Initially released in 1997, “Bitter Sweet Symphony” by the Verve became one of the defining tracks on the soundtrack for Cruel Intentions in 1999. Coming off The Verve’s album Urban Hymns, it was released in the band’s native UK and reached number two on the UK charts, and it stayed on the charts for three months. It was released in the US in March 1998 and reached #12 on the Billboard Hot 100. It’s considered one of the defining songs of the 90s and one of the best songs of the “Britpop” genre. “Bitter Sweet Symphony” almost didn’t make into Cruel Intenions at all, due to a lawsuit with The Rolling Stones for using a portion of their song “The Last Time” as a sample. The band has licensed the sample, but used more of the song than was licensed. After the legal battle, The Rolling Stones gained writing credits for the song, and the rights and royalties went to their manager, Allen Klein. Finally, in 2019, The Verve’s Richard Ashcroft regained the rights to the song. Because of all the legal issues, the song cost over $1 million to license for the movie, but director Roger Kumble wrote the final scene specifically for that song. Since the song came out before the movie, the music video isn’t Cruel Intentions themed, but you can check it out below.
