"Bitter Sweet Symphony" is a song by English alternative rock band The Verve, and is the lead track on their third album, Urban Hymns. It is based on, in which it samples an Andrew Loog Oldham orchestral version of the Rolling Stones' song, "The Last Time" and involved some legal controversy surrounding plagiarism charges. "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. 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 Records America, helping the song to reach number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100.