Which alternative rock band had the 1997 hit “Bittersweet Symphony”?

The Verve had the 1997 hit “Bittersweet Symphony.”

The song was written by Richard Ashcroft and performed by the English alternative rock band The Verve. It was released in June 1997 and became the lead single from the band’s third album, Urban Hymns. Its best-known musical feature is a repeating orchestral string sample derived from an arrangement of the Rolling Stones song “The Last Time.”

The Verve obtained permission to use an Andrew Loog Oldham orchestral recording, but a legal dispute followed because the sample was considered to draw on the Rolling Stones composition. The dispute resulted in songwriting credits and royalties being assigned to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for many years.

Because of that history, listeners sometimes identify the song as a Rolling Stones recording or assume The Verve wrote every element independently. In 2019, Ashcroft received rights to the song after a settlement involving the earlier claims.