Following the grand success of “Bitter Sweet Symphony,” The Verve released the somber “The Drugs Don’t Work” in 1997, showcasing a very different side. This melancholic ballad — reportedly inspired by Richard Ashcroft’s feelings during his father’s terminal illness — is filled with aching strings and raw vulnerability. With its refrain “the drugs don’t work, they just make you worse,” the song captured a mood of profound sorrow and disillusionment. It struck a chord in Britain, where it debuted at #1 on the UK charts (the band’s only #1 there). Often cited as one of the saddest songs of the ’90s, “The Drugs Don’t Work” remains a beautiful, if tearful, high point of Britpop’s introspective moments, offering comfort in its honest expression of pain.