"Bitter Sweet Symphony" is a song by the rock band The Verve, and is the lead track on their third album Urban Hymns. It was released on June 16, 1997 as the first single from the album, charting at #2 on the UK Singles Chart, having been beaten to the #1 spot by "I'll Be Missing You" by Puff Daddy, Faith Evans and 112. The single was released in the U.S. in early 1998. The song also became infamous for the legal controversy surrounding its use of an orchestral sample as its hook. Image File history File links Bitter_Sweet_Symphony_CD1. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Not to be confused with The Verve Pipe. ... Singles from Urban Hymns Released: 16 June 1997 Released: 1 September 1997 Released: 24 November 1997 Released: 2 March 1998 Urban Hymns is the highly acclaimed alternative rock/space rock album released on September 29, 1997 by English rock band The Verve. ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... CD redirects here. ... A 12-inch record (left), a 7-inch record (right), and a CD (above) Two 7 singles (left), two colored 7 singles (middle), and two 7 singles with large spindle holes (right). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Britpop was a mid-1990s British alternative rock genre and movement. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Hut Records was started in 1990 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Virgin Records. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Sir Michael Phillip Mick Jagger (born July 26, 1943) is a English rock musician, actor, songwriter, record and film producer and businessman. ... Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English guitarist, songwriter, singer and a founding member of The Rolling Stones in 1962. ... Richard Paul Ashcroft is an English singer-songwriter born on September 11, 1971 in Billinge Maternity Hospital in Billinge Higher End, Lancashire (now part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester). ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Martin Youth Glover (born December 23, 1960) is an influential record producer and a founding member and bassist of the UK band Killing Joke. ... Not to be confused with The Verve Pipe. ... History was the third and final single to be released from The Verves second album, A Northern Soul. ... The Drugs Dont Work is a song by the Britpop band The Verve and is featured on their third album, Urban Hymns. ... This article is about the type of musical group. ... Not to be confused with The Verve Pipe. ... An album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. ... Singles from Urban Hymns Released: 16 June 1997 Released: 1 September 1997 Released: 24 November 1997 Released: 2 March 1998 Urban Hymns is the highly acclaimed alternative rock/space rock album released on September 29, 1997 by English rock band The Verve. ... is the 167th day of the year (168th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... “British Hit Singles” redirects here. ... Ill Be Missing You is a song and hit single recorded by Puff Daddy featuring Faith Evans and 112, in memory of fellow Bad Boy Records artist The Notorious B.I.G., who was murdered on March 9, 1997. ... Sean John Combs (born November 4, 1969 aka P. Diddy, Puff Daddy, Sean Puffy Combs) is an American record producer and CEO and founder of Bad Boy Entertainment, one of the driving forces in hip hop in the mid to late 1990s. ... Faith Renée Evans (born June 10, 1973) is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B singer, songwriter and producer. ... 112 (pronounced one-twelve) is a Grammy Award-winning American R&B quartet from Atlanta, Georgia. ... For other uses of terms redirecting here, see US (disambiguation), USA (disambiguation), and United States (disambiguation) Motto In God We Trust(since 1956) (From Many, One; Latin, traditional) Anthem The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City National language English (de facto)1 Demonym American... See also: 1998 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 1998 Record labels established in 1998 // 1998 - The single Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls sets a new hot 100 airplay record, 18 weeks at number one. ... This article is about reusing existing sound recordings in creating new works. ... A hook is a musical idea, a passage or phrase, that is believed to be appealing and make the song stand out; it is meant to catch the ear of the listener (Covach 2005, p. ...

Later 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.

Rolling Stone ranked "Bitter Sweet Symphony" as the 382nd best song of all time.^[1] In May 2007, NME magazine placed "Bitter Sweet Symphony" at number 18 in its list of the "50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever."^[2] In September 2007, Q published a list of "Top 10 Tracks" as selected via a poll of 50 songwriters; "Bitter Sweet Symphony" is included (the list is presented alphabetically instead of being ranked).^[3] This article is about the magazine. ... May 2007 is the fifth month of that year. ... For other uses, see NME (disambiguation). ... September 2007 is the ninth month of that year. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ...

Track listings

In the 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)

CD2 HUTDX82

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

In the U.S.

CD (released March 10, 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)

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. Richard Paul Ashcroft is an English singer-songwriter born on September 11, 1971 in Billinge Maternity Hospital in Billinge Higher End, Lancashire (now part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester). ... Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English guitarist, songwriter, singer and a founding member of The Rolling Stones in 1962. ... Sir Michael Phillip Mick Jagger (born July 26, 1943) is a English rock musician, actor, songwriter, record and film producer and businessman. ... The Andrew Oldham Orchestra is a side project fronted by Andrew Loog Oldham, the original manager of the Rolling Stones. ... Rolling Stones redirects here. ... The Last Time is a song by the British rock n roll band The Rolling Stones. ...

