The Drugs Don't Work

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"The Drugs Don't Work"
File:The Drugs Don't Work.jpg
Single by the Verve
from the album Urban Hymns
B-side
  • "Three Steps"
  • "The Drugs Don't Work" (original demo)
  • "The Crab"
  • "Stamped"
Released 1 September 1997 (1997-09-01)[1]
Studio Olympic, London
Genre
Length 5:05
Label Hut
Songwriter(s) Richard Ashcroft
Producer(s)
Script error: The function "ucfirst" does not exist. singles chronology
"Bitter Sweet Symphony"
(1997)		 "The Drugs Don't Work"
(1997)		 "Lucky Man"
(1997)
Music video
"The Drugs Don't Work" on YouTube

"The Drugs Don't Work" is a song by English rock band the Verve. The song was written by Richard Ashcroft and is featured on their third studio album Urban Hymns. It was released on 1 September 1997 as the second single from the album, debuting at number one on the UK Singles Chart. The beginning of the video shows the band walking down the street, following on from the end of "Bitter Sweet Symphony".[2]

Ranked number seven on Channel 4's list of the "100 Greatest #1 Singles", the sombre nature of the song unintentionally captured the spirit of the nation as it was released the day after Princess Diana died.[3] In October 2011, NME placed "The Drugs Don't Work" at number 78 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years".[4]

Background and recording

Lead singer Richard Ashcroft wrote the song in early 1995. He briefly mentioned it in an interview at the time, relating it to his drug usage: "There's a new track I've just written ... It goes 'the drugs don't work, they just make me worse, and I know I'll see your face again'. That's how I'm feeling at the moment. They make me worse, man. But I still take 'em. Out of boredom and frustration you turn to something else to escape."[5]

Ashcroft also performed the song when the band was touring in support of A Northern Soul.[6][7] The song was eventually recorded for Urban Hymns. The album's producer, Chris Potter later referred to it as both the best song and best vocal he had ever recorded.[8]

Music video

The music video for the song was directed by Andy Baybutt. The video begins with several references to the Verve's earlier work. The band appears in the same formation and clothes as they did at the end of the video for "Bitter Sweet Symphony". The cover of the machine on the front of the album No Come Down also appears briefly. The band turns around a corner and walks over to a vending machine called "Feelings". This refers to the song "Life's an Ocean" from their second album, A Northern Soul, where Ashcroft sings, "I was buying some feelings from a vending machine" (the same vending machine is also seen on the back of that album). The rest of the video shows, partially in black and white, the band playing the song indoors. The video ends with a piece of burning wood, with the words 'Urban Hymns' written on it, floating on water. The original concept for the video was to have the band filmed in a maze to illustrate "loss of direction".[citation needed]

Track listings

Charts and certifications

Cover versions

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead YouTube link]
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ [1] Archived 28 August 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.[dead link]
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – The Verve – The Drugs Don't Work". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  16. ↑ "Ultratop.be – The Verve – The Drugs Don't Work" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ "The Verve: The Drugs Don't Work" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  19. ↑ "Lescharts.com – The Verve – The Drugs Don't Work" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  20. ↑ "Musicline.de – The Verve Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The Drugs Don't Work". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  23. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Verve – The Drugs Don't Work" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  24. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – The Verve – The Drugs Don't Work". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  25. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Verve – The Drugs Don't Work". VG-lista. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  26. ↑ "Archive Chart: 19970913". Scottish Singles Top 40. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  27. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – The Verve – The Drugs Don't Work". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  28. ↑ "Archive Chart: 19970913" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 30 June 2018.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter The Drugs Don't Work in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
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