I have now heard two songs in two days that sample The Verve’s “Bittersweet Symphony”. The song, despite hitting the scene more than a decade ago on the band’s 1997 album Urban Hymns, has lived a long and fruitful life in commercials, movies, comedy sketches and musical mashups like this one from Nashville-based mystery man SOJORN, and also the one by Eddy B., Tim Gunter and Young Prince.

SOJORN’s track overlays a cavalcade of mid-90′s rappers over the hook from The Verve’s classic. The track from Eddy B. and Tim Gunter, however, features Young Prince and some kickass flow with a slightly more glitchy approach to sampling that unforgettable string sample. Both are solid in their own right. And the credit for finding the latter goes to the lovely blog Sunset In The Rearview, who brightened up my Tuesday morning with “Time Will Only Tell”.

Eddy B. & Tim Gunter – Time Will Only Tell ft. Young Prince by The Wounded Jukebox

SOJORN – Bittersweet Collage feat. The Verve, Ice Cube, Eightball, Tupac, Biggie Smalls, Warren G. by SOJORN

[Eddy B. & Tim Gunter]  [SOJOURN]  [Young Prince]

–Sean