A Song for the Lovers

"A Song for the Lovers" is a song by English singer-songwriter Richard Ashcroft and is the opening track on his 2000 album, Alone with Everybody, as well as his first solo single following the break-up of The Verve. The song was released on 3 April 2000 as the first single from the album in the United Kingdom (see 2000 in British music). "A Song for the Lovers" was originally written by Richard Ashcroft as a demo track for The Verve's studio album Urban Hymns; three different versions were recorded, but the song did not make the final cut. It was inspired by Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart".[1]

"A Song for the Lovers"
Single by Richard Ashcroft
from the album Alone with Everybody
B-side"(Could Be) A Country Thing, City Thing, Blues Thing", "Precious Stone"
Released3 April 2000
GenreAlternative rock
Length5:39
LabelHut Records
Songwriter(s)Richard Ashcroft
Producer(s)Chris Potter, Richard Ashcroft
Richard Ashcroft singles chronology
"A Song for the Lovers"
(2000)		 "Money to Burn"
(2000)

The single peaked at number three on the UK Singles Chart, a position that would be matched by Ashcroft's 2006 single "Break the Night with Colour". Outside the UK, the song became a moderate hit in Europe and Oceania, peaking at number nine in Italy, number 11 in Ireland, number 42 in New Zealand, and number 59 in Australia. The single also sold well in Canada, peaking at number six on the Canadian Singles Chart.

Music video

The music video for "A Song for the Lovers" premiered in May 2000 and was directed by Jonathan Glazer.

The video is of narrative style. It is shot in real-time with an element of diegetic sound unusual in most music videos. Diegetic sound was used previously by Glazer for "Rabbit in Your Headlights".

The video appears to take its cue from the first lines of the song:

I spend the night, yeah,
Looking for my insides in a hotel room,
Waiting for you.

It shows Richard Ashcroft shirtless in a hotel room, having apparently just showered. The hotel room is decorated with a large amount of Native American imagery, featuring framed photos of tribal chiefs and a large mural in the bedroom. Ashcroft turns on a stereo and "A Song for the Lovers" starts playing. He makes an enigmatic, mumbled phone call, ending with the complaint, "It's been half an hour."

He hangs up, and walks out into the hotel corridor (still shirtless) as if expecting to find someone there. He looks around, finding nothing, then returns to his hotel room.

He goes into the bathroom, where he washes his hands and distractedly dabs at his appearance. While he is in the bathroom, the song plays loudly as to hide the sound of someone knocking on the hotel room door. The sound of the knocking is loud and insistent, almost threatening, but Ashcroft, in the bathroom, hears nothing other than the song.

He sings along with it, in a manner in which two Ashcrofts are heard: pre-recorded audio of Ashcroft singing the song, occasionally being paused by the "real life" Ashcroft holding a remote control; and the "live" voice of Ashcroft as seen in the video, less articulate, mostly mumbling or humming in a rough counterpoint to the song.

He leaves the bathroom, and stops short, staring... at a room-service tray left in the centre of the room, holding a covered dish.

Ashcroft sits down and starts to eat in a largely dissatisfied way. He picks apart a single sandwich before becoming distracted by an ominously flickering light in the nearby bathroom. He pauses the song and listens for further indication that anything is wrong. Dead silence. Ashcroft resumes the song (in mid-word) and resumes eating. He then pauses the song again, disturbed further by something never explained within the video.

He walks towards the bathroom, past the flickering fluorescent tube, and stops. In a close up, Ashcroft stares slightly downward into a corner of the room for a long, silent moment. The silence is broken by the sound of Ashcroft urinating into an off-camera toilet. Immediately, as if to dismiss the prior foreboding, the song resumes of its own accord, loudly and triumphantly as Ashcroft continues to pass water.

The final shot shows Ashcroft standing in the bathroom, urinating obliviously, as every light in the hotel room turns itself off except for the bathroom light... which is no longer flickering on and off. Ashcroft is left alone in a single square of light surrounded by darkness.

Track listings

CD (HUTCD128)/12-inch (HUTT128)/cassette (HUTC128)

  1. "A Song for the Lovers" – 5:39
  2. "(Could Be) A Country Thing, City Thing, Blues Thing" – 6:33
  3. "Precious Stone" – 5:23

Charts
Chart (2000) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[2] 59
Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)[3] 6
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[4] 17
Germany (Official German Charts)[5] 82
Ireland (IRMA)[6] 11
Italy (FIMI)[7] 9
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[8] 83
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[9] 42
Scotland (OCC)[10] 2
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[11] 78
UK Singles (OCC)[12] 3

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[13] Silver 200,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. http://www.mtv.com/news/1425026/richard-ashcroft-draws-inspiration-from-joy-division/
  2. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (pdf ed.). Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 19.
  3. "Richard Ashcroft Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  4. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 17 no. 17. 22 April 2000. p. 18. Retrieved 7 October 2020.
  5. "Offiziellecharts.de – Richard Ashcroft – A Song for the Lovers". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  6. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – A Song for the Lovers". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  7. "Italiancharts.com – Richard Ashcroft – A Song for the Lovers". Top Digital Download. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  8. "Dutchcharts.nl – Richard Ashcroft – A Song for the Lovers" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  9. "Charts.nz – Richard Ashcroft – A Song for the Lovers". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  10. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  11. "Swisscharts.com – Richard Ashcroft – A Song for the Lovers". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  12. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  13. "British single certifications – Richard Ashcroft – A Song for the Lovers". British Phonographic Industry. 27 May 2016. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
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