Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCXXXI--The Verve: Bittersweet Symphony

Every now and again when I revisit a tune picked for Friday Night Jukebox, I'm surprised to find out a song I thought was great was even better than I originally thought (if that makes any sense).  Such was the case with this week's song as the U.K. is again this week the home of the band that produced it.

The Verve formed in 1990 in Wigan, England and were originally just known as Verve, but eventually they felt it was much cooler to all themselves The Verve, as the word "the" makes all the difference (not serious--it was actually for legal reasons as there is a jazz label called Verve that made a stink about the band having the same name as their music company).  To say that The Verve had a volatile relationship would be an understatement--the band split up three times (1996 for a year, 1999 for eight years, and 2008 without yet recommitting to a reunion) in its relatively brief run.  Over the course of their career, The Verve released four LPs, three EPs, and amazingly after the Eagles and The Clash, only two compilation albums.  They've had two number one albums in the U.K., two #23 albums here in the States, four top ten singles on the U.K. charts (including one #1), and one top fifteen single in America.  Courtesy of this week's tune (and its album), the band also shows up on numerous best alternative'Britpop/90's all-time lists, and are considered one of the better bands to come out of the Britpop movement.  They also won 2 Brit Awards and were nominated for a Grammy Award.  Lead singer Richard Ashcroft has had some solo success in the years when the Verve wasn't a band, and the rest of the band has continued playing music in various incarnations through the years.

(Not So) Fun Fact:  Due to legal complications (which really aren't interesting enough to discuss), the band was forced to give credit for the song to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards as it sampled an orchestral string version of their song "The Last Time."  This likely cost The Verve a hefty sum of money, though Jagger and Richards did sign over the rights back to the band earlier this year.

"Bittersweet Symphony" was the first song and first single released (1997) from their seminal album Urban Hymns.  The song would go on to reach #2 on the British charts and #12 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100.  The album was on of their two #1's in England and one of the two that reached #23 in the United States.

(Actual) Fun Fact #2:  The photographer of the album cover said that it's simplicity was the result of Ashcroft wanting fans to just "listen to the fucking record."

Amazingly enough, "Bittersweet Symphony" is exactly as its title suggests:  a bittersweet symphony.  The melody is 99% driven by orchestral strings--I heard a touch of other instruments, but not enough to really make note of.  The lyrics are 99% driven by Ashcroft's vocals, which are an amalgamation of regret, sorrow, and anger.  The song is a look into the hope borne out of desperation--there's a lot of nuance in "Bittersweet Symphony" as it takes a look inside the human soul, the bitter and the sweet, the hope and the sorrow.  In the end, The Verve took a shot at greatness and didn't miss.  The song isn't merely one of the best of the 90's--it's quite conceivably one of the best of all-time.  A true masterwork.

Lyric Sheet:  "'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, that's life/Tryna make ends meet/You're a slave to money then you die..."

Enjoy (Note the Official Video is one of the few "Official Videos" worth watching...):

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emaycee