After twenty years, the Rolling Stones have returned the rights for “Bittersweet Symphony” to The Verve.
“Bittersweet Symphony” by The Verve is undoubtedly one of the greatest tunes of the Brit-pop era. It’s hard to get by in life without hearing the iconic violin track and it truly is frontman Richard Ashcroft’s masterpiece. Except on paper, he didn’t write it.
Mick Jagger and Keith Richards claimed that the track sampled the orchestral version of the Rolling Stone’s “The Last Time.” They filed a lawsuit and earned the rights to the song… along with 100% of royalties.
After two decades, the Stones have reportedly handed over the rights back to The Verve.
When receiving his Ivor Novello Award, Ashcroft made the announcement: “As of last month, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards signed over all their publishing for Bittersweet Symphony, which was a truly kind and magnanimous thing for them to do,” he said.
Speaking with the BBC, he added: “I never had a personal beef with the Stones. They’ve always been the greatest rock & roll band in the world.”
How similar are the two tracks? You can listen to both below and judge for yourself.
