Urban Hymns is an absolute gem. It lives in a world completely unto itself, separate from the other Britpop of the era. Comparing this work from The Verve to Radiohead and Oasis would not work, and does not work now.
The album sits among the UK’s all-time best-selling records. It won BRIT Awards, as well as Grammys and Mercury nominations. Urban Hymns produced a number one single in Europe with “The Drugs Don’t Work”.
This album is underrated. Most people do not appreciate how well-crafted Urban Hymns is. Every song is completely cohesive in feel and tone to the next. The album is sprinkled with iconic lyrics. It is an absolute shame that their success in Europe did not translate to America past their hit “Bitter Sweet Symphony”.
“Bitter Sweet Symphony” uses a sample from an instrumental song by The Rolling Stones, “The Last Time”. The band secured only half the rights to use it—a six-second sample that Decca Records said was okay to use. However, they did not have permission from the publisher of the song, something they did not realize until it was too late.
Due to this oversight, The Verve were told they couldn’t release the song unless the publisher took 100% of the publishing. The band, knowing they were sitting on a potential number one, reluctantly took the deal, receiving a flat fee and signing away the rights under duress.
The end result was that the publishers of the Rolling Stones track made a massive profit every time the song was used for commercial purposes. There is an irony to “Bitter Sweet Symphony” as the second line in the song is, “Tryna make ends meet, you’re a slave to money then you die.” That’s exactly what they were doing, trying to make ends meet.
To be positive about the “Bitter Sweet Symphony” saga, if The Verve were able to retain ownership rights to the song, it may have never become a hit in America. The band would never have allowed it to have been used in Nike’s 1998 commercial and their “I Can” campaign.
The campaign gave Urban Hymns a nice bump and sales for the record climbed in the United States.
The second single The Verve released from Urban Hymns, “The Drugs Don’t Work”, went number one in England. Richard Ashcroft wrote that song out of love for someone, and that’s the way it came out. The song is not about drugs; it’s about a predestined love and if one of you dies, then the two of you are destined to meet again.
Urban Hymns also contains the track “Lucky Man”, which was The Verve’s final single for a decade. The band had some internal issues in the summer of 1998; guitarist Nick McCabe did not complete the world tour that year.
While the band had issues in 1998, Richard Ashcroft told Q magazine in 2017 that he considers “Lucky Man” to be his favorite song that he ever wrote. He said it’s rare to express the feeling in that song, to try to seize a moment when you’re on top of the world and you’re standing there naked and smiling.
“Lucky Man” is also the perfect song for the band to release as the final single from this record; it conveys a message of finding inner peace and a sense of happiness. The band was going through life trying to find happiness through someone or something else, the band, and it just will not company.
In the tapestry of music history, Urban Hymns stands as a timeless testament to The Verve’s artistry and the emotional depth woven into each track. From the haunting melodies to the poignant lyrics, this album continues to resonate with listeners, transcending generations. As the echoes of its songs persist, Urban Hymns remains not just an album, but a profound journey through the human experience, inviting us to reflect, to feel, and to find solace in its melodies long after the final note fades away.
Must Listen To Tracks: Bittersweet Symphony, The Drugs Don’t Work, Lucky Man
Buy The Verve’s Urban Hymns on Amazon.
