"Bitter Sweet Symphony" is a song by English alternative rock band The Verve, the lead track on their third album, Urban Hymns. It is based on music from an Andrew Loog Oldham adaptation of a Rolling Stones song, "The Last Time." It was released on 16 June 1997 by Hut Recordings as the first single from the album, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart. The song's momentum built slowly in the United States throughout the latter months of 1997, ultimately leading to a CD single release on 3 March 1998 by Virgin Records America, helping the song to reach number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100. The song also became famous for the legal controversy surrounding plagiarism charges. It was the 79th best selling single in the United States in 1998. In the Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time, 2009 (an online music poll conducted by the Australian radio station Triple J) the track was voted the 14th best song of all time.

It was a huge hit for Hut Records. Rolling Stone ranked "Bitter Sweet Symphony" as the 392nd best song of all time. In May 2007, NME magazine placed "Bitter Sweet Symphony" at number 18 in its list of the "50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever".In September 2007, a poll of 50 songwriters published in Q magazine placed "Bitter Sweet Symphony" in a list of the "Top 10 Greatest Tracks". Pitchfork Media's included the song at number 29 on their Top 200 Tracks of the 90s.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bitter_Sweet_Symphony