The bitter-sweet story behind the Bitter sweet Symphony

Chances are, you've heard "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by the Verve.

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Whether it was because you listened to music in the 90s or saw a Nike ad, “Bittersweet Symphony” absolutely shattered worldwide records in 1997. But did you know that The Verve were stripped of their ownership of the song and don’t even earn a single penny in royalties?

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The bottom line? Copyright law is incredibly complex.

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It’s not immediately obvious, since the band layered nearly 50 tracks of instrumentation, but “Bittersweet Symphony” uses a five-note sample from the orchestral version of “The Last Time” by The Rolling Stones.

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Now, The Verve negotiated a license to use the 5-note sample, but when the track became a smash hit, former Stones manager Allen Klein (who owns the copyright to the band’s pre-1970s songs) decided he was going to be a little (read: a lot) overzealous, and decided to sue the band, claiming that The Verve broke the agreement when they “supposedly” used a larger part of the song than what was negotiated in the license—something The Verve still vehemently disputes.

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Rather than risking an expensive legal battle that might not go their way, the band decided to settle out of court and handed over 100% of the songwriting royalties.

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What’s worse is that “Bittersweet Symphony” was nominated for a Grammy in the Best Song category, but since that category honors songwriters—and Klein now held the songwriting credits—the Grammy nomination actually went to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards.

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Oof.

Not only did The Verve not receive any money for the song, but they also no longer received official recognition for creating a chart-topping hit.

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To quote the song…

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“’Cause life is a bittersweet symphony”

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"Trying to make ends meet, you're a slave to money, and then you die..."

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Did Klein go too far? Did The Verve actually commit a copyright violation? Listen to the tracks above so you can decide for yourself.