Sonnet

The Verve

About Sonnet

"Sonnet" is a song by Britpop band The Verve and is featured on their third album, Urban Hymns. It was released 2 March 1998 as the final single from the album (see 1998 in British music). The song has the same instrumental layout as "The Drugs Don't Work", consisting of acoustic and electric guitars backed up with a string section which is mainly made up of violins. At the start of 1998, Hut wanted to release another single from the album, an idea which the band disagreed with. Unusually, Hut pressed them on this matter, and so the band finally agreed to release "Sonnet", but only in a format that would make it ineligible for chart recognition. Consequently, "Sonnet" was released as part of a set of four 12-inch records (backed by "Stamped", "So Sister" and "Echo Bass"). The release of "Sonnet" was limited to just 5,000 copies, despite the huge radio coverage it received, and the official chart refused to recognize it as a single because of the extra content, as planned. The pack was released in a cardboard mailer, and the preceding three singles from the album, all re-released on the same day, fitted into the mailer. However, sales of an imported format resulted in it charting in the United Kingdom at number 74. In New Zealand, "Sonnet" reached number 43 on the RIANZ Singles Chart in June 1998, while in Australia, it peaked at number 83 on the ARIA Singles Chart in January 1999. It became a major hit in Iceland, debuting at number 15 on the Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 and peaking at number four six weeks later. 


Year:
2004
4:26
109 

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My friend and me
Looking through her red box of memories
Faded I'm sure
But love seems to stick in her veins you know

Yes, there's love if you want it
Don't sound like no sonnet, my lord
Yes, there's love if you want it
Don't sound like no sonnet, my lord
My lord

Why can't you see
That nature has its way of warning me
Eyes open wide
Looking at the heavens with a tear in my eye

Yes, there's love if you want it
Don't sound like no sonnet, my lord
Yes, there's love if you want it
Don't sound like no sonnet, my lord
My lord

Sinking faster than a boat without a hull
My lord
Dreaming about the day when I can see you there
My side
By my side

Here we go again and my head is gone, my lord
I stop to say hello
'Cause I think you should know, by now
By now
By now
By now
By now
By now
Oh, by now
Oh, by now
Oh, by now
Oh, by now
Oh, by now
Oh, by now
Oh, by now
Oh, by now

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The Verve

The Verve were an English alternative rock band formed in 1989 in Wigan by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bass guitarist Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury. The guitarist and keyboard player Simon Tong later became a member. Beginning with a psychedelic sound indebted to shoegazing and space rock, by the mid-1990s the band had released several EPs and three albums. It also endured name and line-up changes, break-ups, health problems, drug abuse and various lawsuits. Filter referred to them as "one of the tightest knit, yet ultimately volatile bands in history". The band's commercial breakthrough was the 1997 album Urban Hymns, one of the best-selling albums in UK Chart history, and the single "Bitter Sweet Symphony", which became … more »

4 fans

Written by: Richard Ashcroft

Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind


10 facts about this song

Release Details
"Sonnet" is a song by the English rock band The Verve from their third studio album "Urban Hymns." The song was released in March 1998 as the fourth single off the album.
Performance Rankings
The song peaked at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart, making it a considerable commercial success.
Song author
The song was written by all four members of The Verve, including lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bassist Simon Jones, and drummer Peter Salisbury.
Inspiration
It is loosely based on the traditional form of a sonnet and serves as an ode to Ashcroft's then-girlfriend and future wife, Kate Radley.
Music Video
The video for the song is directed by Andy Baybutt and mostly consists of the band cycling around the Lambourn in West Berkshire interspersed with slow-motion footage of Ashcroft singing in the studio.
Song Composition
"Sonnet" runs for a total of 4 minutes and 21 seconds. The arrangement of the song often incorporates an acoustic guitar strum and Ashcroft's ethereal falsetto vocals.
Song Interpretation
Some interpret the lyrical content of the song to be discussing the impossibility of writing a perfect love sonnet, similar to the impossibility of achieving perfect love in a relationship.
Public Reception
Despite its high-ranking, the song is often less recognized than other hits from the album like "Bittersweet Symphony" and "The Drugs Don't Work," yet it remains a fan favorite and a staple of The Verve's live performances.
Cover Versions
A number of artists have covered "Sonnet" in their performances, notable amongst them being British singer James Morrison in 2009 and Rufus Wainwright in 2016.
Legacy
The album "Urban Hymns," which includes "Sonnet," is The Verve’s most commercially successful album to date, being certified 11x Platinum in the UK and selling over ten million copies worldwide.

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    Sonnet

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