Rolling Stones Give ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ Rights To The Verve’s Ashcroft

Richard Ashcroft, frontman of Brit-pop band The Verve, revealed in a recent post on Twitter that he has regained the rights to his massively popular 1997 song, “Bitter Sweet Symphony.”

Although the band had cleared the rights to an orchestral recording of the Rolling Stones‘ track, “The Last Time,” by Andrew Loog Oldham, which was sampled in the song, Allen Klein‘s music and publishing company ABKCO declined to grant permission for the underlying composition, because of which Ashcroft was forced to sign all the rights to the Grammy-nominated song to ABKCO, instead.

However, after decades of battling this conflict, Ashcroft’s managers made a direct appeal to the two singers benefiting from the record’s success, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, who “immediately, unhesitatingly and unconditionally agreed to this request,” reads the official statement.

“This remarkable and life affirming turn of events was made possible by a kind and magnanimous gesture from Mick and Keith, who have also agreed that they are happy for the writing credit to exclude their names and all their royalties derived from the song they will now pass to me,” Ashcroft wrote on Twitter, profusely thanking the Stones members.

(Photo: Roger Woolman)

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