The "Bitter Sweet Symphony" which The Verve's lead singer, Richard Ashcroft, is referring to is life itself. He considers the whole experience to be "bittersweet" because he perceives it as one where you ceaselessly toil to make "ends meet" only to die in the end. The Verve's best-known song, "Bitter Sweet Symphony," famously samples an orchestral cover of the Rolling Stones' 1965 song "The Last Time." The portion sampled was written by arranger The Verve. Soundtrack: The Girl Next Door. The Verve is known for The Girl Next Door (2004), Cruel Intentions (1999) and Sliver (1993). Menu. Their smash, "Bittersweet Symphony" was the theme song for most of the Super Bowl XXXII commercials and promos, in 1998. Did you know. Edit. Open Document. 'Bitter Sweet Symphony', which was written by the English alternative rock band. 'The Verve', was an iconic song of the late 1990s and carried with it a story many people can relate to. The metaphorical title suggests that life, like a symphony, is comprised of high notes and low notes but is bitter sweet because many urban hymns. You're probably familiar with The Verve's most popular song, "Bitter Sweet Symphony.". The 1997 classic is a deeply atmospheric and orchestral ode to the daily grind. But the full story behind this song's rise to indie rock fame actually reflects the dark lyrics… all too well. "Bitter Sweet Symphony" opens with the In the history of songs and song controversies, the story of "Bitter Sweet Symphony" by the British-born band The Verve is right up there—perhaps maybe even at the tippy-top. Videos by Discover more about this classic song and the Urban Hymns album here: to more Ashcroft performed Bittersweet Symphony while wearing a t-shirt with a photo of a younger version of himself wearing a Stones t-shirt, which was a very pointed message. Unfortunately, I was the only native British person in our group (grew up near Manchester in the 90s, so this song is pretty much ingrained in my DNA) so no one else really Ga3Fw.