“Bittersweet Symphony” is a song by the English alternative rock band The Verve. It was released in 1997 as the lead single from their third studio album, “Urban Hymns”. The song was written by The Verve’s lead vocalist, Richard Ashcroft, and the track’s signature string arrangement was composed by British musician and composer Andrew Loog Oldham.
The song features a prominent orchestral arrangement, with sweeping strings and a catchy, driving melody. Lyrically, the song deals with themes of frustration, hope, and the complexities of modern life. The opening lines, “Cause it’s a bittersweet symphony, this life,” have become some of the most iconic lyrics in modern rock music.
“Bittersweet Symphony” was a commercial and critical success, reaching the top ten in several countries, including the UK, US, and Canada. It was also nominated for several awards, including two Grammy Awards. The song’s music video, which features Ashcroft walking down a busy London street, has also become iconic in its own right.
Despite its success, “Bittersweet Symphony” has also been the subject of controversy. The song’s signature string arrangement was sampled from a recording of an orchestral version of the Rolling Stones’ song “The Last Time,” and the Verve was subsequently sued by the Rolling Stones’ former manager Allen Klein, who owned the rights to the Stones’ early catalog. As a result, the Verve were forced to relinquish all royalties from the song and the writing credits were changed to include Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. However, the song remains a beloved classic of 90s alternative rock and has continued to be a popular staple of modern rock radio.
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The song doesn't start with "it is a bittersweet symphony this life" but with "'cause it is a bittersweet symphony this life. I think it is an important detail.
the singer is replying to a question that someone else made.
I think all song is a dialogue between two faces of the same person: one positive and one negative.
The positive one is about to show a different way of living, not depending on just fulfilling money needs.
“I’ll take you down the only road I’ve ever been down
You know the one that takes you to the places where all the veins meet, yeah”
The alternative is down a road different from that just presented, a road that leads where all veins meet, meaning the heart.
“No change, I can’t change, I can’t change, I can’t change,
but I’m here in my mold, I am here in my mold”
this is the negative face talking: he doesn't believe that it is able to change and to take the new road. He believes to be immersed in his own mold, meaning he is already dead.
“But I’m a million different people from one day to the next”
it means that he put a million different masks every single day, he is presenting himself in a million of illusory forms to every person he meets, never being really himself.
“Well I never pray,
But tonight I’m on my knees, yeah.
I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me, yeah.
I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind, I feel free now.
But the airwaves are clean and there’s nobody singing to me now.”
Tonight that I recognize this new path of life I find myself praying. I pray to find the strength and the courage to make the right choice.
He needs to hear sounds familiar to his pain, to be known for what he is.
“I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind, I feel free now.
But the airwaves are clean and there’s nobody singing to me now.”
.
“The airwaves are clean” means that there is no communication and also there is nobody to sing with him, so he is completely alone in his choice.
Life is both bitter and sweet, and being a symphony, these characteristics live in some kind of harmony at least.
3 окт 2024
