Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft wrote this epic string-soaked ballad after his long-standing girlfriend, Sarah, ran off with his childhood friend. Ashcroft references this betrayal in the lines: And one and one is two But three is company The song deals not only with his breakup, but his state of mind, telling the story of a man's broken dreams in a big city.
The opening lyrics are based on the first two stanzas of William Blake's 1794 poem, London. Ashcroft recalled to The Guardian that he penned it, "all in one go, this seven-minute outpouring with a bit of William Blake thrown in."
The subject of this song, Sarah, can be seen in very blurry form on the cover of the band's 1992 released The Verve E.P. The photo was taken in the apartment they shared.
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