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.^[4] Despite having original lyrics, the music of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was arguably largely based on the Oldham track (the song uses the sample as its foundation and then builds upon, though the continuous riff 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. This article is about reusing existing sound recordings in creating new works. ... ABKCO Music & Records, Inc. ... Allen Klein (born December 18, 1931) is an American businessman and record label executive. ... In law there are two main meanings of the word settlement. ...

After losing the composer credits to the song, Richard Ashcroft commented, "This is the best song [Mick] Jagger and [Keith] Richards have written in 20 years."^[6] Simon Jones (born on May 29th, 1972, Wigan) is a highly accomplished musician, who played bass for top Britpop band The Verve. ...

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, prompting Ashcroft to declare onstage, "Don't buy Vauxhall cars, they're shit", and the film Cruel Intentions. However the band was able to stop further use of the song by employing the European legal concept of moral rights. Nike, Inc. ... Illegal Art is a sampling label that was started by a person calling him/herself Philo T. Farnsworth in 1998. ... Stay Free! is a magazine about the politics of culture based in Brooklyn, New York. ... For information about the football team see Vauxhall Motors F.C. Vauxhall Motors is a UK car company. ... This article is about the first movie in a series. ... Moral rights are rights of creators of copyrighted works generally recognized in civil law jurisdictions and first recognized in France and Germany, before they were included in the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works in 1928. ...

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 long after that the issue contributed to Ashcroft's depression. The band split not long afterwards. In everyday language depression refers to any downturn in mood, which may be relatively transitory and perhaps due to something trivial. ...

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." VH1 (VH-1: Video Hits One until 1994) is an American cable television channel that was created in January 1985 by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communications and owners of MTV. VH1 and sister channel MTV are currently part of the MTV Networks division...

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." This article is about Gateshead, England. ...

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". Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943) is an English guitarist, songwriter, singer and a founding member of The Rolling Stones in 1962. ...

The video

The majority of the video features Richard Ashcroft walking due north, on the east side of Hoxton Street, Hoxton, North London. The starting point, 94 Hoxton Street, is the South East corner of the intersection between Hoxton Street and Falkirk Street and the walk continues along Hoxton Street with few continuity errors. See this Google Maps link for an approximation of the start point. This video was shot during the course of two days due to a man, not knowing it was a video, attacking Ashcroft after he bumped into him on the first day; extras were therefore used during the second day of filming. The end of the video leads into the beginning of the video for "The Drugs Don't Work". The video is a tribute to "Unfinished Sympathy" by Massive Attack. Hoxton Square. ... North London is that part of London which is north of the River Thames. ... In drama, an extra is a performer in a film, television show, or stage production who has no role or purpose other than to appear in the background (for example, in an audience or busy street scene). ... The Drugs Dont Work is a song by the Britpop band The Verve and is featured on their third album, Urban Hymns. ... Unfinished Sympathy is a song written and performed by Massive Attack. ... Massive Attack are a trip hop band from Bristol, England. ...

The video was parodied in the 1998 World Cup song "Vindaloo" by British Comedy band Fat Les. The video takes the same theme of the singer walking down a road towards the camera, with comedian Paul Kaye playing the role of Richard Ashcroft. This article is about world cups in general. ... Vindaloo was a single from 1998, recorded for the 1998 FIFA World Cup by Fat Les. ... Fat Les is a British band consisting of Alex James, the bassist from Blur; actor Keith Allen; and artist Damien Hirst. ... Paul Kaye (born 1965) is an English comedian and actor who made his name as shock interviewer Dennis Pennis, a fictional geeky American. ...

Appearances in culture

Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones.

