Sonnet (The Verve song)

"Sonnet"
Single by the Verve
from the album Urban Hymns
B-side
  • "Stamped"
  • "So Sister"
  • "Echo Bass"
Released2 March 1998 (1998-03-02)
StudioOlympic (London, England)
Genre
Length4:22
Label
SongwriterRichard Ashcroft
Producers
The Verve singles chronology
"Lucky Man"
(1997) 		"Sonnet"
(1998) 		"The Thaw Session"
(2007)
Music video
"Sonnet" on YouTube

"Sonnet" is a song by the English rock band the Verve and is featured on their third album, Urban Hymns. It was released on 2 March 1998 as the final single from the album. The ballad has the same instrumental layout as "The Drugs Don't Work", consisting of acoustic and electric guitars backed up with a string section mainly consisting of violins.

At the start of 1998, the Verve's record label, Hut Records, wanted to release another single from Urban Hymns, an idea with which the band disagreed. Hut pressed them on this matter, so the band 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 United Kingdom's Official Charts Company refused to recognise 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 were 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. The song also charted in Australia, Iceland, and New Zealand, reaching numbers 83, 4, and 43, respectively.

Richard Ashcroft re-recorded the song for his 2021 album Acoustic Hymns Vol 1. This version was featured in the 2024 John Lewis & Partners Christmas advertisement.

Music video

The music video is set in a large car park. An "Exit" sign written in Russian can be seen in the background. The rest of the video consists of repeated close-ups of singer Richard Ashcroft sitting in a chair, with different backgrounds each time, and every member of the band at the end of the video. The music video was filmed in July 1997.

Track listing

  • European CD and 12-inch single[2][3]
Australian and Japanese CD single[2][4]
  1. "Sonnet"
  2. "Stamped"
  3. "So Sister"
  4. "Echo Bass"

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[13] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom 2 March 1998 12-inch vinyl
[14]
Japan 8 July 1998 CD [15]

References

  1. ^ Berman, Stuart (2 September 2017). "The Verve: Urban Hymns Album Review". Pitchfork.
  2. ^ a b Sonnet (European & Australian CD single liner notes). Hut Records, Virgin Records. 1998. HUTCD100.
  3. ^ Sonnet (European limited 12-inch single sleeve). Hut Records, Virgin Records. 1998. HUTTX100.
  4. ^ Sonnet (Japanese CD single liner notes). Virgin Records. 1998. VJCP-12096.
  5. ^ "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles Chart - Week Commencing 25 Jan 1999". ARIA. Retrieved 6 February 2016 – via Imgur.
  6. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (2.4. – 9.4. 1998)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 3 April 1998. p. 30. Retrieved 3 October 2019.
  7. ^ "Major Market Airplay: Italy" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 15, no. 13. 28 March 1998. p. 27.
  8. ^ "The Verve – Sonnet". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  9. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 17/5/1998 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  10. ^ "Official Singles Chart on 30/5/1998 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  11. ^ "The Official UK Airplay Chart Top 50". Music Week. 14 March 1998. p. 15.
  12. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 100 – Vinsælustu Lögin '98". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1999. p. 34. Retrieved 8 February 2020.
  13. ^ "British single certifications – Verve – Sonnet". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 17 May 2024. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Sonnet Verve in the "Search:" field.
  14. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 28 February 1998. p. 27. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  15. ^ "ソネット | ザ・ヴァーヴ" [Sonnet | The Verve] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 22 January 2024.
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