How Powerful Can One One-Liner Be?

The Verve - 'The Drugs Don't Work'

"Like a cat in a bag, waiting to drown..."

Never let it be said that words aren't powerful. They might not be as immediately forceful as a brick to the nose, or as urgently demanding as a severe tickle attack, but given the right words in the right circumstances, amazing things can happen.

In 1995 or 6 I was listening to the Mark Radcliffe show on Radio 1, and they had RichardAshcroft in to do a solo session. The Verve had just split up for the first time, and he was putting together a solo album, from which he was playing a couple of songs.

One of these songs was called 'The Drugs Don't Work'.

Now, at the time I didn't really like Richard Ashcroft or the Verve. Too traditional, too respectful of the past, not fun enough for me. But once he sang that line about the cat and the bag, I was hooked.

So hooked, in fact, that I bought Urban Hymns. I even listened to the bits of it that weren't 'The Drugs Don't Work'. Some of the bits were alright! So I bought the other two albums, and again, found myself quite enjoying some of their songs.

Here's the song again, in case you've forgotten it.

And then they released it as the follow-up to 'Bitter-Sweet Symphony', and then a lot of people snarkily made that joke about how poor Richard had clearly not got his hands on the right gear, cos his drugs don't work, yeah? And every time I was thinking "SHUTUPSHUTUP IT'S ACTUALLY ABOUT HIS DYING FATHER" like a posturing teen, and also "HE FEELS LIKE A CAT IN A BAG, HAVE YOU NO FEELINGS? A CAT! IN A BAG! WAITING TO DROWN!"

Anyway, then they split up, then they got back together. Last year, they played at the Eden Project, and I went along.

And it was only THEN that I realised that I was right in the first place, and that I'd been hoodwinked by a single arresting similie into believing the Verve were a great band.

THAT, my friends, is the power of words. Never forget it.