• The song appears in the final scene of 1999 film Cruel Intentions. At Sebastian's Funeral, Kathryn is speaking, when she notices many people going outside. She follows, and finds Cecile handing out copies of Sebastian's journal, detailing many reputation-destroying facts about Kathryn.
• The song appears in the Bollywood film Bluffmaster.
• The song was performed by Lukas Rossi on the show Rock Star: Supernova.
• The song was used during the climax of the comedy group Stella's short film "Raking Leaves".
• The song is used for the ending sequence in the play Columbinus (which is based on the Columbine High School shooting on April 20, 1999)
• In a first-season episode of Charmed entitled "Wicca Envy" Phoebe Halliwell claims this is the greatest song ever made.
• It is currently used as the introduction music for the Seattle Seahawks.
• The version is used as the player introduction music for the University of Kentucky men's basketball team.
• An instrumental version of the song is played when passengers board Air New Zealand aircraft.
• Ironically, given the lyrics ("You're a slave to money then you die"), an instrumental version of the song was used for a Bank of New Zealand TV advertisement, and is currently used for a Nedbank South Africa TV advertisement.
• Richard Ashcroft performed this song, along with Coldplay, at Live 8.
• Akira the Don remixed the song with Sage Francis' "Slow Down Gandhi" for the intro to his mixtape "ATD7"
• Nu metal band Limp Bizkit has a version of this song entitled "Bittersweet Home", mixing the music of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" with the lyrics to the Mötley Crüe song "Home Sweet Home" and adding the opening lyrics to "Bitter Sweet Symphony" at the end.
• Moby has done a remix of this song.
• The symphonic line from this song was used in Gregg Gillis' "Once Again" from the mash-up album Night Ripper, under the Ying Yang Twins' "Whisper Song".
• During her 2004 Reinvention Tour, Madonna used a sample of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" when performing "Don't Tell Me".
• After his 2007 FutureSex/LoveShow, Justin Timberlake plays the song after his encore performance.
• In 2007, this song is currently being used in a commercial for Gordon's Jewelers.
• The song featured on the TV advert for the Vauxhall Astra in 1998.

Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... This article is about the first movie in a series. ... Bluffmaster is a Bollywood movie released on 16 December 2005, starring Abhishek Bachchan, Ritesh Deshmukh, Priyanka Chopra, Boman Irani and Nana Patekar. ... Lukas Rossi - Rockstar Supernovas Vocalist Lukas Rossi, (born December 21, 1976), is a Canadian singer, and winner of the the tv show contest Rock Star: Supernova. ... Stella is comedy troupe consisting of Michael Showalter, Michael Ian Black, and David Wain (all former members of The State). ... The Stella shorts are a collection of short films by the comedy group Stella. ... For other uses, see charm. ... Phoebe Halliwell is a fictional character on the WB television series Charmed portrayed by Alyssa Milano. ... City Seattle, Washington Team colors Pacific Blue, Navy Blue, Neon Green, White Head Coach Mike Holmgren Owner Paul Allen General manager Tim Ruskell Mascot Blitz, and Taima the hawk League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1976–present) American Football Conference (1977-2001) AFC West (1977-2001) National Football Conference (1976... The University of Kentucky, also referred to as UK, is a public, co-educational university located in Lexington, Kentucky. ... The Kentucky Wildcats are the mens and womens athletic teams representing the University of Kentucky (UK), a founding member of the Southeastern Conference. ... Boeing 747-400 Boeing 747-400 Air New Zealand Limited ASX: AIZ NZX: AIR (Air New Zealand) is a scheduled passenger airline based in Auckland, New Zealand, and the national flag carrier. ... The Bank of New Zealand (BNZ) is one of New Zealands largest banks. ... Nedbank is one of the largest banks in South Africa, however it is one of the newest banks to be incorporated in South Africa. ... Richard Paul Ashcroft is an English singer-songwriter born on September 11, 1971 in Billinge Maternity Hospital in Billinge Higher End, Lancashire (now part of the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester). ... Coldplay are an English rock band. ... Official Live8 DVD, released in November 2005 Live 8 was a series of concurrent benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. ... Akira The Don (born Adam Narkiewicz) is an independent Welsh raised rap artist who has been featured on numerous websites including Newgrounds and occasionally on the radio (e. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Limp Bizkit (alternately written as limpbizkit) is a nu metal and rapcore band from Jacksonville, Florida. ... Mötley Crüe (pronounced Motley Croo) is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California in 1980. ... Not to be confused with Mooby. ... Gregg Gillis is an entertainer who uses Girl Talk as his stage name and recording alias. ... Night Ripper is the third album by Gregg Gillis, released on Illegal Art in 2006 under the name Girl Talk. ... The Ying Yang Twins are an Atlanta-based crunk rap duo consisting of Kaine (born Eric Jackson on December 16, 1978) and D-Roc (born Deongelo Holmes on February 23, 1979). ... This article is about the American entertainer. ... FutureSex/LoveShow is Justin Timberlakes 2007 world tour in support of the album FutureSex/LoveSounds. ... Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981[1]), sometimes known as JT, is an American pop and R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, dancer, and actor. ... TV redirects here. ... Vauxhall Astra is a model-name which has been used by Vauxhall, the British subsidiary of General Motors (GM), on their small family car ranges since 1979. ... Year 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1998 Gregorian calendar). ...

References