My Gen X Playlist: Bitter Sweet Symphony – The Verve

This morning I watched a house flipping show. I love the thought of real estate investing and house flipping. But there is one glaring issue that holds me back. Me. I’m self aware enough to know that I don’t have any skills to bring to the table except a willingness to roll up my sleeves and get to work. Too bad that’s all I have.

I once worked construction over the summer. It was tough work that started at the crack of dawn. It wasn’t the first time I was exposed to manual labor and working with my hands, but this kicked it up to another level. Too bad I didn’t pick up any meaningful skills from that summer. In hindsight, I wished I’d worked a few more summers at that job. Maybe something would have rubbed off. I have a deep respect for people who know how to work with their hands and get shit done.

My friend’s brother is a great example of this. He’s taken on a variety of roles: construction, cook, mechanic and builder to name a few. He joins us on our annual camping/backpacking trips. There are countless times we look to him for his advice and counsel. I consider his calloused hands a badge of honor.

When I step back and think of what flipping entails, it’s really a make over. Keep the foundation, but make improvements that add value. If a wall is in the way, knock it down and open it up. Bad plumbing? Fix it. Too dark? Add windows or a skylight to let the sunshine in. Instead of daydreaming about flipping properties, maybe I should consider self-improvement – flipping the switch on myself. That’s a different kind of investment. Am I too old for this? Is it too late at this stage of life?

This morning’s show, they were re-imagining what a sixty year house could become. That’s just a handful of years older than me. So maybe there is a sliver of hope. It’s never too late.

While searching for songs, I came upon an article that discussed different methods of remixing a song. One of those methods is a flip.

Flips come from sample-flipping which is where the producer takes just a sample from a song and turns that into a completely new piece of music. Sampling is a key part of many genres, especially Hip hop, but this act is much more transformative and integral than using a sample as part of a beat.

Playvirtuoso

It seems that sample flipping is so much more than mere sampling. I spent a little time listening to various flips. Interesting. It is definitely new to me. While I didn’t find a flip that I was particularly drawn to, I did appreciate the reimagination of music. It seemed to fit right in with my earlier thoughts this morning.

Today’s song is a surprise sample that I learned about today. Bitter Sweet Symphony by the Verve sampled an orchestral version of a Rolling Stones song.

“Bitter Sweet Symphony” was produced by Youth at Olympic Studios, London. The Verve developed it from a sample from a 1965 version of the Rolling Stones song “The Last Time” by the Andrew Oldham Orchestra, adding vocals, strings, guitar and percussion. After a lawsuit by the Rolling Stones’ former manager, Allen Klein, the Verve relinquished all royalties and the Rolling Stones members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards were added to the songwriting credits. In 2019, ten years after Klein’s death, Jagger, Richards, and Klein’s son ceded the rights to the Verve songwriter, Richard Ashcroft.

Wikipedia

I like the multilayer interpretation of this song. A Rolling Stones rock song, to an orchestral interpretation, to an alternative rock version. It’s definitely morphed along the way. I’m glad they eventually ceded the rights back to the Verve. After listening to all three, that’s where it belongs.

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For a complete playlist, please click here.

For the Spotify playlist, please click here.

'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, that's life
Tryna make ends meet
You're a slave to money then you die
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down
You know the one that takes you to the places
Where all the veins meet yeah

No change, I can change
I can change, I can change
But I'm here in my mold
I am here in my mold
But I'm a million different people
From one day to the next
I can't change my mold
No, no, no, no, no
Have you ever been down?

Well I've never prayed
But tonight I'm on my knees yeah
I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me, yeah
I let the melody shine,
Let it cleanse my mind,
I feel free now
But the airwaves are clean and there's nobody singing to me now

No change, I can change
I can change, I can change
But I'm here in my mold
I am here in my mold
And I'm a million different people
From one day to the next
I can't change my mold
No, no, no, no, no
Have you ever been down?
I can't change it you know
I can't change it

'Cause it's a bittersweet symphony, this life
Tryna make ends meet
Tryna find some money then you die
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down
You know the one that takes you to the places
Where all the veins meet yeah

You know I can change, I can change
I can change, I can change
But I'm here in my mold
I am here in my mold
And I'm a million different people
From one day to the next
I can't change my mold
No, no, no, no, no

I can't change my mold
No, no, no, no, no
I can't change my mold
No, no, no, no, no

[Ad-libs:]
You've gotta change my mold, no, no, no
It's just sex and violence, melody and silence
Gotta, can't change my violence, melody and silence
I'll take you down the only road I've ever been down

Been down
Ever been down
Ever been down
Ever been down
Ever been down
Have you ever been down?
Have you ever been down?