The Bittersweet Battle Over Bittersweet Symphony

Imagine writing a hit song...selling more than a million copies of that song...and not making a dime.

That's what happened to Richard Ashcroft and The Verve, over Bittersweet Symphony.

A royalty fight broke out in 1997 when The Verve asked to sample a short string sequence from the symphonic version of The Last Time, recorded in 1965 by the Andrew Oldham Orchestra.

The Stones agreed to license a segment of the song in exchange for half of the royalties, but the Rolling Stones' late manager, Allen Klein, later claimed the Verve voided the agreement by using a larger portion of the song.

ABKCO Records filed a plagiarism case, and ultimately, The Verve relinquished all their royalties and publishing rights...and the song credit reverted to Jagger and Richards.