It ‘Was a Nightmare’ Getting ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ for ‘Cruel Intentions’

Cruel Intentions was one of the most scandalous teen movies of the ’90s, boosting the profiles of its young stars. The movie (and most of its cast) is still a favorite today. One thing fans love is the soundtrack. However, did you know there was one song that was “a nightmare” to get in Cruel Intentions?

‘Cruel Intentions’ influenced ’90s pop culture in a big way

Cruel Intentions is a 1999 retelling of the 1782 French novel Les Liaisons Dangereuses, set in the world of wealthy New York high schoolers. The cast included big names like Sarah Michelle Gellar, Reese Witherspoon, Ryan Phillippe, and Selma Blair.

The movie was a hit for its steamy storyline and finger-on-the-pulse music choices for its soundtrack. Tracks by ’90s favorites like Fatboy Slim, Blur, and Aimee Mann scored Cruel Intentions, but there’s one song every fan remembers.

Why ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ was ‘a nightmare’ to get in the movie

Cruel Intentions‘ Sarah Michelle Gellar and Ryan Phillippe | Columbia Pictures/Getty Images

The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony” memorably plays at the movie’s end, but the filmmakers have admitted it was a headache to get into the final cut. The Verve was sued by Allen Klein, the man who owns the rights to the Rolling Stones’ songs, shortly after the song rocketed to the top of the charts for copyright infringement.

“Bittersweet Symphony” samples an orchestral version of the Stones’ 1965 song “The Last Time.” Klein argued that The Verve used a larger portion of the sample than they had initially said they would. Band members Mick Jagger and Keith Richards declined to get involved.

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Following a pricey lawsuit, The Verve relinquished all royalties to Klein and gave Jagger and Richards songwriting credits on the track. All this meant getting “Bittersweet Symphony” in Cruel Intentions was a bit of a struggle.

“That was another example of me writing a scene perfectly to music without getting the rights,” writer and director Roger Kumble, according to E! Online. “That was a nightmare… So we’re like, ‘Oh, let’s get the rights from The Verve.’ But then you find out The Verve doesn’t own the rights, The Rolling Stones own the rights.”

He called the process of getting the song into the movie “a headache,” sharing that the studio even wanted them to give up and use another song. “We kept trying and trying, and no one could agree,” Kumble went on. “And the studio was like, ‘Let’s just pay for it.’ We paid for everything, but we really paid for that one.”

So, how much did they end up shelling out for the use of “Bittersweet Symphony?” According to W Magazine, producer Neal Moritz said almost a million dollars was “probably 10% of the budget.”

The song the filmmakers couldn’t get for ‘Cruel Intentions’

“Bittersweet Symphony” ended up in the movie’s final cut. But there was one song the filmmakers couldn’t get — the Smashing Pumpkins song “To Sheila.” Kumble shared that they wanted this song to play during a love scene.

However, the band said no, and they had to find a new track. Adam Durtiz, a member of The Counting Crows, saw the scene, and inspiration struck. He wrote and recorded “Colorblind,” which ended in the final cut of Cruel Intentions.