bitter sweet symphony

Track listings

In the UK

• CD1 HUTDG82

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (album version)
2. "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know"
3. "Country Song"
4. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (radio edit)

• CD2 HUTDX82

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (extended version)
2. "So Sister"
3. "Echo Bass"

Cover by photography John Horsley [1]

In the US

• CD released 10 March 1998 by Virgin Records

1. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" (album version)
2. "Lord I Guess I'll Never Know"
3. "So Sister"
4. "Echo Bass"

Song credits

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

Verve had originally 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^[1]. However, although only some of "Bitter Sweet Symphony"'s music and not a single line or phrase of the lyrics were contained in the original it led to a lawsuit with ABKCO Records, Allen Klein's company, which owns the rights to the Rolling Stones material of the 60s. The matter was eventually settled out of court, with copyright of the song reverting to ABKCO and songwriting credits to Jagger and Richards. (Legend has it that in a discussion about the lyrics, they would 'work something out', and they would be fairly split '50-50', which the Verve took to mean 50% to the Verve, 50% to the copyright holders, whereas they really meant, 50% to Jagger, 50% to Richards).

There have been conflicting reports as to whether or not the song actually samples the Andrew Oldham recording.

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 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". 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 is possibly their best song was not positive; it has been argued that the issue contributed to Ashcroft's depression and the band's split not long afterwards.

Ashcroft played the song, accompanied by Coldplay, at the Live 8 concert held in Hyde Park, London. It was introduced by Chris Martin, the lead singer of Coldplay, as "probably the best song ever written" and he referred to Ashcroft as "the best singer in the world." [2]

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 realise 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 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."

Verve guitarist, Nick McCabe, however has come to resent the song claiming that: "It wasn't the Verve, it was just Richard and some other blokes." [3]

A sample of the song was used by the group Steel Drum like part of their song Sweet Soca Musicin 2004 and appears in the album in occasion of the 2006 FIFA World Cup "Goleo IV presents his 2006 FIFA World Cup hits". [4]

Recently the song was sung by Lukas Rossi on the show Rockstar Supernova, and is currently the introduction music for the Seattle Seahawks. The song also features on the compilation album 'VH1 Rocks'.

Part of the song appears in the short-film "Shimiriam"

The video

The majority of the video features Richard Ashcroft walking due north, on the east side of Hoxton Road, Hoxton, North London. The starting point, 94 Hoxton Road, is the South East corner of the intersection between Hoxton Road and Falkirk Street and the walk continues along Hoxton Road with few continuity errors. See this Google Maps link for an approximation of the start point. The video is a tribute of "Unfinished Sympathy" by Massive Attack.

External links

• 382nd Best song of all time according to Rolling Stone Magazine: 500 Greatest Songs

1. ^ http://www.superswell.com/samplelaw/horror.html