# Music at the beginning of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 22, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-at-the-beginning-of-bitter-sweet-symphony/230569 "2004-02-22T23:58:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2004, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-at-the-beginning-of-bitter-sweet-symphony/230569/1 "2004-02-22T23:58:33Z")
What is the music that is played at the beginning of Bitter Sweet Symphony. It seems that I should know it, almost, not quite. Could it be Pachabel’s Canon? ---
**Author:** ![edwino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@edwino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/edwino)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-at-the-beginning-of-bitter-sweet-symphony/230569/2 "2004-02-23T00:23:10Z")
It is a symphonic recording of a Rolling Stones song. The Verve were sued for using it without permission. From [here](http://mc1.zero.ad.jp/~zav39171/bss_english/bss_discography/discography_verve_E.html) (near the bottom): > [@](#): > > The Verve used sampling the Andrew Loog Oldham orchestra version of Rolling Stones’ The Last Time on Bitter Sweet Symphony without permission, as a result they were forced to give 100% of the song’s royalties to ABKCO Music, which controls The Stones’ back catalogue. Keith Richards and Mick Jagger were credit as songwriters. ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-at-the-beginning-of-bitter-sweet-symphony/230569/3 "2004-02-23T00:25:03Z")
It’s actually a sample from a symphonic arrangement of “The Last Time” by the Rolling Stones. Instead of licensing the sample properly, the silly buggers in the Verve used it in “Bittersweet Symphony” without permission. Alan Klein, the guy who owns the publishing rights to the song, promptly sued the Verve and won 100% of Bittersweet Symphonies royalties. So that’s a lesson to all you would be mixing mavens out there: don’t get all sample-happy until you have a nice long talk with the lawyers. ---
**Author:** ![raizok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4491bb/32.png) [@raizok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/raizok)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-at-the-beginning-of-bitter-sweet-symphony/230569/4 "2004-02-23T00:27:43Z")
> [@Wumpus](#): > > It’s actually a sample from a symphonic arrangement of “The Last Time” by the Rolling Stones. Instead of licensing the sample properly, the silly buggers in the Verve used it in “Bittersweet Symphony” without permission. Alan Klein, the guy who owns the publishing rights to the song, promptly sued the Verve and won 100% of Bittersweet Symphonies royalties. > > So that’s a lesson to all you would be mixing mavens out there: don’t get all sample-happy until you have a nice long talk with the lawyers. That sucks, 100% of their royalties? The Stones didn’t craft the actual song! It shouldn’t be 100%… man I hate the world. ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-at-the-beginning-of-bitter-sweet-symphony/230569/5 "2004-02-23T00:45:42Z")
I’m sure the 100% royalties thing was because it was so brazen. It was quite a long sample, it was used as the main riff as the song, and there are well-established procedures for licensing samples. The Verve opted not to use them, got caught, and consequently got the book thrown at them for their laziness/greed. Open and shut case, really. (And anyone who messes around with Allen Klein in court is just asking for trouble. This guy would sue his own grandmother, and probably has. Multiple times.) ---
**Author:** ![Darkhold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@Darkhold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darkhold)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-at-the-beginning-of-bitter-sweet-symphony/230569/6 "2004-02-23T00:47:01Z")
I heard they let them keep a whooping 2000 pounds (about what? 3500 dollars?) from that song. ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2004, 12:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/music-at-the-beginning-of-bitter-sweet-symphony/230569/7 "2004-02-23T00:55:56Z")
…Digging through Google it seems that where the Verve screwed up is that while they _did_ license the recording from the record company, they _didn’t_ license the actual song from the song’s publisher. And of course since the song in question was written by one of the most profitable songwriting teams in music history and owned by one of the most litigious bastards in music history, what happened next was inevitable. > **[Stones Publisher Says Verve Sample More Than Minimal](https://www.mtv.com/news/1425045/stones-publisher-says-verve-sample-more-than-minimal/)** > > The ultimate news source for music, celebrity, entertainment, movies, and current events on the web. It's pop culture on steroids. Remember, kids: don’t try this at home!