Acclaimed in music publications , it was named '' Rolling Stone '' and '' NME '' Single of the Year for 1997 , and is considered one of the defining songs of the Britpop era . The accompanying music video features lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft walking down a busy London pavement – in Hoxton Street , Hoxton – oblivious to what is going on around and refusing to change his stride or direction throughout . At the 1998 Brit Awards , " Bitter Sweet Symphony " was nominated for Best British Single . The song was released in the US as a single in March 1998 by Virgin Records America , reaching No. 12 on the '' Billboard '' Hot 100 , and the music video was nominated for Video of the Year , Best Group Video , and Best Alternative Video at the 1998 MTV Video Music Awards . In 1999 , the song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song
1998 Brit Awards
1998 Brit Awards
Bitter Sweet Symphony