company, which was settled out of court. The Verve relinquished all royalties to Klein, and the songwriting credits were changed to Jagger/Richards/Ashcroft.[17]
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."[18] Ashcroft said, "This is the best song Jagger and Richards have written in 20 years",[19] noting it was their biggest UK hit since "Brown Sugar".[18]
In a 1999 interview with Q, asked whether he believed the result was fair, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards said: "I'm out of whack here, this is serious lawyer shit. If the Verve can write a better song, they can keep the money."[20][21] In 1999, Andrew Oldham sued for royalties after failing to receive the mechanical royalties he claimed he was owed.[22] 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, he said: "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."[23]
In May 2019, Ashcroft received the Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers, and Authors. Ashcroft announced that the dispute was over following negotiations with Klein's son, Jody and the Rolling Stones' manager Joyce Smith.[3] He said:
As of last month, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards signed over all their publishing for Bittersweet 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.[3]
Music video
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/d/d1/Bitter_Sweet_Symphony_Screenshot.jpg/200px-Bitter_Sweet_Symphony_Screenshot.jpg)
The music video (directed by Walter A. Stern) is a homage to the single continuous shot docu-fiction music video for Massive Attack's "Unfinished Sympathy". It focuses on Ashcroft singing while walking down a busy London pavement, without changing his stride or direction throughout, 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.[7] He narrowly avoids being hit by a car as he starts his walk, repeatedly bumping into passers-by (causing one young woman to lose balance and fall), and he also 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".[24] The music video received heavy rotation on music channels and it was nominated for a number of awards, including three MTV Awards at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards.[10]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Hoxton_Street_2002.jpg/220px-Hoxton_Street_2002.jpg)
Ashcroft starts walking from the southeast corner of the intersection of Hoxton and Falkirk Streets in Hoxton in the East End of London,[25] 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 passers by as the video progresses.[26] In 2016, The Telegraph named Hoxton Street in their list of the 54 locations that defined the Britpop era.[27]
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 Youth 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.[28]
Accolades and legacy
Regarded as the band's signature song and one of the defining tracks and music videos 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.[29] 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 2007, NME magazine placed the song at number 18 in its list of the "50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever".[30] In September 2007, a poll of 50 songwriters in Q magazine placed it in a list of the "Top 10 Greatest Tracks".[31] In the Australian Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time, 2009, the track was voted the 14th best song of all time.[32] Pitchfork Media included the song at number 29 on their "Top 200 Tracks of the 90s" list.[33] The publication also included "Bitter Sweet Symphony" in its collection of The Pitchfork 500.[34] In 2011, NME placed it at number 9 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[35] Despite the band having half a dozen hits, the song featured at number one in Paste magazine's poll of its 25 "awesome one-hit wonders of the 1990s".[36] In 2015, Rolling Stone readers voted it the third greatest Britpop song in a poll,[37] and in 2004, it was ranked at number 392 on their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[38]
Cover versions
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2f/Beyonce_If_I_Were_a_Boy_2013.jpg/220px-Beyonce_If_I_Were_a_Boy_2013.jpg)
- American recording artist Beyoncé mashed the song with her own "If I Were a Boy" during the set list of her The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour (2013). The string motif of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was used during the performances.[39]
- Nu metal band Limp Bizkit also mashed this with their cover of "Home Sweet Home" by Mötley Crüe, with "Home Sweet Home/Bittersweet Symphony".
- A version recorded at the BBC by London Grammar appears on the deluxe version of the album Truth Is a Beautiful Thing (2017).
