Who really wrote Bitter Sweet Symphony?

The orchestral sample in 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' was taken from a 1965 orchestral arrangement of the Rolling Stones' 'The Last Time' by arranger David Whitaker, recorded by the Andrew Oldham Orchestra. Richard Ashcroft of The Verve wrote the song's melody, lyrics, and vocal. After a licensing dispute, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were awarded full songwriting credits and 100% of royalties — despite having had no creative input into the Bitter Sweet Symphony recording. In 2019, Jagger and Richards voluntarily returned the credits to Ashcroft.

Why did The Verve lose the rights to Bitter Sweet Symphony?

The Verve had cleared a 'small sample' of the Andrew Oldham Orchestra recording with ABKCO (who controlled the Rolling Stones' 1960s catalogue). When the song became a massive hit in 1997, ABKCO's Allen Klein claimed The Verve had exceeded the agreed usage terms. A court ruled in ABKCO's favour. Jagger and Richards, who controlled the underlying composition through Klein, were awarded full songwriting credits and all royalties — leaving Richard Ashcroft with nothing for one of the decade's defining songs.

Did Richard Ashcroft ever get Bitter Sweet Symphony back?

Yes — but it took 22 years. In 2019, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards voluntarily transferred their songwriting credit and future royalties on 'Bitter Sweet Symphony' back to Richard Ashcroft. The song was nominated for the 2019 Ivor Novello Outstanding Song Collection award under Ashcroft's name. The arranger David Whitaker, whose orchestration was the actual source of the sample, died in 2017 having never received any credit or compensation.

Bitter Sweet Symphony: The Strings Nobody Wrote

Genre: Britpop, alternative rock, The Verve, 1990s, sampling, music law

February 26, 2026

The greatest pop string sample was licensed, then stolen, then returned. The songwriter spent 23 years watching someone else profit from his masterpiece.

Tracks

1. Slide Away — Oasis
2. She's A Star — James
3. Bitter Sweet Symphony — The Verve
4. The Drugs Don't Work — The Verve
5. Lucky Man — The Verve
6. Sonnet — The Verve
7. The Last Time - Mono — The Rolling Stones
8. Weeping Willow — The Verve
9. Space And Time — The Verve

Read the full story on UpTune →