Bitter Sweet Symphony is a song by the English rock band the Verve, from their third studio album, Urban Hymns (1997). It was produced by Youth and released on June 16, 1997 by Hut Recordings and Virgin Records as the album’s lead single.
Bitter Sweet Symphony is based on a sample from a 1965 version of the Rolling Stones song “The Last Time” by the Andrew Oldham Orchestra. The Verve added strings, guitar, percussion and vocals. They obtained rights to use the “Last Time” sample from the copyright holder, Decca Records, but were denied permission from the Rolling Stones‘ former manager, Allen Klein. Following a lawsuit, the Verve relinquished all royalties and the Rolling Stones members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were added to the songwriting credits. In 2019, following Klein‘s death, Jagger, Richards, and Klein‘s son ceded the rights to the Verve songwriter Richard Ashcroft.
The music video features Ashcroft walking down a busy pavement in Hoxton, London, bumping into passersby. It was played frequently on music channels and was nominated for several awards. The music video was nominated for Video of the Year, Best Group Video, and Best Alternative Video at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards.
Bitter Sweet Symphony reached number two on the UK Singles Chart, and stayed on the chart for three months. It was released in the US in March 1998 by Virgin Records America, reaching number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was named Rolling Stone and NME Single of the Year and was nominated for Best British Single at the 1998 Brit Awards. In 1999, it was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. Bitter Sweet Symphony is considered one of the defining songs of the Britpop era and has been named one of the greatest songs of the decade by several publications.
Tracklist:
- Bitter Sweet Symphony (original)
- Lord I Guess I’ll Never Know
- So Sister
- Echo Bass
The Bitter Sweet Symphony music video was directed by Walter Stern and released on June 11, 1997. In the video, Ashcroft walks down a busy pavement in Hoxton, London, refusing to change his pace, gait, or direction and therefore bumping into passersby. The other Verve band members join him and walk down the street into the distance. Critics likened it to the 1991 Massive Attack video “Unfinished Sympathy“, which sees the singer Shara Nelson walking on a street in Los Angeles. The music video was played frequently on music channels and was nominated for a number of awards, including three MTV Awards at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards.
The Verve
Richard Ashcroft: lead vocals, rhythm guitar, keyboard
Nick McCabe: lead guitar
Simon Tong: second lead guitar, keyboard
Simon Jones: bass
Peter Salisbury: drums