In popular culture
- The song played on The Simpsons episode "That '90s Show".[40]
- The song was played in Ireland's video postcard in the Eurovision Song Contest 1998.[41]
- The song was used at the end of the film Cruel Intentions and was included on the soundtrack.[42]
- Since 2008, the song has been used by ITV as the background music to the opening sequence for England's international football matches; including the qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup.[43] In May 2019, following the settling of the songwriting dispute with the Stones, Ashcroft stated, “I can sit back and watch England... and finally just enjoy the moment."[3]
- The song played on Riverdale season 2 episode "Chapter Twenty-Five: The Wicked and the Divine".[44]
- The song was used during the final scene and outro credits of My Dinner with Hervé.[45]
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" serves as the title theme for the Investigation Discovery series The 1990's: The Deadliest Decade.[46]
- The song was used at the end of the film The Death and Life of John F. Donovan by Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan.[47]
Track listings
CD 1 HUTDG 82
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (original) – 6:00
- "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" – 4:51
- "Country Song" – 7:50
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (radio edit) – 4:35
CD 2 HUTDX 82
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (extended version) – 7:52
- "So Sister" – 4:11
- "Echo Bass" – 6:39
Cassette HUTC 82
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (radio edit) – 4:35
- "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" – 4:51
7" HUTLH 82
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (radio edit) – 4:35
- "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" – 4:51
12" HUTT 82
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony (original) – 6:00
- "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" – 4:51
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (James Lavelle Remix)
- "Country Song" – 7:50
Promo CD HUTCDP 82
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (radio edit) – 4:35
Promo 12" HUTTP 82
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (alt version)
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (MSG)
Remix 12" HUTTR 82
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (James Lavelle Remix)
- "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. CD V25D-38634
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (original) – 5:58
- "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" – 4:52
- "So Sister" – 4:11
- "Echo Bass" – 6:39
Cassette 4KM-38634
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (original) – 5:58
- "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" – 4:52
Promo CD DPRO-12727
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (radio edit) – 4:16
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (original) – 5:57
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (Call Out Research Hook 1 Vocal) – 0:12
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (Call Out Research Hook 2 Instrumental) – 0:11
Promo 12" SPRO-12775
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (James Lavelle Remix) - 5:50
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (album version) – 5:57
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (James Lavelle Instrumental Remix) - 5:50
Japanese version
CD VJCP-12077
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (original) – 6:00
- "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" – 4:51
- "Country Song" – 7:50
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (radio edit) – 4:35
Dutch version
CD 8943752
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (original) – 6:00
- "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know" – 4:51
- "Country Song" – 7:50
- "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (radio edit) – 4:35
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA)[77] | Gold | 35,000^ |
France (SNEP)[78] | Silver | 125,000* |
Germany (BVMI)[79] | Gold | 250,000‡ |
Italy (FIMI)[80] | Platinum | 50,000‡ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[81] | 2× Platinum | 1,200,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[82] | Gold | 500,000^ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
References
- ^ "Bitter Sweet Symphony". Retrieved 2018-12-23.
{{cite web}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=
(help) - ^ Richin, Leslie (12 January 2017). "20 Alternative Rock Hits Turning 20 in 2017". Billboard. Retrieved 29 November 2018.
- ^ a b c d "The Bittersweet Symphony dispute is over". BBC. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- ^ "The Bittersweet Symphony dispute is over". BBC. Retrieved 23 May 2019.
- ^ "The Verve's bitter sweet career". BBC News. Retrieved 8 March 2015
- ^ Verve Single Tops Charts But Success Is Bittersweet Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 12 2012
- ^ a b Craig McLean (14 Jan 2006) "Still crazy" The Telegraph. Retrieved 11 February 2012
- ^ Billboard Hot 100 (line 17). The bestsongsever.com
- ^ The Brit Awards: The Verve Archived 2012-02-02 at the Wayback Machine Brits.co.uk. Retrieved 11 February 2012
- ^ a b 1998 MTV Video Music Awards Rock on the Net. Retrieved 11 February 2012
- ^ 41st Grammy Awards - 1999 Rock on the Net. Retrieved 12 February 2012
- ^ Q January 2001
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-03-19. Retrieved 2014-04-05.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help)CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Sound On Sound. Retrieved 19 March 2014 - ^ “David Whitaker obituary”. The Guardian. Retrieved 19 March 2014
- ^ "Bitter Sweet Symphony: the controversy". www.thevervelive.com.
- ^ Superswell.com: "Horror Stories of Sampling" Archived 5 June 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "The Verve: Bitter Sweet Symphony". allmusic. Rovi Corp. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
- ^ a b Powell, Betsy. MusicSaves.org: "Bitter, Sweet Success"
- ^ “Bitter Sweet Symphony”. Rolling Stone. Archived 23 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Lawyers sue, men plunder - Music - Entertainment - smh.com.au". www.smh.com.au. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
- ^ Snyder, Jeffrey (27 January 2015). "Song authorship controversies, from George Harrison to Oasis". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 May 2017.
- ^ Christopher O'Connor (January 11, 1999). "The Verve Sued Again Over 'Bitter Sweet Symphony'". MTV.
- ^ Adam Bychawski (7 October 2008). "Rolling Stones' manager derides The Verve". NME. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
- ^ "The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony". Parlophone. 23 July 2008. Retrieved 25 April 2009.
