You turn in the greatest report of your working life.  Pure perfection.  In fact, this project will change your company and the entire industry.  Just one little problem, your boss put their initials on the report, and now the project is forever linked to him/her.  Your manager took credit for your work. Happens all the time, and I guarantee it will happen again.  Welcome to Corporate America!  The next time it happens ask Alexa to play “Bitter Sweet Symphony” for you.  This should put things into proper perspective before you start start poking pins in that voodoo doll effigy of “Mr. Take Credit”

“Bitter Sweet Symphony” is one of the most famous songs ever. Richard Ashcroft of  The Verve wrote the perfect song, forever linked to football games and the soundtrack of the late 90’s.  Except he didn’t have a boss take credit for his work, he had Mick Jagger and Keith Richards. The freaking Rolling Stones!  Neither Ashcroft or The Verve have made any royalty money off the song over the past 20 years.

You see, “Bitter Sweet Symphony” sampled a segment of an orchestral recording from the Stones’ 1965 song “The Last Time,” according to Rolling Stone magazine.  The Verve had a license to use the sample, but lawyers for the Stones successfully argued that more was used than allowed — and The Verve had to give up all royalties for the hit…..Until now.  Mick Jagger and Keith Richards have agreed to give all future royalties and song writing credits back to Richard Ashcroft.  Ashcroft shared his joy on Twitter about this change of heart.  www.twitter.com/richardashcroft/status/1131602449435897856/photo/1

In his tweet,  he thanked his management and the Stones’ managers. “Lastly a huge unreserved heartfelt thanks and respect to Mick and Keith,” he wrote. “Music is power.” The song has been viewed more than 450 million times on YouTube. Ashcroft told the UK’s Press Association news agency: “It always left a slight bitter taste obviously. At least I can sit next to my son now and go, ‘Yeah, I wrote that.’

So, maybe someday your boss will have a change of heart and give you that deserved credit for the Jenkins report.  Until then, fire up a little ‘Bittersweet Symphony” and know that what goes around comes around……Eventually.