"Bitter Sweet Symphony" is a song by English alternative rock band The Verve, and is the lead track on their third studio album, Urban Hymns (1997). It is based on an Andrew Loog Oldham orchestral version of The Rolling Stones' song "The Last Time", from which it samples a main theme, and involved some legal controversy surrounding a plagiarism charge as a result. Consequently, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were added to the songwriting credits. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was released on 16 June 1997 by Hut Recordings as the first single from the album, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart and stayed in the chart for three months. The song's momentum built slowly in the U.S. throughout the latter months of 1997, ultimately leading to a CD single release on 3 March 1998 by Virgin Recor