- ^ "musicpilgrimages.com: "Music video - Bittersweet Symphony"".
- ^ Irene Morra (2013). "Britishness, Popular Music, and National Identity: The Making of Modern Britain". p. 138. Routledge,
- ^ "54 locations that defined Britpop". The Telegraph. 25 March 2018.
- ^ Live 8: A Bittersweet Symphony (TV 2005) IMDB. Retrieved 10 March 2012
- ^ Radio 1 - Best Tracks Ever Rock List.net. Retrieved 10 February 2012
- ^ The Greatest Indie Anthems Ever - Numbers 30-11, NME.com. Accessed on 23 June 2007.
- ^ Songwriters reveal top 10 tracks BBC News. Retrieved 31 August 2007
- ^ "Countdown | Hottest 100 - Of All Time | triple j". Abc.net.au. Retrieved 11 February 2012.
- ^ "The Top 200 Tracks of the 1990s: 50-21 - Page 3 - Pitchfork". pitchfork.com.
- ^ Plagenhoef, Scott; Schreiber, Ryan, eds. (November 2008). The Pitchfork 500. Simon & Schuster. pp. 143–144. ISBN 978-1-4165-6202-3.
- ^ "150 Best Tracks Of The Past 15 Years". Nme.Com. 30 April 1997. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- ^ Barrett, John (28 September 2011). "25 Awesome One-Hit Wonders of the 1990s". Paste. Retrieved 29 May 2013.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Readers' Poll: The 10 Best Brit-Pop Songs". Rolling Stone. 25 March 2018.
- ^ "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
- ^ "Beyoncé makes nod to The Verve at London's O2 Arena". NME. IPC Media. 30 April 2013. Archived from the original on 6 July 2013. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
- ^ The Simpsons - "That 90's Show" (Season 19, and episode 11) Fox. Retrieved 25 March 2018
- ^ Eurovision 1998 : The Postcards YouTube. Retrieved 2 April 2018
- ^ Cruel Intentions OST All Music. Retrieved 25 March 2018
- ^ "Richard Ashcroft - From urban hymns to united nations". The Independent. Retrieved 25 March 2018
- ^ "Riverdale". The CW. Retrieved 28 April 2018.
- ^ "My Dinner with Hervé". HBO. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
- ^ "1990's: The Deadliest Decade | Watch Full Episodes & More!". Investigation Discovery. Retrieved 2018-12-19.
- ^ "'The Death and Life of John F. Donovan' Review: A Hot Mess | TIFF 2018". Collider. Retrieved 7 February 2019
- ^ "The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3451." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 3436." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "The Verve: Bitter Sweet Symphony" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (NR. 233 Vikuna 7.8. '97 - 14.8. '97)" (PDF) (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið Vísir. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
{{cite magazine}}
: Cite magazine requires|magazine=
(help) - ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Bitter Sweet Symphony". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ a b "I singoli più venduti del 1997" (in Italian). Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 33, 1997" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony". VG-lista. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- ^ "The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "The Verve Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "The Verve Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "The Verve Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "The Verve Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "The Verve Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 1997". ARIA. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "RPM's Top 100 Hit Tracks of '98" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 63, no. 12. 14 December 1998. p. 20. Retrieved 23 March 2019.
- ^ "RPM's Top 50 Alternative Tracks of '98". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 13 April 2018.
- ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1998". Archived from the original on 9 March 2009. Retrieved 28 August 2010.
{{cite web}}
: Unknown parameter|deadurl=
ignored (|url-status=
suggested) (help) - ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
- ^ "French single certifications – The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
- ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (The Verve; 'Bitter Sweet Symphony')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
- ^ "Italian single certifications – The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 6 November 2017. Select "2017" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Bitter Sweet Symphony" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
- ^ "British single certifications – The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 2 January 2019. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Bitter Sweet Symphony in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
- ^ "American single certifications – The Verve – Bitter Sweet Symphony". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 2 January 2019.
External links
- Single chart usages for Germany2
- The Verve songs
- 1997 songs
- Sampling controversies
- Songs written by Jagger/Richards
- Virgin Records singles
- 1997 singles
- 1998 singles
- Songs written by Richard Ashcroft
- Song recordings produced by Chris Potter (record producer)
- Hut Records singles
- Number-one singles in Scotland
- Baroque pop songs
- Music videos directed by Walter Stern