“The Drugs Don’t Work” by The Verve is a deeply emotional ballad released in September 1997 as the second single from their landmark album Urban Hymns. Written by The Verve’s frontman Richard Ashcroft, the song is widely regarded as one of the band’s most poignant and beautifully crafted works.
Lyrically, it’s a meditation on loss, grief, and emotional numbness. Richard Ashcroft, the band’s frontman and primary songwriter, wrote it in a time of personal turmoil. The title line—“The drugs don’t work, they just make you worse”—can be read both literally and metaphorically. It touches on the ineffectiveness of medication (or escapism) to truly heal emotional pain, especially in the face of death or heartbreak.
Musically, the track is slow and haunting, built around a simple acoustic guitar progression, gentle string arrangements, and Ashcroft’s aching vocal delivery. The atmosphere is melancholic but elegant, giving space for the weight of the lyrics to land without being overproduced.
The song was released just after the death of Princess Diana, which unintentionally amplified its emotional resonance. It debuted at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart, becoming The Verve’s first chart-topping single and solidifying their place as a major force in British rock during the Britpop era.
Critically acclaimed, “The Drugs Don’t Work” is often cited as one of the most powerful ballads of the ’90s. Its enduring appeal lies in how it captures the quiet, raw side of sorrow, making it a stark contrast to the grander, more sweeping sound of their previous hit, “Bitter Sweet Symphony.”