Bitter Sweet Symphony

The Verve developed "Bitter Sweet Symphony" from a sample from a 1965 version of the Rolling Stones song "The Last Time" by the Andrew Oldham Orchestra, adding vocals, strings, guitar and percussion.

"Bitter Sweet Symphony" is based on a sample of a 1965 orchestral version of the Rolling Stones song "The Last Time" by the Andrew Oldham Orchestra.

[6] The Verve songwriter, Richard Ashcroft, heard the Andrew Oldham Orchestra version of "The Last Time" and thought it could be "turned into something outrageous".

[4] The Verve sampled and looped four bars, then added dozens more tracks, including strings, guitar, percussion and several layers of vocals from Ashcroft.

"[9] For MTV, Gil Kaufman wrote that "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was "built on a slow-rolling fat beat, a pomp and circumstance violin loop and ... elliptical, snake-swallowing-its-tail lyrics".

[10] Jon Wiederhorn of Rolling Stone wrote that it "intertwines baroque strings worthy of Pachelbel with sedated vocals and shimmering guitar lines".

However, they did not obtain permission from the Rolling Stones' former manager, Allen Klein, the head of ABKCO Records, who owned the composition rights.

[12] When "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was about to be released as a single, Klein refused clearance for the sample, saying the Verve had used a larger portion than agreed.

Virgin played "Bitter Sweet Symphony" for the Rolling Stones members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, who liked it but declined to become involved in the dispute.

[17] Rolling Stone wrote that the outcome was "patently absurd", noting that Jagger and Richards were not involved with the sample or Ashcroft's melody and lyrics.

[18] Ashcroft said sarcastically that "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was "the best song Jagger and Richards have written in 20 years",[4] and that it was the Rolling Stones' biggest UK hit since "Brown Sugar" (1971).

[16] That April, ABKCO, Jagger and Richards agreed to return the "Bitter Sweet Symphony" royalties and songwriting credits to Ashcroft.

Critics likened it to the 1991 Massive Attack video "Unfinished Sympathy", which has the singer Shara Nelson walking in Los Angeles.

[26] The British comedy band Fat Les released a parody of the video for their 1998 song "Vindaloo", an alternative anthem for England at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.

[28] In 2015, the video was parodied in a television advertisement for Radio X that featured the DJ Chris Moyles walking down a street colliding with people.

[25] Perry wrote that "Hoxton Street in the late '90s was just on the cusp before the area underwent rapid gentrification and hipsterisation, so the video has become a kind of historic snapshot".

[citation needed] In 1998, BBC Radio 1 listeners voted it the third-greatest track of all time,[31] and it was named the third-best single of 1997 by The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop annual critics' poll.

[22] On 2 July 2005, at the Live 8 concert in Hyde Park, London, Coldplay invited Ashcroft to perform the song with them during their set.

[40] Paste named "Bitter Sweet Symphony" the best one-hit wonder of the 1990s, writing that it was their only song to make a "tremendous splash" internationally.

[43] In 2015, Rolling Stone readers voted it the third-greatest Britpop song, after "Common People" by Pulp and "Don't Look Back in Anger" by Oasis.

The Verve songwriter, Richard Ashcroft , in 2012
The Rolling Stones members Keith Richards (left) and Mick Jagger (pictured 2012) received sole songwriting credits until 2019.
Screenshot from the music video, with Ashcroft in Hoxton , London