We tend to think of Britpop boom in the 1990s as an era distinguished by brashness and flashiness. But the bands that came to the fore also knew the way to our heart bone, as evidenced by The Verve‘s touching anthem “The Drugs Don’t Work.”
What is the song about? How did it relate to the personal life of its writer Richard Ashcroft? And what caused the song to take on an unintended meaning? Here is the story behind one of the most eloquently devastating songs of the ’90s.
The Third Album Sweet Spot
The Verve stood tall with the leading lights of Britpop, such as Oasis, Blur, and Pulp. With Urban Hymns, released in 1997, they delivered an album that ranks right up there with the very best of those bands. It was their third album, which is when bands often flourish and put it all together for a masterpiece.
Like those aforementioned bands, The Verve were also a volatile outfit. Band members came and went (and then came back again) in the lead-up to Urban Hymns. In Richard Ashcroft, however, they had a songwriter with the touch for a winning melody and the ability to cut through to his audience with a few choice lyrics.
He displayed it on “Bittersweet Symphony,” the album’s first single that became a worldwide chart-topper upon its release. The Verve followed that up with “The Drugs Don’t Work,” a song Ashcroft had started writing a few years earlier, and one about which he always played coy in terms of its exact inspiration.
Multiple Meanings
Many people have speculated that some personal tragedies within Ashcroft’s family was the spark for “The Drugs Don’t Work.” He also spoke around the time the song was released about how he was feeling like his intake of drugs wasn’t doing him much good. But in an interview with Songfacts, Ashcroft explained why he never put a fine point on the origins of the song:
“What I’ve found with lyrics is sometimes people’s own interpretations are on another level to mine, certainly with things like ‘The Drugs Don’t Work.’ I found that was the most sensitive tune to start. I realized then, 20 years ago, if I underline with a big marker pen, The Drugs Don’t Work equals whatever, then I’m killing it for people.”
“The Drugs Don’t Work” was released as a single in the United Kingdom on September 1, 1997. A day earlier, the country had been rocked by news of the death of Princess Diana. As much of the nation mourned, they gravitated to this somber song about futilely trying to deal with loss. It ended up on top of the British charts.
What is the Meaning of “The Drugs Don’t Work”?
“The Drugs Don’t Work” hints at someone departing the narrator’s life and how crushing this is for him. Many people immediately gravitate to the refrain (Now the drugs don’t work / They just make you worse) and think of the song as an addict’s lament. But it sort of transcends that and touches on the notion of eternal love.
There’s no doubt the narrator has hit rock bottom: Like a cat in a bag / Waiting to drown / This time I’m coming down. While there’s no specific mention of a death or an illness separating him from the one he loves most, the hints are there in the lyrics. But he believes he can reach out to them when needed: And if you want to show / Just let me know / And I’ll sing in your ear again.
If heaven falls, I’m coming too, he promises. “The Drugs Don’t Work” crams a lot of deep ideas and profound emotions into a somewhat minimal lyrical approach. The Verve’s master ballad has taken on a lot of different meanings for a lot of different folks over the years, and figures to do the same for everyone who discovers it anew in the future.
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