In the BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge, Yungblud (real name Dominic Harrison) produced a thick, emotive version of The Verve’s iconic 1997 classic “Bittersweet Symphony.” Yungblud’s vocals are more ragged and impassioned than the original’s cool detachment. They rise and break with urgency, giving the lyrics a punk-tinged flare. Backed by his full band and a lush string section, the performance retained the song’s sweeping orchestral riff while infusing it with a kind of intensity Yungblud achieves so well. The arrangement is full of contrasts. A swelling of orchestral instrumentation and surging drums pulls back into quieter moments. The Verve’s version felt like resigned grandeur, but Yungblud’s version reads as a cathartic release, as if he’s trying to sing his way out of the bittersweet cycle.
Speaking about his connection to the song to Radio 1, the Doncaster native reflected, “It’s been a song that’s stuck with me forever, and really lifted me up when I was lost,” adding that the Britpop classic greatly influenced the sonic direction of his new album Idols.
Yungblud’s take on “Bittersweet Symphony” is far more than a nostalgic throwback. His cover is a heartfelt tribute where he invites the new generation to feel, deeply and loudly, in a “symphony” of our own making.
That this music originated with The Rolling Stones’ The Last Time and went through Andrew Oldham Orchestra to The Verve and now to Yungblud is a heckuva voyage.