Bitter Sweet Symphony (track)
by The Verve
Year: 1997
From the album Urban Hymns (track #1)
Listen on Spotify SPOTIFY
Bitter Sweet Symphony appears on the following album(s) by The Verve:
- Urban Hymns (track #1) (this album) (1997)
- This Is Music: The Singles 92–98 (track #12) (compilation) (2004)
eBay
Condition: Very Good
eBay
Condition: Used
eBay
Condition: Like New
Listen to Bitter Sweet Symphony on YouTube
Bitter Sweet Symphony ratings
Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AVwhere:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.
Showing latest 5 ratings for this track. | Show all 521 ratings for this track.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Track ratings | Avg. track rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ! | 04/11/2026 19:26 | Musicbuff123 | 605 | 71/100 |
| ! | 03/25/2026 22:44 | wizardalien | 9,597 | 62/100 |
| ! | 02/12/2026 15:53 | philschmil | 427 | 88/100 |
| ! | 11/25/2025 03:26 | Exist-en-ciel | 139,402 | 71/100 |
| ! | 08/23/2025 08:24 |  nextorgd | 314 | 96/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some tracks can have several thousand ratings)
This track is rated in the top 1% of all tracks on BestEverAlbums.com. This track has a Bayesian average rating of 90.7/100, a mean average of 89.9/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 91.0/100. The standard deviation for this track is 12.2.
Bitter Sweet Symphony favourites
Showing latest 20 members who have added this track as a favourite | Show all 62 members
Bitter Sweet Symphony comments
Showing all 10 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First |
Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)
Overplayed, but I still enjoy hearing it every time. A defining British indie pop song. Love the performance of this with Coldplay at Live 8
This comment is beneath your viewing threshold.
makerofbuckets 02/07/2015 19:00 | #134309
definitive pop rock song right here.
Wonderful song
GandalfORiley345 05/23/2014 02:47 | #112714
Great intro for the album, and such beautiful melodies, Incredible song
This is the song that put The Verve so much more ahead than any Britpop band before, almost as close as Radiohead. They just didn't have to try to make something real and serious without sounding too hammy or humorous like bands before, not that there's anything wrong with Britpop as a whole, it just acts more as a glam punk genre than what it comes out as. Insipid Beatle ripoffs.
A beautiful song that the Stones wish they still had it in them to make!
Great song.
Romanelli 05/13/2012 15:55 | #42180
Andrew Loog Oldham is an asshole.
Such a great song, I don't think the Rolling Stones could have made it sound this good. Hard to believe the Verve didn't get any royalties for this single.
Your feedback for Bitter Sweet Symphony
