About four months ago, I was going through some CDs that my stepdaughter had left behind when she moved out. I was curious about The Verve so when I found a copy of Urban Hymns I put it in the CD player and pressed ‘play’.
The first song on the CD is “Bittersweet Symphony” and it was instantly recognizable to me even though I’d never listened to the band before. It was an epiphanous moment that made me say, That’s where that song comes from!!
But now I can’t remember what it was that made it familiar to me. Can anyone else patch up this hole in my memory?
I’ve never heard the song myself, but I’m aware that it samples the Rolling Stones’ hit “The Last Time,” prominently enough that Allan Klein, who owns the publishing on the Stones’ '60s material, sued and won the royalties to the Verve song. Perhaps the song sounds familiar because you’ve heard the Stones song?
I don’t have anything to add to** BtES’s info**, just had to mention that I had this selfsame song playing as I perused the “new posts” so of course I had to stop in.
Well, yes and no. The Verve sampled an orchestral version of a Stones song, not an actual Stones single. Practically nobody (including the Stones themselves) recognized the music as a Rolling Stones song.
Considering how many artists the Stones COULD legitimately have sued over the years (Neil Young’s "Mr. Soul was lifted directly from “Satisfaction,” for instance, and Dire Straits’ “Money For Nothing” was directly stolen from “Jumping Jack Flash”), it boggles the mind that they sued the Verve who didn’t steal directly from the Stones at all.
For what it is worth, the Stones themselves didn’t have anything to do with the suit. Klein owns the rights to most of the Stones 60’s stuff, and brought the suit himself.
Don’t know about the Verve, but Kids Bop does do Modest Mouse’s “Float On.” Would you pay cold hard cash to hear them yell “I backed my car into a cop car the other day (YEAH!!)”?
That’s soooo weird. I’m fascinated by the whole Kids Bop phenomenon, in a morbid sort of way. Why sell recordings of kids singing karaoke? Why the hell don’t the people who are paying for these things just listen to Modest Mouse/The Verve/whomever? Are they censored? Is that why they sell?
Honestly, it’s probably one of the most recycled modern songs. I’ve heard it used in many different commercials, as part of numerous movie and TV soundtracks. In many sports montages, and in radio segues. The damn song is everywhere.
Sorry I can’t be more specific, but you could have heard this track literally anywhere.
Didn’t the fellow who sued The Verve in essence win the song itself, and he promptly sold it out for commercial use all over? I know he won the royalties for it, but I thought he got “all future earnings” on it too? He pretty much destroyed the competition because they borrowed from a song he owned without permission. (Still pretty harsh in my book.)
No, it’s not that. I just got that one–rather hastily–and was disappointed to find that about half the songs are on the one I alread have. BTW they’re not together anymore, according to my SD.
I assure you, I can tell the difference between The Last Time and – well, just about anything else. Though I do find the comment regarding Allen Klein interesting. I didn’t know that.
